The Kingdom of God

 

The Kingdom of God is made without human hands and includes every person who humbles him or herself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6-9; James 4:10).

Salvation gives us the keys to the Kingdom, as coheirs with Christ (Matthew 16:19; Romans 8:17). We inherit everything God gave to Jesus through His obedience on the cross.

Kingdom living affords us serenity and contentment, in spite of our trials. We learn to give thanks to God our Father regardless of our circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:12, James 1:2).

Dwelling in the Kingdom of God on this earth guarantees that we will flourish in the true riches of life. We love the Lord our God with our whole heart, soul, body and strength; and He works out every issue for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). 

In God's Kingdom, Christ loves the church as a husband should love his wife (Ephesians 5:22-32). Our marriage vows signify to both mates an indissoluble pledge, which divorce-proofs our relationship.

This way, our children recognize our genuine faith and see the hand of God in our life. This causes them to want these same blessings in their life as well.

They marry Godly mates and raise our grandchildren in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4; Psalm 145:11-13). They enjoy the continual blessings of living in God's Kingdom.

Often, God will lead us by His Spirit in ways that do not make human sense. His ways are higher than ours and He has an eternal purpose for us regardless of our earthly circumstances.

This requires that we relinquish our human effort and understanding in order to continue doing His Kingdom work. When we please God in all of our ways, He makes even our enemies to dwell in peace with us (Proverbs 16:7).

Prayer:

Father God, You rule over all the kingdoms of this world from Your throne in Heaven (Psalm 47:7-8). All greatness, power, glory, honor, victory and majesty belong to You. Everything in heaven and on earth belong to You. You provide us with esteem and wealth, power and productivity, strength and success (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).

We are so glad that Your Kingdom abides forever and ever, and that we will spend eternity in Your physical presence as well as Your spiritual presence, which we enjoy now (Psalm 9:7, 45:6, 103:19). Thank You for Christ in us and for placing us in Christ, to completely surround and immerse us in His presence.

Thought for the Day:

God's dominion is from generation to generation since the beginning of time and His everlasting Kingdom endures forever and ever. - Daniel 4:34-35

The Law of Generations

When people read the fact that the sins of the fathers are passed down to the third and fourth generation, they rail against God for what they view as His unfair practice to force someone to pay for their ancestor’s mistakes (Exodus 20:5).

In reality, this verse is telling us that our sins naturally affect people for generations to come. For instance, war is a decision made by a president, or dictator; yet, this sin affects countless generations, which reap the devastation of this heinous crime.

When a man abandons his wife, it also negatively affects his children, grandchildren and many future generations (Malachi 2:13-14). Divorce even affects parents, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, siblings and friends.

Murder, theft, sexual abuse, and all the sins we humans commit have far reaching affects for future generations. Sin rips the heart right out of all of these victims through no fault of their own.

The consequences of the sin we commit affect generations to come (Jeremiah 32:18). However, God also put into play similar generational affects to bless those who love and obey Him.

God blesses thousands of generations of descendants, for no other reason than as a result of our relationship with Him (Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 5:10, 7:9). I don’t know about you, but I want my successors to enjoy God’s blessings, not the consequences of my sins.

Prayer:

Father God, we so enjoy the blessings You bestow on us each day. Even when life throws trials and tribulation at us, as a good Father, You walk through them with us, helping us and encouraging us through the difficult times. You make Your presence even more real to us when we take the time to sit at Your feet (Luke 10:42). Remind us that You have a perfect plan for our life, and help us to obey Your Spirit’s direction through every moment of it (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:16-25).

Thought for the Day:

Through all generations, the Lord shares His love and righteousness with those who fear Him. 

– Psalm 103:17

Light in the Darkness

Read: Matthew 5:13-16

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” – John 1:5

As I watch our grandchildren develop, the fact that every one of them is born with a sinful nature is so evident. No one taught them how to throw a temper tantrum, or how to be picky with food, or to unroll all the toilet paper or how to get grouchy when they are tired. It all comes naturally. I am happy to say that they eventually learn social skills as they mature. They also learn self-discipline, so eventually their parents do not have to discipline them.

We are hopelessly lost in darkness without Christ in our life, until the Holy Spirit comes to our rescue (John 1:5). As baby Christians we also have some bad habits and we retain some carnality that needs discipline (Romans 1:29). Actually, it is God who gives us both the desire and the will to live for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). He conforms us a little more each day, through His sanctifying process, until we start to reflect the character of Christ in our lives (Romans 8:29).

The problem baby Christians often encounter is that some of those who profess to be Christians are actually more sinful than people who live in the world. These pretenders have a false hope of going to heaven because of a prayer they prayed, and they are oblivious to their real need for Christ in their life (Jude 4). They drink, use foul language, live immorally and fail to serve God with full devotion. They are poor examples to new Believers, and they often encourage these babes in Christ to live in habitual sin as well.

However, as true Believers come to know the Truth we walk away from sin. We follow Christ’s example in life and share it with others just like Jesus did when He came to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore, it is impossible for us to continue sinning when we are truly born of God (1 John 3: 6-9). Instead we live for God’s glory and we submit to the Holy Spirit as He transforms our behavior from carnal to Christ-like. God calls us to live as light in the world of darkness and to spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen (Matthew 5:13-16). 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we draw closer to You each day, we walk away from any behavior that leads to personal gain or unholy activities. As we study the Word, we learn more about You and what You expect from our lives. We also learn more about Your character and how You want us to act and think. Help us to choose to live lives without compromise, so that we can be salt and light in the dying world around us.

Thought for the Day:

No one who lives in Christ Jesus keeps on sinning, and no one who continues to sin has any concept of who Jesus really is.

Eternally Minded

Read: Luke 18:29-30

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

 - Hebrews 11:1

 

As I sat on my lanai, drinking a cup of hot cocoa and reveling in the cool breeze blending with the warm sunshine in southern most Florida, I reflected on the fact that I live so far away from my grandchildren who live in Missouri. I despise the fact that I rarely get to see them. Even when I plan a visit, their schedule and mine do not always coincide. I miss them, and they tell me all the time that they miss me.

I know I cannot live in more than one place at one time; so I petitioned God for some way to change my perspective. I did not want to feel this intense anguish over the great gulf of time and space that separates me from my cherished children. I could not do anything to change the situation; so I put it in God’s capable hands.

True to form, God clearly answered me, “Your grandchildren have Godly parents and you will have your grandchildren and their parents with you throughout eternity. I moved you to the southern tip of Florida, because there are people here who will not be in Heaven, if they do not have your and your husband's influence in their lives.”

My initial response was overwhelming joy at this insightful concept. I felt awed and privileged that my Lord and King would use me in such a way. Yet, in spite of the profound nature of God’s reply, I still struggled with submission to His will. This was yet another area of “self” that I needed to lay down on the brazen altar. I did not want to give up quantity time on this earth with my little munchkins. I longed to be involved in their lives on a daily basis. I did not want to be satisfied with an eternal perspective on this issue. I wanted to be with them now, as well as in eternity.

As I observed my response to God’s words, I realize that yet another level of attachment to this world remained entrenched in my soul. This caused the Holy Spirit to drench me with a double dose of conviction. Here lay in me an added area of carnal-mindedness. After over 40 years of walking with God on an intimate basis, I found one more area of my life still way too attached to this earthly realm. Sure, I have no affection for material possessions, worldly success, or recognition of any kind. Now, however, I realized that part of me is still very much bound to this world ~ the grandma part of me.

God is not as interested in our natural family as He is in our spiritual family. Mark 10:29-30, Luke 18: 29-30, and Matthew 19:29 all share this same concept. Luke 21:16,17 even states that some of our natural friends and family may actually deliver us up for persecution and death. Jesus makes it very clear that we will not always get along with, or be physically close to people in our own friend and family circle, due to our relationship and calling in the Lord. Jesus felt this same distance from His own friends and family; and the servant is not greater than her Lord (John 15:20).

The more I thought about it, therefore; the more spiritual excitement filled my soul. In eternity God will free us from all of these natural barriers and conditions that strap us to this earthly sphere. The moment we are absent from this body, we will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and we will know and be known (1 Corinthians 13:12) for eternity.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am not happy with this situation. I am struggling with laying down my need to enjoy my own dear grandchildren’s company more often. I rely on You to give me both the desire and the power to live out Your will for me in this earthly realm, regardless of the circumstances in my life (Philippians 2:13).

Thought for the Day:

God’s reality looks nothing like our earthly existence.