Store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven
where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Are We There Yet?

After three years of learning from Jesus about the coming of His Kingdom, after His murder, after His burial, after His resurrection, after His meeting with them for a period of 40+ days, and just before His ascension into the next dimension, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Are you now going to restore the land to Israel?

Now wonder the majority of Jews didn’t accept Jesus as Messiah. Even those who were taught most carefully by Him didn’t get it. Their blind-spot for what the Kingdom of God would look like was huge - as is ours.

The health and wealth crowd of today is not so different from the early disciples. The focus was completely on earthly importance. “Are you now going to give us the stuff we want?” Protecting land and possessions. Hating enemies. Gathering more for ourselves. Worrying about losing what we’ve already gained in worldly wealth.

Jesus brought His Kingdom with Him and demonstrated for them and us what we could have - right now - as we join and become members of His Kingdom - right now.

And what did He bring with Him?
. An unworried trust in Creator God
. A refusal to be anxious or fearful
. A generous heart toward those in need
. Faith, hope, compassion and love
. Forgiveness toward those who intentionally harm us
. An intolerance of bad religion

These are signs that God’s Kingdom has arrived in people’s hearts. Jesus said that He came to give us an abundant life, a full life. He came to make us truly alive and complete. This is not done through keeping rules, although that is a result. Instead this fullness, completeness, this abundant life is gained by a transformed persona whose main characteristic is an overflow of love and grace and mercy.

If you sense Jesus calling you, you can be part of God’s coming Kingdom - right now! If you’re not sure how that’s done, just ask.

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