God-centered harmony.

In heaven, God is the central fact.

He is what everything else revolves around and His authority is absolute - everything is in submission to Him. Beneath the umbrella of His authority everyone and everything lives in perfect harmony.

I realize that none of this information is news to anyone who's even a little in tune with the Biblical worldview.

Something else that will be familiar to an even larger crowd is this nugget from the beginning of The Lord's Prayer: "...your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...".

On a recent hike in Glacier National Park, these two thoughts were drawn together in a way that had never occurred to me before. I had been familiar with the individual concepts for the majority of my life, but suddenly the two were combined into one idea that has been transforming the way I view everything.

The phrase I'm using to describe this idea is: "God-centered harmony".

It's important to note that this isn't just harmony. It's harmony that exists under the authority and leadership of God - or rather, harmony that exists because of the authority and leadership of God. First we align with God, then we align with the people (and things) around us.

It's critical to note that I'm not talking about the idealistic harmony of the hippies or some type of utopian dream. I'm talking about the end-game of God's Kingdom: humanity living in harmony under the rule and reign of a good and faithful King.

If God-centered harmony is the reality in the heavenly realm and if Jesus taught us to pray that it would also exist in the here and now (your kingdom come, your will be done...), doesn't it seem like maybe that's the whole point of everything all the time? For example: salvation matters (and evangelism) because it puts us in right standing with God. Obedience matters because it's critical to the "God-centered" piece of this. Denying ourselves matters because that enables harmony with our fellow humans. Following Jesus (and becoming more like him) matters because it helps on both fronts. Same with Bible reading...same with prayer...same with gathering to worship...

What if all these things are actually a means to an end? What if they matter only as far and as long as they're contributing to God-centered harmony? (If that sounds sacrilegious to you, go back and read the opening paragraphs again.)

If living towards God-centered harmony is the end goal, what would the implications be for our day-to-day lives?

For starters, we should pray for it because Jesus taught us to. Secondly though, am I the only one who feels a little odd praying for something and then completely ignoring the practical steps I could take to move in the direction of my prayer? (Or worse, praying for something and then living in a way that's actually a hindrance to the prayer being answered.)

What would it look like to live my life in a way that actually fulfills the Lord's Prayer in the 3' circle I'm occupying at any given moment? In other words, how do we help make God-centered harmony a reality in the environment we're in?

First, the God-centered part of the equation: we submit to God's authority in every area of our lives - His will instead of ours, His plans instead of ours, and the promotion of His Kingdom instead of our own. When I live this way I treat Him as the main character in my story instead of me.

Next, the harmony piece.

It starts by asking questions like: how should I treat the people I live with? How should I treat the people I don't live with? How should I conduct business deals? How should I deal with fellow drivers on the road? How should I play board games with my friends and family? And on, and on, and on...

Whenever I ask these questions I'm struck by how this line of thinking reminds me of the teachings of Jesus. Things like: "...do unto others as you would have them do to you..." and "...love your neighbor as yourself..." to mention just a couple.

I'm also struck by how this type of living sounds difficult and inconvenient - and because of that, it's tempting to just play the "nobody's perfect" card and cling to the cross waiting for Jesus to come back. (It would be helpful if we could all just agree to ignore the part where Jesus said that if we love him we'll obey his commands...and the part where he specifically tells us to go and teach others to obey everything he commanded...).

Kidding aside, if we're honest I think we all know deep down that this is what we're called to - not just out of darkness, but into His glorious light!

You may not think this is anything new, but are you willing to acknowledge it as the main point and end goal of everything? What's the point of reaching the lost if it's not leading to this? What's the point of denying myself if it's not leading to this? What's the point of going to church if it's not leading to this?

Jesus said it best (shocker):

Mat 22:37b-40 NIV: "...'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

That sounds a lot like God-centered harmony...