Tag: kingdom of God

The Process of Understanding and Assimilating What God Has Prepared for Us

John 16:12
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Almighty God has created each of us to fulfill a unique need in His kingdom. His plan for our lives is much, much bigger than anything that we have ever imagined. We are just not ready to take it all in. Our flesh simply gets in the way with what the Holy Spirit has to teach us. And of course, for many of us, we dig our own holes which makes the process even harder. Nonetheless, for those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, His spirit will provide our strength where we are weak.

Even the apostles were not ready to receive and understand all the teachings of Jesus. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, their flesh simply could not handle what was going to be revealed to them in the spirit. It was only after Pentecost that the apostles were able to boldly proclaim the full gospel.

What a wonderful transformation when the Holy Spirit opens our minds to receive and understand the things that made no sense to us or had no value for us before. In the blink of an eye, our blinders are removed. Without even being cognizant of the process, we begin to assimilate truths that had been unavailable to us before. Then, just as suddenly we are able to share them with those who have been prepared to receive them.

Let us prepare our hearts to receive all that the Holy Spirit has for us. Let us fulfill the plans that Almighty God has created us to fulfill. Let us become all that God has created us to be.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Wonderful Counselor that You have provided to guide and instruct us. We humbly ask that You prepare us to receive all that the Holy Spirit has to teach us. May we become willing vessels, ready to take on the fullness of Your living water. We pray that we will be eager to have the living water pass through us to bring life and enlightenment to those around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

The Faithful Love, Protection and Provision of Almighty God

Psalm 91:1
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In this world, to live in someone’s shadow is generally thought to be an undesirable place. It is regarded as a place where you cannot live up to the standards of the one who preceded you. In the kingdom of God, quite the opposite is true. Living in the shadow of Almighty God enables us to be more than we could believe to be possible.

Loving faith in Almighty God on our part will always be met by faithful love, protection and provision on God’s part. His covering of us is much greater than we can imagine. If we are abiding in Him, there is no limit to His shadow that is over us. He protects us at all times from natural and supernatural enemies. He makes our homes secure. He is our refuge in every storm.

But it does not stop there for those that seek to live in His shadow. He invites us to enjoy so much more. There is a special nuance in this passage that must not be overlooked. The blessings spoken of in today’s passage can be greater for those believers who live in ongoing, close fellowship with God. The delightful fullness of these most high blessings are for those who habitually abide in the shadow of Almighty God. Those who stand in continuous communion with God set themselves up to become possessors of rare and special benefits.

Let us seek the grace to be constant refugees in the fortress of Almighty God. Let us enjoy the fullness of His shadow.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the shadow of protection and provision that You place over us when we surrender our lives to You. We bless the name of Jesus who has made it possible for us to come to Your mercy seat. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we seek to abide under Your shadow. May our hearts be prepared to seek that secret place of constant communion where we can access the fullness of Your most high blessings. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies never end, Jesus Christ.

The Waiting and Working Servants of the King of Kings

Luke 12:40
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

God’s Holy Word inspires us to turn our thoughts toward the day that Jesus will return to the earth. This will be a great and magnificent day for which all of us need to make ourselves ready. On His arrival day, the Lord will separate those who knew Him and served Him from those who did not. We certainly want to be in the group that He separates for life in His Kingdom.

Our preparation for an uncertain time and date can be complicated. Our human nature makes it difficult for us to prepare for a time in the future that we cannot clearly mark on our calendars. We may even be uncertain about how we should prepare for the arrival of the King of Kings. To further complicate our preparation, we can get lost in all the demanding needs of this world and lose sight of the right way to prepare for our coming King. It is important for us to understand that we can simplify the process of making ourselves ready for Our Coming King. All we need to do is examine whether we are pursuing this world or the kingdom of God. Then we must be aware of and committed to the precept that we are not only waiting servants, but that we are also working servants as we wait.

The Lord in His mercy, by His Word, directly instructed us in the following simple ways to prepare for His coming. He taught us that those who feed Him when He is hungry, give Him drink when He is thirsty, clothe Him when He is in need and visit Him when He is sick or in prison will be the ones that inherit His Kingdom. He added that even though we may not see Him in these conditions that when we serve those who are in these conditions, we are serving Him.

Let us go out and be working servants as we wait on the arrival of Our King, Jesus. Let us find His presence and serve Him in the faces of the world that surrounds us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your Holy Word prepares us to receive Our King, Jesus Christ. Open our eyes, Lord, so that we may see the opportunities to serve Our King every day. Prepare our hearts, Lord, to freely give of ourselves to others just as we would if we were serving Jesus Himself. May the presence of the Holy Spirit within us be Our Guiding Light. We ask all these things in the name of the One who rewards those that seek and serve Him, Jesus Christ.

Becoming As Pure As Christ

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Let us be certain that none but the pure of heart shall see God. Let us understand that nothing we can do on our own will satisfy the requirement of pureness of heart when it is time for us to stand before Our Creator.

The purest of notions have no eternal value if the heart of the man is impure. The most impressive outward actions are meaningless if the heart of the man is impure. The Pharisees are outstanding examples of these statements. The Pharisees were outwardly righteous, but inwardly they were full of impurity in their hearts.

Let us not forget that without Christ we are no better off than the Pharisees. Our hearts are naturally unclean and we have no power to make them pure. The only way that we can be pure in heart is to have the blood of Jesus cleanse us from our sins.

By the grace of God, we can submit our lives to the One that was 100% pure. We can make the desire of our hearts to be pure through Him. We can have hearts that are as pure as Christ, the angels in heaven and the glorified saints. Even though we may fail from time to time, we can turn our minds over to Him to be constantly renewed. Yet imperfect, we can have hearts that are entirely pure through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And thus, we can be sure with full faith and confidence that we will see God at the time that He has set aside for us to stand before Him because our hearts will be pure.

Let us surrender our lives to Our Savior so that we may be cleansed of all unrighteousness. Let us rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand pure and righteous before Our Father in heaven and we will be received into His kingdom for all eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Jesus to this earth as our model of purity. We ask that You mold our hearts so that we may submit to Your Son to rule and reign in our lives. May the power of the Holy Spirit constantly renew our minds. May You provide the armor of protection that we need to shield us from the impurities that the world so freely throws at us. May the world around us be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, because of the purity that they see in us. We ask these things in the name of the One who is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Jesus Christ.

Our Manifest Destiny in Christ

Isaiah 52:12
For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

As the glorious Easter celebration approaches, our thoughts are likely to turn toward a new path ahead in our lives. Let us not rush out to make decisions. Let us move forward toward our new path, not in a disorderly fashion, but under the leading hand, instruction and protection of the Holy Spirit.

Let us move on to our new path knowing that God will be with us. Through His Son, His Holy Spirit has been sent to guide us. Under submission to Our Savior, we can let loose of the things of this earth and grasp on to the things of God’s kingdom. We can shake ourselves from the dust of our doubts and our fears. Our victory was settled on the Cross. May the presence of the Lord be constantly before us and behind us.

Let us live each day knowing that the Lord Jesus reigns in our lives. Let us live in the fullness of the good tidings that came in with His birth and move ahead confidently under the promises of His death and Resurrection. Let us place our futures firmly in His hand. Let us live today in freedom, in peace and in service to His calling on our lives. Let us move forward boldly into our manifest destiny in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your constant presence in our lives. We thank You that You go before us to prepare our path forward and that You stand behind us to protect us on our journey. We bless the name of Jesus whose victory on the Cross allows us to live our lives without fears or doubts. We pray that the Holy Spirt will guide us as we seek the new lives that You have set aside for us. May those around us in the world be drawn to Your Son as they see us living our lives under His reign. We ask all these things in the name of our ever present shield, Jesus Christ.

Surrendering to the Rule and Reign of Jesus Christ in Our Lives

Mark 10:22
Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young man came to Jesus to inquire how he could inherit eternal life. The young man proclaimed knowledge of the commandments and his complete compliance to the commandments, assuming this to be enough. Jesus responded, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young man could not part with the things of this world. He chose the world over the kingdom of God.

Our Heavenly Father has nothing against our possessions or our money. Abraham, Moses and David all had great wealth. Yet they all did what God asked them to do. They placed their relationship with Almighty God above all else. They used their wealth to help meet the needs of their people so that God would receive the glory.

At some point in our walk as disciples of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will inspire us to surrender all that we are and all that we have to Jesus. Nothing less will be acceptable.

Let us make a love offering to Jesus. Let us surrender everything to Him and to His rule and reign in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provision that You have given us. We exalt Your name for the endless flow of Your blessings in our lives, most of which we take for granted. We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire and strengthen us to lift up Your name each day above all the things of the world. We ask, Father, that You prepare our hearts to surrender all that we have and all that we are to You. May we freely part with the provision that You have given us to meet the needs of those around us. May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom. We ask these things in the name of the One who calls us to follow Him, Jesus Christ.

Unimaginable Provision, Day after Day Without End

2 Kings 25:30
Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.

During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, God punished the Jews because of their disobedience and falling away. He allowed the Jews to be overcome by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Jews from their land and imprisoned their king, Jehoiachin. When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Evil-merodach became king of Babylon. Because God loved His children so much, He placed favor for the Jews in the heart of the new Babylonian king. King Jehoiachin of Judah, who had been imprisoned for 37 years, was given a seat of honor in Evil-merodach’s house. Jehoiachin dined regularly with the Babylonian king and was provided an allowance for all his daily needs as long as he lived.

Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, they were exiled from the land where they walked with Almighty God and each of us that followed them was also exiled by sin to a life outside the presence of Almighty God. But because God loved us so much, He provided His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross to atone for the sins that separated us from Our Creator.

Like Jehoiachin, we received unmerited favor. But while Jehoiachin received a seat of honor at the king’s table, we were provided unlimited access to the throne of the King of Kings. While Jehoiachin was provided an allowance for his daily needs, we received a royal inheritance of all of the unlimited treasures of Our Heavenly King. While Jehoiachin’s privileges ended at his death, we were given the fullness of God’s blessings for all eternity.

Let us be mindful of the eternal treasures that have been prepared for us. Let us rejoice in knowing the seat of honor that awaits us. Let us give thanks for the daily provision that we receive on earth and the unimaginable provision that we will receive, day after day without end, in the eternal kingdom of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You loved us so much that You gave us Your Son, Jesus, to atone for our sins. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to join You in Your heavenly kingdom. May the Holy Spirit guide us to Your throne to receive the fullness of Your blessings and the ongoing provision for our needs. May our cups overflow with Your love and Your grace. May all the unmerited favor that we receive be poured out on the world around us. We ask all these things in the matchless name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Joy is Ours Today and Forever

Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul knew and appreciated something that all Christians should hold dear. We are in a win-win situation. Having been washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, when we die we will be delivered from all the tribulations of life. We will be free of all diseases and free from any concerns about worldly things. We will leave behind forever all sin, all unbelief, all doubts and all fears. We will be absolutely free from the temptations of Satan. More importantly, the benefit of what we gain will be far greater than what we are freed from. We will be in the presence of Almighty God. We will experience continuous communion with Our Savior. We will receive eternal places of rest in the Kingdom of God. We will live in constant light, love, joy, peace and comfort. We will be surrounded by endless pleasure.

If we continue in life, we can confidently meet every affliction, every disappointment, every oppression and every persecution in joy because we are certain of our glorious victory over death. Our certainty of our victory over death will also allow us to enjoy our time on earth without the shadow of death haunting us. While the world struggles when facing death, the followers of Jesus are able to face their death beds with an exuberance that the world cannot understand. We know that Our Savior is waiting to receive us and that He has prepared a place for us that is free from all misery and weakness.

Let us live with the fullness of Christ in our lives. Let each one of our remaining days on earth serve as living testimony to Our Eternal King. Let us proclaim to the world all that He promises us here on earth and in heaven. Let our joy be the reason that those around us seek a relationship with Our Redeemer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the eternal inheritance that You have set aside for us. We praise the name of Jesus who secured our place with You for all eternity. We rejoice in knowing that only a wisp of time separates us from claiming all the rights of the heirs of Your kingdom. As we wait for that time of glory, we pray that You equip us to be Your laborers in these end days. We ask that You arm us against the attacks of the enemy as we help bring the church to completion. May we show the world the living Christ that is within us. We pray these things in the name of our waiting Savior, Jesus Christ.

Discovering Our Spiritual Assignment

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

As it was with Jeremiah, so it is with each of us. God created us and has a plan for our lives. He has set us apart to serve Him in a way that only we can do because of the unique nature and capabilities that He has given to each of us. God draws each of us into a relationship with Him so that we can understand what He has prepared us to do. We do the things that we are called to do in response to the outpouring of love and forgiveness that we receive from Our Creator.

As we seek our place in God’s kingdom, we must be careful not to think too highly or too lowly of ourselves. We should maintain a keen sense of our weaknesses and our insufficiencies, but we should not let our weaknesses keep us back from our calling. We should fear no man and go about our work humbly as we grow in our relationship with Our Heavenly Father. Our primary focus needs to be on seeking God’s will for our lives and discovering the appointment that Our Creator has set aside for us. Once we confirm our appointment, we need to respond accordingly.

The good news is that we do not have to discover our appointment or respond to it on our own. Our Heavenly Father has given us a Helper to guide us through the process of finding and accepting the calling that He has placed on our lives. As long as we set aside time to be in the presence of Almighty God and surrender to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will discover our appointed role in the kingdom and rejoice in our opportunity to serve Our King.

Let us first seek an intimate relationship with Our Savior. Then let us earnestly seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to reveal the calling that Our Lord has set aside for us. Under the guidance of Our Counselor, let us move in faith one step at a time toward our appointment.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us to fill a specific need on this earth and in Your eternal kingdom. We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to help us separate our own carnal desires from the will and plan that You have for our lives. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will help us to dig deep into our relationship with You. We ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit teach us how to be vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We ask all these things in the name of the One who makes it possible for us to become Your good and faithful servants, Your Most Faithful Son, Jesus Christ.

A Life of Trials Prepares Us for Our Place in the Kingdom of God

Genesis 41:40
You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”

The Pharaoh gave Joseph great power and responsibility in his kingdom. He proclaimed Joseph to be his equal except in the final level of authority. In a sudden change of condition, Joseph went from imprisoned slave to a ruler of great standing.

So it will be for us one day as we take our places in the kingdom of God. We will escape our carnal lives where we are enslaved to sin. We will then stand before God in the image of His Son with the same glorified body. We will be given the power and responsibility to rule and reign under the authority of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Joseph went through many trials and tribulations in his life that prepared him to rule over Egypt. None of it was easy, nor was it brief. Joseph went from the pit to the prison to the throne room all under the hand of Almighty God. All of it was necessary for Joseph to be able to handle all that he would be given by the Pharaoh.

So it is with us. We have a lifetime of trial and tribulation. God uses all of it to prepare us for our place in His kingdom. We will grow in wisdom and discernment just as Joseph did. All we have to do is submit to the will of God in our lives, just as Joseph did.

Let us follow in Joseph’s footsteps. Let us take hold of the vision that God has given us for our lives. Let us trust completely in Our Lord as we encounter challenges that would seem to deter us. Let us work our way obediently along the pathway of sanctification that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us. Let us rejoice in knowing that one day we will rule and reign with Jesus at the Throne of Almighty God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing a place for us in Your kingdom. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to be rescued from the prison that is this earth. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us into submission to Our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we learn to lean on Him in all things. May we learn to live under His absolute control. May we claim our rightful places in Your kingdom. We rejoice in knowing that one day we will escape our slavery in this world to become bond servants of the King of Kings for all eternity. We ask all these things in the name of our mighty and holy King, Jesus Christ.