Tag: treasures of the Kingdom

Let Jesus Take You Aside

Mark 4:34
He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus used examples of everyday life events to explain kingdom principles to the crowds. Often the crowds did not understand. His disciples did not understand either. So Jesus would take His disciples aside and reveal the truth to them.

Jesus does the same with us. He reveals His truths to us through the everyday events in our lives. Much of which we do not understand because we do not truly understand ourselves. At least, not until we are willing to go to Jesus and spend time with Him alone. At these times, His Holy Spirit will reveal to us all that has been hidden from us because of our own spiritual immaturity or sinfulness.

While the treasures of the kingdom are present in the world, we often over look them or simply take them for granted. It is important that we set aside a private time with Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, we will be led to a larger knowledge of Jesus and a greater understanding of the mysteries of heaven. Thus we will be furnished with all that we need to fulfill the work that we have been created to accomplish on this earth. If we are negligent in setting aside time alone with Jesus, we may miss His treasures all together.

Let us plan private time to sit with Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Let us call on the Holy Spirit to help us develop this intimacy with Our King. Let us rejoice in knowing that He is waiting to hear from us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing Yourself and Your treasures in this world. We praise the name of Jesus who represents the highest order of Your benevolence to all humanity. We pray, Father, that you will draw us unto Yourself so that we will seek Your Holy Spirit to guide us into precious, private time with Jesus Christ, Our Savior. We ask, Lord, that You reveal all of Your truths and mysteries to us as we learn to build an intimate relationship with You. May we fulfill everything that You have set aside for us. We ask all these things in the name of Our Master and Teacher, Jesus Christ.

Surrendering All for Christ

Mark 10:21
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “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.”

On earth, only Jesus has achieved absolute abandonment to The Father. Only He could. Yet He commanded His disciples to follow Him. He was asking them to follow the lead of their Master. He was asking them to release their hold on the things of this earth and take hold of His kingdom.

As disciples of Jesus Christ in this age, we are also called to follow the lead of Our Master. We are therefore called to be diligent in the constant process of releasing all of our carnal desires as we fully surrender to the will of the Father in our lives. This is an ongoing and arduous process for each of us.

In our time on earth, none of us will reach the point of absolute abandonment to the Father as Jesus did. Only when we reach our place in heaven with Jesus, will we have completed the process and stand before the Father in the perfect and pure image of Our Savior.

Let us continuously recognize and renounce our earthly desires through the inspiring work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us begin shedding all of our shortcomings one by one through the grace of Almighty God and the saving work of Jesus Christ. Let us commit ourselves to unconditional identification with Our Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your precious love and provision. We proclaim our love for You and humbly offer to You all that You have given us. Father, we pray that we will be led by the Holy Spirit to surrender all that we have, all that we will every have, all that we are and all that we will ever be to You. May we exchange the things of this earth for the treasures of Your kingdom. May we take hold of the fullness of the eternal life in Jesus as we release our hold on our worldly possessions and desires. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our Master and Our Eternal King, Jesus Christ.