Category-Kingdom-of-God
Blog Posts - Kingdom of God
What is the kingdom of heaven like? And what it is like to enter it? Before I met the Lord, it was like I was living in a dark room. As I moved around, I would bump my shin and knock my head against obstacles I couldn't see. I would step on something sharp and hurt myself. I would slip on other things and fall. My life was full of pain, and the darkness made me fearful of trying to move. And it just got worse and worse over time. Then I met God through Jesus, and it was like someone had suddenly turned on the lights! Now I could see clearly the things that were causing me pain: the misplaced furniture, the lamp hanging low from the ceiling, the broken glass on the floor, the loose rug with no backing. And the dirt everywhere — so much of it! But now with the lights turned on and brightly shining, I could move around again without hurting myself. And I could start getting my room in order. I began moving furniture to where it belonged. I raised the lamp I had been bumping my head on. I swept up the broken glass and got rid of the slippery rug. And I started to clean out all the dirt that had accumulated in my life. Jesus is the light of the world. May he shine his light in your heart today and lead you upward from this dark world into his heavenly kingdom. —Mitch P.S. Ingrid and I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy (and safe!) New Year's eve celebration. We will be back again early in the new year, so stay tuned!
This morning I was drawn back to a verse that has been foundational for me since I became a Christian: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NIV) In the NIV and most modern English translations, the passage where this verse is found (6:25-34) has to do with worry and anxiety about the necessities of daily life (e.g. the NIV has "do not worry", the ESV has "do not be anxious" and so on). But I don't think that's what Jesus is getting at here. Worry and anxiety are associated with fear, but the underlying Greek word μεριμνάω isn't about not being afraid: it's about not being concerned with stuff that's really not that important. In other words, Jesus isn't saying "Don't be afraid that you won't have enough money to buy food and clothes if you follow me" but rather "Don't focus so much on trying to earn a living; God will take care of you if you follow me." In other words, Jesus is saying we should prioritize God's kingdom above our own concerns, pursuits and aspirations. How do we do this? We can start by asking God to give us eyes to see the opportunities he has arranged for us today to do the stuff: heal the sick, drive out demons, proclaim the good news, help the poor. God has prepared these works — Wimber called them divine appointments — in advance for us (see Ephesians 2:10). Unfortunately we often miss seeing them or don't have the courage to seize the moment and act upon them. So we should pray for courage too. The early disciples did (Acts 4:29) and look what happened. Be blessed and strengthened. —Mitch
