I have had a profound perspective shift these past twelve months. I suspect it may disturb you. I have concluded that I no longer live in the world that I once walked.
The world that once held me was directed by the circumstance that came my way. The people who walked beside me. I was ruled by those who sought to disagree with my views, or threaten my path.
I was held hostage by fear of pain, of suffering, of poverty, of sickness, and of death. My future was clouded by worry about finances, retirement, and success.
I have found the path into another world.
I live, move, and have being in the Kingdom of God. This is a place where it is possible to walk with God. To know Him. To seek His face. To understand that there is nothing more valuable, and the idea of loss simply becomes trivial.
I know that darkness still comes, but I walk with God. This temporal place is momentary. I savor each moment, and I look forward to releasing it all as well. Our momentary loss is the doorway to an eternal and incorruptible inheritance.
It is an incredibly freeing concept really. My life must be the evidence of my walk with God. Like the religious leaders in the 4th chapter of Acts, I want those around me to "take note that I've been with Jesus."
I love the response of Peter after spending a night in jail and then being called before the council. They demanded that he stop healing and teaching in the name of Jesus... and so he told them that Jesus, the one they crucified, was the same one who was resurrected from the dead by the God they claimed to serve, and that it was by the authority of God that he would continue to preach and heal in the name of Jesus!
After being released, Peter prayed that God would consider the threats against them, and give him boldness to continue preaching!
This is how I want to live. Peter didn't pray for safety. He didn't avoid the danger. He prayed that he be given boldness to continue in the face of danger.
This is what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. Teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, pursing knowledge of God, allowing our lives to be evidence of our faith.
I work among the poor and I collect money from the rich. I am threading camels in a mysterious kingdom.
The world that once held me was directed by the circumstance that came my way. The people who walked beside me. I was ruled by those who sought to disagree with my views, or threaten my path.
I was held hostage by fear of pain, of suffering, of poverty, of sickness, and of death. My future was clouded by worry about finances, retirement, and success.
I have found the path into another world.
I live, move, and have being in the Kingdom of God. This is a place where it is possible to walk with God. To know Him. To seek His face. To understand that there is nothing more valuable, and the idea of loss simply becomes trivial.
I know that darkness still comes, but I walk with God. This temporal place is momentary. I savor each moment, and I look forward to releasing it all as well. Our momentary loss is the doorway to an eternal and incorruptible inheritance.
It is an incredibly freeing concept really. My life must be the evidence of my walk with God. Like the religious leaders in the 4th chapter of Acts, I want those around me to "take note that I've been with Jesus."
I love the response of Peter after spending a night in jail and then being called before the council. They demanded that he stop healing and teaching in the name of Jesus... and so he told them that Jesus, the one they crucified, was the same one who was resurrected from the dead by the God they claimed to serve, and that it was by the authority of God that he would continue to preach and heal in the name of Jesus!
After being released, Peter prayed that God would consider the threats against them, and give him boldness to continue preaching!
This is how I want to live. Peter didn't pray for safety. He didn't avoid the danger. He prayed that he be given boldness to continue in the face of danger.
This is what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. Teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, pursing knowledge of God, allowing our lives to be evidence of our faith.
I work among the poor and I collect money from the rich. I am threading camels in a mysterious kingdom.
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