The Kingdom of Heaven Part I

Being in the Christmas season our focus is on giving gifts to others, which is great. Yet the one who truly deserves a gift is the Lord. He is the essence of Christmas and the reason for it. As we go about here and there waiting in lines, what  if we focus on being His gift? What better time  than now when people are stressed and hurried and at times rude to be just the opposite? To be patience and kind to the cashier ringing up our items, to greet the people who are in line with us are easy things to do. This would not only put a smile  on their face, but on the Lord’s as well.  To do this from a genuine heart that truly believes we are The Lord’s ambassadors as Paul has penned, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by ( though) us; we pray you in Christ’s place, be ye reconciled to God ( 2 Cor. 5:20).” Our relationship to  the world is a very important component of being His gift. As we develop relationships with others with this in mind it honors the Lord and hopefully in time we will have the opportunity to share more.

 Our first three verses deal with internal changes that need to occur for us to become not only His gift to the world, but a gift to Him. Our relationship to Him is at the core of everything – there is nothing more important. To adopt these verses and prayerfully seek them to be ours will lessen the stress of the holidays and of life in general. As we learn to live life in agreement with the Holy Spirit it brings meaning and freedom to our life. We do not realize how much the expectations of others weigh upon  us and then on top of that we have our own expectations. We need the Lord’s help to keep life in perspective, we need to be recalibrated. To live as Paul says “strangers or foreigners” in this world, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: ( Phil. 3:20). The Greek word for “conversation” is “Politeuma” meaning ” to behave as a citizen.” In this world we have only a temporary visa, once our business here is completed we go home. Therefore I do not want to live life governed by what others think about me, nor by my own expectations. My life has to become more focused on what it means to be a citizen of Heaven. To truly grasp this is to begin to live in freedom. Even when stressed out by the day’s events, stress is checked by eternal truth. We are part of a celestial body that views life here differently. I don’t stop fulfilling my responsibilities here, I just do them with a different mind set. Events and actions seen from an eternal perspective place little value on materialistic or societal values. As Christ said in John 17:16, ” They( referring to his followers)  are not of the world even as I am not of the world.”

Humility and meekness ( verses 3&5) become the boundaries of the road I travel. Everything that agrees with those two principles remains or grows the more in my life. And in those two boundaries is freedom and His unlimited Grace. On that road I  learn to see myself as He sees me, as His beloved child and His holiness, His love, and His sacrifice for me stands out as a beacon of light.  I am convinced that this understanding is at the core of any Christian who demonstrates the love of Christ. Also humility and meekness  is not something we can be, it is something that the Spirit of God must do within us. It is an on going process, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Our only “duty,” and it is an honor rather than a duty, is that we make time to be with Him in His Word, The Holy Spirit does the rest.

How does applying these verses affect my life? Well our four verses in study show us four characteristics that are foundational to every believer. Poor in Spirit allows me to see my need of my Savior. I realize that I am but a poor man in attempting any acts of righteousness, especially ANY ACTS that would ever merit my salvation. Yet coming  to this conclusion I receive the very thing I am seeking  –  The Kingdom of Heaven. Through the realization of my faulty actions all is gained for “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom.”

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” There is the mourning over things that affect me, a lost opportunity, a relationship that went bad, issues with my kids, or challenges at my job can all be tough things to go through that cause us to mourn or grieve. However there is another dimension, there is the mourning over my actions that grieve my Heavenly Father and caused my Savior to go to The Cross. To mature to this point, that the first though painful, pales in comparison to the second, is to receive the Divine comfort that is promised. A comfort, both for my mourning over my sins and for my earthly struggles. This is to live life recalibrated, giving the Lord the freedom to move in me. Eternity matters now and the affairs of the present are weighed more by how they affect or concern my faith. My responses therefore in faith not only affect my situations but “capture honor and glory” for my Lord. This is to live off the gird of normal every day life, to depart from “Churchianity” and truly start living as a son or daughter of Grace. To live with eternity in our hearts is to live out these values on the stage of life. To have a heart that grieves not only over my actions but  over the state of humanity and seeks to redeem every situation or encounter so that Christ is honored, is to live off the gird. We must fight against complacency and not allow our faith to be dulled by materialism, lusts, or a comfortable life style, or even the demands of everyday life.

Father God,

 Thank you for this time of year. I wonder on this side of heaven if we will ever understand how much we mean to You, probably doubtful. However to the degree that we know, let that truth change us and motivate us to always make seeking You the top priority in our life. Thank you.

Move Forward In Grace – Arthur