Kingdom of God

Chinese buffet

But as for me

My Godly eighty-seven-year-old father-in-law (FIL) is a fantastic person. He loves people, is full of hospitality, and has actively sponsored and helped recovering alcoholics since his unbroken sobriety 37 years ago. 

One of FIL’s treats is going to the local Chinese restaurant. I think part of the fun for him is that he gets to choose what he eats. Thankfully, his Chinese restaurant’s buffet has a wide variety of dishes from which he can choose.

No Buffet With God

Christians can enjoy food buffets, but God’s Word is not a buffet. With God, it’s all or nothing. Sadly, this truth isn’t taught very often and is believed even less.

There are indeed some complicated commands which God has given us. Nevertheless, we can’t see the future, and God doesn’t reach the same conclusions which we reach.

But as for me

When you feel challenged by worldly desires, pressured to ignore specific commands from God, or confronted by others to keep your religion “at home,” claim Joshua 24:15 (ESV) for yourself and your family.

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Prayer 

Father God, as you had the Apostle Paul write in Romans 1:16, help us wholeheartedly declare, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Use us to advance Your will in this world and not to be confounded by the lies of the enemy. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen

Photo by Ye Chen on Unsplash

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Skier at the starting line

The Starting Point

The starting point with God is this: “… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

Watch a Baby Explore

Just watch a baby explore and learn. The little tike moves around, tasting everything. They rub their tiny hands on rugs and blankets and grandpa’s beard. They experiment with everything they can get their hands on, feet on, or face on. And they will listen to the same song or watch the same movie five hundred times and not grow tired of it. 

Constantly they are using their five senses (e.g., sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch), which God gave them to comprehend and interact with their world. They learn and change so quickly that parents have trouble knowing who’s going to wake up each day.

Children of God

When we are born again into the kingdom of God, we must enter as a child and learn the “senses” He has given us to comprehend and interact within God’s kingdom. That’s why the Bible records what Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 ESV: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Just like a baby, we have to explore, taste, learn, feel, sing, worship, dialog with God, and fellowship with other Christians. We need all of these and more, so we grow up to be a healthy child of God.  As David wrote in Psalms 34:8 ESV, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!…

We all want to be healthy children of God. To achieve that, we need to learn in God’s kingdom. Learn how to hear the Holy Spirit. Learn how to pray fervently. We need to enjoy fellowship with other Christians. And we need to learn what God meant when the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in 1 Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Let’s explore God’s kingdom, of which we are citizens, through our faith in Jesus. God’s kingdom is more significant and more fascinating than we can ever imagine!

Photo credit: Bob F Smithson on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND

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