The Kingdom

-
The Kingdom of Heaven is sparkling with fascinating places to explore. It is vast, beautiful, exciting, and complex. It is full of priceless treasure there for the taking. Things like wisdom, revelation of God's plans for you, insight into His word, will, and ways. Fascination with Jesus is there, and so is love for others. Humility can be found there, and the strength to resist sin and darkness. Growing in the authority of Jesus' name is possible there, too. Not to mention anointed prayer and worship, and spending time in God's presence.

I picture the Kingdom of God as sparkling with beauty, green with life, and warm red with fiery desire for the things our heart is just wired to experience. Every pleasure in the natural realm is a counterfeit of the true pleasure in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The first Apostles knew this. They saw the kingdom as more real than the temporary fallen natural realm. That is why they were so happy to endure persecution. They knew Jesus, and they knew their place in the Kingdom. They were fascinated by the "things above" and not fascinated with the temporary things available to their natural eyes.

Jesus wants His followers to enter in to the vast Kingdom, to eat the food there, and enjoy the rest and fascination there. It is in the Kingdom we find strength to endure our mission in the natural realm. But so many of us have no idea what the Kingdom is, or how to access it. When we accept Jesus as the sacrifice for our sin, we are given access to the kingdom, but most of us stand at the gate, looking at the world. We want the kingdom security, but we hunger for the world's fascination. It is like we stand just inside the gate of the kingdom with our eyes on the outside world, with our backs to the beautiful view.

If we would just turn around and look at what is available in the Kingdom, the world's counterfeit pleasure would be so uninteresting. We look at the "TV dinner" and think it looks so delicious, only because we have never tasted the "home cooked meal" in the kingdom!

When I got my first glimpses of the free treasure in the kingdom a couple of years ago, I realized that all the things I long for are actually there, not here. We obtain the treasure in the kingdom just by asking for it, and setting our determination to "ask until we receive."

Jesus was angry with the religious leaders of His day because they wouldn't enter in to the Kingdom, and they also prevented others from entering in. They wanted to keep things under control, and wanted the others to see things their way. When we don't enter into the kingdom ourselves, we actually make it harder for those around us to see the possibilities there.

I want to be in the world, but not of it. Like a kid who has found a trail behind his house into a vast woods full of excitement, I keep sneaking away to get more from the kingdom. Anyone who has given their lives to Jesus can go in too!

Matthew 23: 13 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either.

Luke 18:17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

Comments

Post a Comment

I appreciate your comments.

Most Popular Posts

False Love (Polite Ignoring of Truth) Is Killing the Bride of Christ

-
Romans 16:17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. We live in the age that Paul described to Timothy: 2 Timothy 3:1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having...
Read more

Advent: Anticipating the Coming of Messiah

-
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. In the end, everyone is going to get what they want.  This is the beauty and tragedy of being loved by an eternal Father.  Love requires free will.  Free will means I get the freedom to have my own will.  Everyone will get their will empowered in the end.  For the same love that gives everyone what they want, there is a delay in the giving over to desire.  God gives us time to change our mind that we could learn to want what He wants for us....that our will could be conformed to His. Judgment...even the seals, trumpets and bowls of Revelation...are simply the giving over of mankind to what it wants, even though what it wants is not good.  It happens incrementally and in a process so that we could repent....that we could see what we want won't really satisfy, and change our minds. That's why the end time judgment comes in 21 steps. In the d...
Read more

False Unity: Ecumenicism, Math, and Time

-
Image
Decision Tree for Reading this Post: 1.   I am already convinced my denomination or apostolic network is correct and I am a team player.  My ideology and network matters more than truth: please go to 2. 2.   Please, do not read this post.  It won't help you. 3.   I believe in christian unity at all costs and am not interested in changing my mind, please go to 2. 4.   I believe all ecumenical unity is evil and am not interested in changing my mind, please go to 2. 5.   I am interested in a different Biblical perspective to consider about unity and I like hearing what Jesus says to lots of people so that I can talk to Him myself with a more full perspective: please go to 6. 6.   Yay, please read this Post. False Unity: Ecumenicism, Math, and Time The Bible has a LOT to say about unity of the church.  We know unity is going to happen just before the great harvest brings a massive number of people to the church in one gene...
Read more

Sanctified? Spared?

-
I believe in a safe place in the judgment unfolding. Though it is largely rejected, it isn't too late.  A sanctified people in a consecrated place can turn back the tide of trouble for their land if they are willing to humble themselves and submit to the clear instructions of the Lord. Only a sanctified people can do this. God doesn't care about the quality of the music or the articulation of the words of the prayers, or the appearance of the sanctuary....it is the cleanliness of heart and the willingness to stand with Him in His righteous judgments....to attribute to Him the truth: that He is the one behind the trouble, and that because He is allowing it, even raising it up, it is good. That God defines and discerns good and evil differently than man, and has every right to is the message of the sanctified. That man's discernment of good has led us into this mess is the message of the sanctified. That no king can save us but the One who loved completely different than...
Read more

Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle of Moses

-
The Tent of Meeting Moses set up outside the camp was a precursor to the Tabernacle of Testimony that would follow it. Rebellion of God's people brought about the Tabernacle of Meeting, or the temporary tent Moses erected to stay near God himself, until the rebellion was dealt with. When Moses first went up on Mt. Sinai, God showed him to build the Tabernacle of Testimony. The instructions God gave Moses were for a public meeting place. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai he found Israel, the people God had offered the Tabernacle to, worshiping the Golden Calf Aaron had made. God told Moses He would no longer go with Israel. God withdrew His offer to be in the camp of Israel, but God did not withdraw the promise to take Israel to the promised land and drive out her enemies! Here the Lord was testing Israel. Did she want God, or simply the promises of God?: Exodus 33:1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out o...
Read more