283 The First Business of the Day: Kingdom or Empire?
Why What You Do Before Dawn Defines Everything That Follows
Good morning, and hello friends.
An understanding has been taking root in my spirit these past two years, becoming as clear and certain as the morning’s first light. It’s this: every single day presents us with two ledgers, two kinds of business. Kingdom business and empire business.
One fills your schedule. The other fills your soul. One keeps you frantic. The other, when tended to first, grants you a peace that steadies everything else.
I’ve learned, often the hard way, that Kingdom business must be settled before empire business claims the day. It happens in the quiet moment’s whisper when the Father nudges you awake just to talk. It’s the sacred appointment before the world’s matrix fully boots up and the notifications start flooding in.
Empire business: the jobs, the emails, the chores, the logistics of life operates within that matrix. It will make its demands in due time, and it is not inherently evil. The tricky, beautiful part is that God, in His sovereign grace, often uses our faithful empire business for His Kingdom purposes too. The work of our hands becomes an instrument in His, but I find that’s the case only when the order is right: Kingdom first.
“But what is Kingdom business?” you might ask. I’ve wrestled with this on those mornings, like I described in “The Known Destination, The Unseen Path,” when the specific marching orders aren’t clear.
It is simply obedience. It is “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). It’s the quiet “yes” whispered in the dark before the day shouts its agenda. That sudden nudge to pray for a friend, that pull to sit and listen in the Word instead of reaching for the phone, that conscious surrender of your plans for the day, this is the business that matters most. We rarely see the full plan. Our part isn’t to understand the entire assignment, but to be the willing laborer on the site He’s preparing. As Yahusha said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV).
The main and only objective is our obedience. The outcome is His to manage.
So, as this new day stretches out before you, ask yourself this before anything else: Have you taken care of the Kingdom business your Father placed before you? Have you met with Him in the dawn? The empire will make its demands. It always does. But the Kingdom, attended to first, grants the peace to meet them all.
That is all, and thank you for reading.
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Shashue Monrauch
Excellent reminder and a great way to frame our daily activities. Thank you.