Seeking the Kingdom

Yesterday, as I was thinking about the new launch of the FaithAliveonline blog, I was drawn to reflect on some concepts of the kingdom and some questions about its implications. During this time of reflection I came across Matthew 6:33 which says to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Prior to this statement Jesus had Christ exhorted his followers to not get weighed down by the cares of this life, that is, food, clothes, even our life itself. Rather he tells us the focus of our hearts and therefore our actions should be on the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

After reading this verse I asked myself what does it look like for me and other Christians in America to truly seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? In our reliance on God and in our purist of his kingdom do we dare live in radical love for God and our neighbor? Do we dare live lives of costly discipleship unencumbered by the worries of this world? A question more relevant to our discussion last week is what the political environment in America would look like if those who confessed Christ lived lives which truly reflected our profession of faith? Would this cause us to be more influential in politics less influential? How would this effect the way we vote if we vote? What would we do about major the major social issues which concern us such as abortion, poverty, and crime?

For Cody Fisher a friend of Mark Hershey seeking the kingdom looked like doing something extreme, something dangerous, something hard. Here's his story.

California was always home for Cody Fisher, a recent graduate from Cedarville University (Christian college in Ohio). He always had a heart for kids and devoted his life to working with youth. Shortly after graduation, Cody was convicted of the needs for some of the youth, globally. He left sunny California for the even sunnier, and hotter, climate of Northern Iraq to work for a relief organization. He was stationed in one of the most war-ravaged areas of Iraq. The needs of the people were abundant, as many of the youth that Cody worked with had health problems, specifically heart diseases. The high rate of heart disease is unknown, though poor hygienic conditions, overcrowding, bad housing, inadequate medical treatment, and malnutrition definitely play their part. In assessing each case, Cody saw that there needed to be some kind of long-term solution. It was difficult because there were not any doctors in Iraq who were cardiovascular surgeons in Iraq and the kids had to go to Israel or Jordan for the surgeries. There was a need for money, but how could Cody provide that as he was living as a missionary in Iraq?

Dreaming with fellow teammate, Jeremy Courtney, they brainstormed ways they could help raise funds for kids to have heart surgeries. In Iraq, the Kurds have been making handmade shoes, called Klash, for many years. Those who make the shoes are very skilled laborers and take great pride in the shoes. They are very popular as almost everyone wears them on the streets. Cody and Jeremey both bought shoes and loved them. They came up with the idea of selling the shoes on the Internet for profit to help pay for the kid’s surgeries. Their idea took off...

“In a matter of days we had a website up and running and we had sold enough shoes to get reasonably excited about funding our first heart surgery. At the start of 2008, after a little over 5 months of business, we had been a part of financially contributing to the screening, travel, housing, and/or medical expenses for seven children who were in serious need of heart surgery!” (A statement from their website)

Though they might not necessarily be getting down and dirty in ministry, they took the time to understand the needs of the people. In living with them, they soon realized the potential of their trade skills. Because they are linking up the shoemakers with buyers in the US and Europe, they are able to help the economy of Northern Iraq, find solutions for health problems and share the love of Christ.

- Adapted from personal story and www.buyshoessavelives.com