My Imaginary Kingdom
by Joe Leavell
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
Over a billion dollars?! Wow! Imagine what that would be like!
I’m not a lottery player by any stretch, but a group at work was pooling together for this massive jackpot. So I thought, “I might as well join in the fun.”
Sitting in my car, I wondered how much the winnings would be after the government took their chunk out of it. I did a quick Google search before I started driving home. Wow! They take a LOT! But that’s still a lot of money!
I started driving and thinking about it.
OK, better odds of getting eaten by a shark while getting struck by lightning at the same time…twice.
But just imagine!! Wow!
So I did. I imagined.
OK, got to give some of that to God right? How much would that be? The only way you get to win that much would be if God wanted you to have it, so let’s think through percentages. Who to give money away to, what charities to invest in…hmmm…
Would we keep our home? Not sure how with that kind of money! That could be hard to explain to the neighbors. What kind of a home would we live in? Where would it be? Would we have just one?? Oh!! A beach house!! A cabin in the mountains!! That would be amazing! Not just for ourselves of course, but for family! Of course, we would totally give away money to them too so the family would benefit!
What about our kids? We would have to set up something of a trust fund, right? But I wouldn’t want to spoil them too much. We want them to learn how to work hard, and earn their own place! Man, guessing it could be a tough transition for them to adjust to. I’ll bet they would love to have their own rooms, decorated how they like, so we could custom build a place with their desires in mind! A music room is a must! Would a bowling lane in a game room be too much?? That would be awesome!
Wouldn’t it be cool to have one of those places where pastors could come to vacation with their families for free?? I mean, I’m sure I would still counsel people, right? So, maybe since I’d be independently wealthy, we could fly pastors and their families here for a free vacation, or free counseling while they have a getaway on us!
Why not me?? I’m a Christian. I know how to manage money. I listen to Dave Ramsey, and know how to budget. I’ve taught biblical principles of money before! I could totally handle it! And how cool would it be for God to use that money to bless others!
Imagine how I could help make Christian colleges more affordable, bless church plants to get off the ground, help get people out of poverty, and sex trafficking!! The possibilities here are so endless!
God would want that right??? Think of all the good I could do with that money!
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Something snapped me out of my fantasy planning and reminded me I was still driving. I had no recollection of how I got from the gas station where I had bought this ticket to where I was on my drive home. I just hoped that I had obeyed all the traffic laws while I was daydreaming!
What grabbed me out of my imagination? It was the song on the radio that had been playing the whole time that I had been daydreaming. It was the middle of a familiar song that hadn’t yet registered in my mind up to that point, and I finally listened to the words.
The lyrics were these:
“Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine”
Ouch.
I was undoubtedly imagining what something would be like. That’s for sure. Only the tune playing on repeat in my head had a different kind of lyric. I was lost in thought of what it would be like to be surrounded by piles of money, comfort, and time to finally do what I chose to do instead of working a regular job.
In those moments, I realized what I had so quickly allowed my heart to do – to get lost in my imagination of a life that God had not seen fit to give. I was imagining what would happen if that ticket held the ‘lucky’ numbers, and my life would be instantly different.
Scripture says in 1 Timothy 6:9, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
That was me at that moment.
I had fallen into a snare and realized that this daydream was the entire reason I had bought the lottery ticket in the first place. I didn’t want to win so much as I wanted to daydream about winning. It was just to have the fun of imagining for a moment what life would be like if I fell into an enormous amount of wealth.
The song on the radio was finishing up,
“I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship You.
I can only imagine.”
Whose Kingdom Am I Longing For?
Scripture teaches us in Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Scripture teaches similar themes throughout the Bible. It talks of where to center our minds, our hope, and our hearts. And *spoiler* it isn't about winning the lottery.
I was dreaming of my kingdom that would come. My will that would be done.
I’m not sure if you relate to my daydreams or not. I can’t be the only one who has ever been lost in thought about what they would do if they won the lottery. Maybe for you, money hasn’t been a thing, but maybe you spend your time daydreaming of what it will be like to be married someday. Or maybe you’re in a marriage where you fantasize about what it would be like NOT to be married anymore. I remember as a kid longing to be an adult, and as an adult daydreaming about going back in time to fix all of my mistakes.
Perhaps you imagine being taller, more attractive, skinnier, or more muscular. You daydream about that perfect trip you’ll take someday to that exotic beach. Shoot, you spend half your workday daydreaming of getting home.
It may be that you’re more like John Lennon, and your “Imagine” turns towards a humanistic utopia.
Possibly your yearnings have gotten darker, and more sinful. Longings for which you are ashamed. Perhaps you have turned your mind over to fantasy because you wish to escape your reality.
Imagine if…
If only…
Wherever our minds tend to wander often shows us what our hearts truly yearn for.
This is why the Bible speaks so much about our affections and our thoughts. Renewing our minds, guarding them, centering our thoughts on things that are noble, lovely, etc.
This redeemed “mind” that Scripture speaks of isn’t built on a fantasy of imagination, but something and someone very real. This posture of the heart, this yearning, if you will, is centered on Christ Himself. It looks forward with anticipation to His coming Kingdom, and how we are designed to live a life of love while we wait for His return.
This is what the song “I Can Only Imagine” was doing. The song spoke of imagining what it will be like to be in the presence of Christ and allowing that rapturous thought to stir the longing and affection to be home with Him for eternity.
I so appreciate the irony that this, of all songs, is what was playing on the radio while my mind wandered towards temporary wealth.
Lasting Wealth
There’s an old joke about a rich man who begged God to allow him to take two suitcases to heaven. He had worked so hard, and wanted something to bring with him that reflected his life’s hard work. For whatever reason, God decided to allow it. When the man arrived at the pearly gates, he explained to St. Peter that God had allowed him the two suitcases. “OK, but out of curiosity, what did you choose to bring?” The man opened the suitcases, and inside were bars of solid gold. St. Peter said, “That’s an odd choice. Why did you decide to bring pavement?”
Streets made of pure gold.
Walls covered with radiant gemstones.
Gates made of pearl.
Imagine.
The funny thing about my own daydreaming is that the wealth of Solomon himself pales in comparison with all of what we will experience in His presence. A Malibu mansion will seem like a doll house in contrast to the majesty of our eternal home.
There is nothing in and of itself wrong with God blessing individuals with material wealth for His own glory and purposes. Yet for me, I recognized that my own dreaming of riches was laughable when I know from repeated experience that true wealth is found, both now and forever, in Christ alone.
There are other lyrics that Christians have sung for centuries that express it this way:
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”
Jesus is better.
As the song on the radio concluded, I quietly asked God to forgive my wandering heart, and to center my hope on Him rather than building up my own temporary kingdom here.
One day, those desires for His presence will become a reality. I can’t wait!
Can you imagine??!
Come soon, Lord Jesus!
For Further Study:
The Treasure Principle Bible Study: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving: by Randy Alcorn and Brian Smith
