We who have embraced Christ and entered His kingdom should be fully dedicated to advancing the gospel through our words and our actions. The gospel is our priority. The gospel is our mission. While we should find ways to serve others, and while we should seek to fix flaws in our systems that create inequity and injustice, we need to remember that utopian societies will never come from flawed human systems, especially human governments. The gospel of Jesus promises us a kingdom far more glorious than anything we can ever invent, because the gospel of Jesus promises us a King far more righteous than we could ever imagine.

Reflection
How does Isaiah 11 address the hopes of all humanity for a perfect government and a perfect society? Is that something we could ever achieve on our own? Why is it impossible for human governments to make good on their grand visions for a perfect society? Why are Christ’s promises different? How easy is it for us to underestimate what God is doing in the world when we judge by mere appearance? How does the sevenfold Spirit of God perfectly endow Jesus to reign over His kingdom? If Christ is in us, how does that sevenfold Spirit of God endow us to live in that kingdom? What does it mean to delight in the fear of the Lord? What does the cross Christ do in us that makes the fear of the Lord delightful?