As you well know, every kingdom has its currency. Long before the Romans had the denarius and the Greeks their drachma, any sovereign nation worth its salt has insisted on its own currency. The currency or coin usually highlights significant features of that nation with an image, inscription, or slogan (cf. In God We Trust).
So if every kingdom has its currency… What is the currency of the Kingdom of Heaven?
A friend and I were talking about this and he said, “The currency of the Kingdom is faithfulness.” He made a compelling case that God measures true wealth in units of faithfulness. Consider these texts:
- “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you… have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; (Mt 23:23)
- “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Mt 25:21)
- But the fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness, (Gal 5:22)
- If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Tim 2:13)
- [Our Lord is] a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb 2:17)
- “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10)
- And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, (Rev 19:11)
But I noted to my friend that God also seems to measure true wealth in units of humility.
- “I am gentle and humble in heart…” (Mt 11:29)
- “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:4)
- He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:8)
- Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; (Jas 1:9)
- God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Jas 4:6)
- So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of… humility, (Col 3:12)
- Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, (1 Pe 5:5)
So if our Lord were to mint a coin for His Kingdom, I think the coins might be called faithfuls. And one side would portray faithfulness, while the other side might feature humility.
And then I suppose we would have to figure out things like what a faithful is worth. How long do you labor to earn one? And what’s the exchange rate?—How many dollars equals a faithful? And how and where do you spend them?
What do you think?
But actually, friends, my purpose with all this conjecture is to underscore for us just how highly God values faithfulness and humility. And to urge personal reflection: “How much of this truest wealth do I actually possess?