THE KINGDOM OF GOD

"The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:21).

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

We reign with Christ in his kingdom when Christ reigns in our hearts; the kingdom of God is within us.  The kings of earth use their power to rule physical territory.  They enact laws at their whim and use their power to force their subjects to obey.  God almost always acts in ways completely opposite to the conventional wisdom.  Christ does not twist our arms and muscle his way into our lives, rather, he entered the world in the most humble circumstances and died in indignity because of his love for us. If the persuasion of love does not open the door, a heart will never be truly surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The answer to the Lord's Prayer begins in the heart of each person because that is the territory that God wants to rule.  When God rules the heart of a person, his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven in that person's life.  The Lord's Prayer is a personal prayer of surrender to the will of God.

The worst imaginable future for anyone is to be cast into hell.  Jesus said that, If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and through it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell (Matthew 6:29-30).  What he means is that to be in the kingdom one must cast away the nearest and dearest impediments to entering it.  As painful as that is, hell is infinitely more painful.  While it is almost a certainty that the Lord did not literally mean to pluck out eyes, cut off hands and sexual organs, it would certainly mean the surrender of sexuality for the sake of the kingdom.  Sex is added here because, in our culture, sex and materialism are the dominant gods.

The day is coming when everyone will see the King in his power and majesty and bow before him (Philippians 2:9-11).  Until that day it is the free decision of each person to allow the King to enter their hearts and sing, Joy to the world!  The Lord has come; let earth receive her king . . .

Grace&Peace;
Tom