Building the Kingdom

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." 

Matt 6:10

These are words prayed every Sunday at my church, words that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray, words that have profound implications and significance when spoken with sincerity, but also words that easily get lost in the translation from our mouths to our hearts and minds. Words easily forgotten. Lord, may that not be the case.

What is God's kingdom and how is it manifested on earth?

                According to the Bible,

                                àit is something to be sought (Matt 6:34)

                                àit is to be preached (Acts 28:31)

                                àyou must be born again to see it (John 3:3)

                                àit has been given to us by God (Luke 12:32)

                                àJesus is central to it (Matt 26:29)

                                àbeing a "good" flourishing seed makes us a son of it (Matt 13:38)

                                àit is Jesus on earth (Matt 3:2)

                                àwe are to pray for it to come (Matt 6:10)

As a follower of Jesus, I believe the kingdom of God is something we are responsible to build each and every day. I believe that God manifests His kingdom on earth through us, His genuine followers. Take a flip through the Old Testament…David, Samson, Moses…Now the New…Mary, Paul, Peter, John…

God's kingdom on earth is, I believe, life as it was purposed to be from the start: life without sin, life full of love, life full of God's presence. Think Adam and Eve…pre-serpent. After the fall, this life was broken with the entrance of sin and hate, and thus the rescinding of God's  presence (but not purpose) in sinners (us all). Since the fall, God has so graciously restored this original life back on earth through Jesus Christ in true believers.

As true believers, we are freed from sin through Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1), love because we were first loved by God (1 John 4:19), and are gifted with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11). We are then called to spread this life of freedom, love and God's presence to others by "loving our neighbor " regardless of who our neighbor is: whether they be friend or foe, stranger or family, foreigner or authority. That is, I believe, how God brings His kingdom to earth, through us.

When we pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is on heaven," we are praying for love, for the spread of the Gospel, for missionnal living.

We have an important role to play in God's prevailing purpose. It is an honor, really, that He has bestowed upon us. He doesn't necessarily need us to build His kingdom on earth, but He has specifically chosen us to do so. STOP and reread that. He doesn't need us, but He chooses to use us. Let that sink in.

That is true love. He has chosen to create us despite knowing we would betray Him and choose sin. He has chosen to create us despite knowing it would cost Him, Jesus, His life on earth and 3 days of separation from God. Hell. He chooses to use us to spread the Gospel and love His people despite knowing we will continually fall short and fail. Yet, He still chooses to use us.

My mom used to let me "help" her in the kitchen during Christmas roll the dough for cookies and add the flour saying she needed my help, I knew she never did. Nonetheless, in those moments I felt like I had a purpose, I was needed, and mostly, I was loved because I got to work side by side with my mom. God has allowed us to "help" Him. We get to work side by side with Him (notice it’s with Him, and not for Him.) I feel important and wanted by God when I allow Him to use me to build His kingdom.

To build the kingdom of God, it is as simple as loving the Lord my God above all else, and loving my neighbor as myself. It is choosing others' needs above my own. It looks like taking time to talk to a friend instead of stressing out over homework that has yet to be finished, it means smiling at that stranger and even initiating small talk instead of walking by with IPOD blasting or face down texting, it means going to church instead of sleeping in, it means completing an assignment with joy instead of pouring over FB posts, it means thanking the clerk at the store instead running out the door late for the next item on your check list, it means being flexible to circumstances and not stringent on tasks.

It means so many things, but in the end it is a choice we must make. Who's kingdom will you build in this moment? God's, or your own?  

Philippians 2:3-8

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

 Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset of Christ Jesus:

Who being in the very nature of God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance of man,

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ-fghqc8Oo

Ashes of Lent

Ezekiel 9:4 "And the Lord said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations (detestable things) that are committed in it."

This morning as I waited for my bus, I came across the above verse in my shameful rush to get through a couple Ezekiel chapters. I didn't end up getting past this verse, and no, it wasn't because my bus came.

The parallel of this verse with the tradition of today, Ash Wednesday, had me in awe. I have been looking and praying for the Lord to reveal to me what Lent is truly about, and what He wants lent to be truly about for me personally, and for His people corporately. This verse and those preceding brought clarity. We put marks of ash on our foreheads today as a sign of recognition of who God is and repentance of who we are. We recognize God as Provider, as Here, as Creator, and mostly, as Worthy.

In the passages leading up to verse 9:4, Ezekiel is chosen as a prophet by God to proclaim God's words upon His people. A people that have turned their backs towards God, ignored His commands, and brought matters into their own hands because of their lack of faith in His presence, His timing, and His provision.

Chapter 8 has the Lord leading Ezekiel into the innermost courts of Jerusalem, God's chosen holy city. The "idol that provokes jealousy" is pointed out to Ezekiel as he is told that he will witness worse abominations yet. He is then instructed to dig through a hole into the inner courts of the city. Once inside he sees images that suggest evil's presence: "And there engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. (8:10)" Also inside, he sees the 70 elders of Israel, the supposed reverent and religious leaders of God's chosen people. And what are they doing? They are not seeking God's counsel, nor praying. Instead, they are worshiping. They are worshiping: "Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising…Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? (8:11-12)"

In the darkness, each of these leaders were worshiping their own private idols, their own secret sins. They were not trusting God who had given them their position or responsibility, the God who had given breathe to their lungs. Instead they were adding to the "idol that provokes jealousy" (a literary image more so than a literal one I believe) by doubting God's promises and His presence in the land. Verse 12 goes on to say: "They say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.'" God's response: "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable. (8:13)"

Doubt of God's presence is a detestable thing to Him. Doubt of His provision, doubt of His listening ear. Dependence on self, dependence on secret sins or coping mechanisms or unworthy trusts, those are all detestable things to Him.

As I enter this Lent season, I have been convicted; convicted to examine my own life more carefully. What censer am I holding in my hand walking around in darkness worshiping? What am I trusting in to get me through each decision, each thought, each day? What idol do I have that provokes the Lord's jealousy? And, most importantly, how am I going to respond?

Asking these questions, seeking His counsel and guidance, will bring to light the nasty unwanted, and yet necessary, answers. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. (Jeremiah 29:13-14)"

As we celebrate Lent, as we partake in the ashes today, as we recognize who God is and who we are, let us also respond. Respond by asking ourselves what "idol that provokes jealousy" we should be conscious of in this season and eliminate it from our habits for the next 40 days, and hopefully more. Whether it be food, or time, or dependence, or independence; let's sigh and groan as we change.

Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Do the work.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and DO THE WORK.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 NIV

God knows everything. He has laid out a wonderful plan for all, a plan that leads us to Him though doesn't force us to recognize Him. But if we seek Him, He will be found by us. More than that, He knows our futures and has a plan for us. (Jer 29:11-13) A purpose even. (Rom 8:28) He has even given us the great opportunity to share His story of salvation and Gospel with others, to serve others through good works. (Eph 2:10)

What has the Lord asked you to build? For Solomon, he was was chosen to build the temple. What has He asked you, excuse me: chosen you, to build, or say, or go, or do? Instead of contemplating the matter on end, "be strong and DO THE WORK."

Maybe you're not sure what God is asking you to do, unsure of the specifics at least. Keep waiting, keep seeking, but also, keep DOING THE WORK. Micah 6:8 is a great place to start. Eccl 12:13 is a great place to end. Everyone's calling comes down to this-fear God, recognize who God is. That is the essence of our WORK. Recognizing His redemption and reacting to that recognition.

Instead of contemplating the great unknown of the future, let's hold onto the promises we know from God, the commands He has given us personally and corporately through His word, and let's DO THE WORK.

What to do while we wait...

Isaiah 25:9 "And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.""

This verse comes from a prophecy of Isaiah of the end times. How beautiful. It describes our lifelong waiting as not in vain, but in rejoicing. (See post #1, While I Wait). We are called to wait as an action, not an inaction, as an attitude, as a response to God's great love and promise to us: Walk with Him, Acknowledge Him in all things, Invest in Others, Tell of His deeds. And wow, is it worth it.

However, I think we can all agree that waiting is harder than it seems. We know that Christ will return to this earth and redeem and restore it just as He is continually redeeming and restoring His children now. And while we know this to be true and trust Him, it can be hard to know what to do in the meantime, what to do while we wait for His return: What jobs and opportunities to pursue, how to spend time and money, etc. Each day we are faced with hundreds (if not more) decisions requiring our attention and choice: what to wear, where to go, where to sit at church, class, work, etc, who to talk to, what to eat, who to call or text or email…and that barely scratches the surface. Bigger decisions we are faced with include where to apply for jobs, where to live, what opportunities to pursue and which ones to let pass, what college to attend or not…trying to figure it all out on our own is downright stressful. Amen?

The good news is that while we wait, while we try to figure out the daily decisions of our short fleeting lives (Eccl.), we are not alone. Despite the futility and brevity of our lives, God has a plan and purpose in it all. What a beautiful demonstration of His love for us, His great, unfathomable, unmatchable, inseparatable love for us!!! "Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!"

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things He works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." God will work out all the details of our lives while we wait. We need only walk with Him and acknowledge Him in all things. He will direct, guide, and protect. I have come to realize that sometimes in life, more times than I'd like, we are faced with two (or more) great opportunities or choices. It is hard to know which to choose. Both may seem viable, both may seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but both are inevitably mutually exclusive. A choice must be made. A direction walked in. Those are the times that God brings us to our knees in recognition that we can't do this life alone, we can't wait for Him without Him. We are brought to our knees in prayer and petition for guidance of what path to walk down. Take the job or stay in school? Move there or stay here? Go on a mission trip or stay home investing in family?

Once I had the choice of either staying at home and potentially getting teaching credentials, or spend the summer working at a youth missions camp. I ended up choosing the missions camp, and now looking back can't imagine my life any other way. BUT the truth is that both would have been glorifying to God, both would have utilized unique skill sets that He has given me. At the time, I didn't know which one to pursue. I didn't know if one was a better choice than the other. I even worried that if I chose the wrong one I would completely ruin my life. I know that’s not true. I know Romans 8:28 tells me just the opposite, that no matter which path I chose then God would have blessed it, God would have provided, God would have guided me and used me in it. And has He ever. There was no right or wrong choice then and looking back now I can see God's handprints all over the choice that I did end up making, though I couldn't see it then. Though I didn't feel like I heard Him tell me anything clearly then, He did. Now, 3 years after that decision was made, I see God all over that time in my life though in the moment He felt far. It was through prayer that God guided the blind me to make that decision, He knows me far better than I even know myself. That is comforting.

Proverbs 19: 21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear a word behind, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the left or to the right."

As I find myself at a crossroads now of another major life decision, remembering God's faithfulness then brings me hope now. (tell of His deeds). Brings me hope that no matter what I choose will be the right decision. Though I may feel lost and confused now, I know that ultimately the Lord will direct my steps, His purpose will prevail. I will pray, I will seek, and ultimately, I will decide and rejoice. All of this, while I wait for His return.

Isaiah 25:1 "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."

Proverbs 20:24 "Man's steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way?"

Waiting has purpose. Decisions have purpose. We are not alone; God guides. We walk, we acknowledge, we invest and we tell; God guides. Ultimately, we rejoice. Waiting has purpose. 

People: because He loves us

Relationships. God created us for them and in them. We are created through the relationship of our parents. We are created to be in relationships with other people, with the earth (shelter and food) and with animals (food and clothes). But more than anything we are created to be in relationship with Christ. Purpose. From being in a relationship with Him we learn how to be in relationship with other people, Christian or not. We love because He first loved us. He showed us what love is, excuse me, shows us what love is. Read the Gospel. It is FULL of love. Look for it, it will bring you to tears, or at least a welling up of joy within (for the less sentimental among us).

Relationships. That is the basis of Jesus' ministry. Not was, not will be, is. The story of Creation hints at God's design of relationships. He created Adam to be in relationship with Himself, and it was good. He created Adam also to be in relationship with a suitable mate, and it was good. Notice how this mirrors the greatest two commandments quoted  by Jesus in the Gospels :Love the Lord your God above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself. God created Adam alone at first maybe that he might learn to love the Lord his God above all else. Then a suitable mate was made for him (by GOD), that he may love his neighbor as himself. God created this mate, this friend, out of His love for Adam. This infers that God created other people for us to interact with, to live with, to talk with, because He loves us. God created us to be in community, and He created for us a community. Because He loves us.

Being around other people, I sometimes forget this. Forget that God created every person, every relationship, every circumstance. And His every has a purpose. Naïve of me to forget, I know. I get caught up in the people, in the expectations of relationships apart from God that I forget: relationships are built by God and for Him even if they exclude Him.  My challenge for myself as I am around family and friends of the past, believers and non, is to remember. As I engage in relationships that have spanned my life pre-, post- and concurrent with Christ, to remember. To remember Him, to remember the purpose of relationships, to remember my purpose in Him. Being around people that do not know Him, it is hard to remember that purpose. But the purpose is there nonetheless. These people, these dear friends that I can laugh and cry and recall with, are in my life for a reason. I get to share life with them because Christ loves me. Praise Him. He has loved me enough to bless me with this family and these friends. And I am oh so thankful, though sometimes that is hard for me to see. However, hard is no excuse. Hard is no alibi. Hard is merely a perception, a perception of an untrue reality. The true reality is that God loves, God loves me, God loves them and thus we are in each others' lives for purpose and reason. Now to seek that purpose, that reason, and above all, seek to love. "Love always protects, always hopes, always perseveres." 

Love has no boundaries, has no conditions, has no expectations. It just does, it listens and it responds regardless. People are in our lives because God loves, we get to love these people because God loves. Every relationship is an opportunity to love God and be loved by God regardless of the other person's perception (or lack thereof) of Him.

1 John 4:7-14

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into that world that we may love through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loves us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at anytime; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."

Be Loved

I have been thinking, well reading which has led me to thinking. Good thinking. I went to coffee shop this evening with the intention of doing some impending homework. However, upon arrival to the second coffee, as my safe first choice Panera was packed with a line out the door, I found the wifi inept. Opposed to inquiring with the barista as to why, I shut down my computer, put away my textbook, and pulled out a Donald Miller novel I have been intending to start back up. No complaints there. Within 20 pages of reading, my computer was back up, chai latte and Don pushed aside (gasp), and I was intently typing away. I don't know why, but there I was…well, am. What will come of those now said pages, I don't know. They are healing, I know that. Healing scabs I didn’t realize I was still picking. But there was one theme that good ole Don mentioned that I have spent so much time thinking about recently, one theme that initialized and catalyzed the clicking of my keyboard, one theme that is an integral truth to humanity, to life, to, well, everything: Jesus loves us.

Most of what I wrote has to do with one word, Love. (expect many subsequent posts to delve into this topic) The Bible speaks extensively of it. God is love. 1 Corinthians 13 is famous because of its theme of love. People seek love from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Every child craves the love of his or her parents, every teenager the love of acceptance from friends, and most of us awkward twenty-somethings, love in the form of a spouse or lifelong friends. We all want to be loved, feel loved. We say we want to give love, well, some of us do at least. If we do give or not, that is another topic for another time. But love, we all inherently seek this.

Jesus as been blowing me away recently with the depth of His love for us. When the stereotypical evangelist shares the Gospel, they will say (and rightfully so) that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have life everlasting (John 3:16)." This is then supplemented with an explanation of how man is bad, separated from God because of sin. God loves man so He came down in the likeness of a man, Jesus, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, rose again, and will return. We then accept Him as our Lord and Savior and are saved. The end.

While this is all true and good and God definitely moves in people through this explanation, it's barely half the story. Christ did more on this earth than "live the perfect life" and die on the cross for our sins. He loved!!! Read the Gospel. I think evangelists would be immensely more convincing if they took the time to explain the way Jesus not only came because of love, but came to love. Jesus came because of love, in love, and to love. THAT is the Gospel.

These verses in Mark struck me the other day, Mark 3:33-35:

"Who are my mothers and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Jesus' earthly family came to see Him. Instead of getting up to meet Mary, the woman who birthed him, raised him, and cared for him as a child, who had known Him the longest of any other earthly person; He remained where He was. He then addressed people He had just met, and claimed them to be His family, equal with those who had known Him His whole life (on earth). Wow.

The first thing that jumped out at me was that He counts me a sister. Me, a continually failing and falling sinner, a sister to Christ. Wow. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be counted kin to the God who created me; but He loves me, despite of me. I am oh so thankful and blown away by that. That He loves me. Not only does He love me, but He enables other brothers and sisters to love me, despite me; and inversely, me to love other brothers and sisters, despite them. It's beautiful.

After thinking on this a bit longer, something else a little less obvious struck a light on in my mind: Jesus shows absolutely NO favoritism here. It would be understandable if He were to get up and meet His 'family;' but He doesn't. He is in the middle of a conversation and that conversation is important enough to Him, the people He is talking to are important enough to Him, that He stays where He is. He shows no favoritism to people that have known Him His (or their) whole life, versus those who have only just met Him. He gives equal respect, equal love, equality overall, to both. Wow.

So, as a sister of Christ's and a sister in Christ, be loved. Be loved by Him, be loved by me, be loved.

Know that Christ loves you regardless of your acknowledgment of Him or not. His love is not conditional upon our realization. It is unconditional. Our subjective experience of His love is dependent upon our perception of it. So, be loved. Acknowledge Him, and be loved.

Buried Treasure

We were lost & yet You found us,
Hidden & now revealed;
Disposed & yet You treasure us,
Loved & newly sealed.

You gave us this gift inside to find
A higher purpose to guide our lives.
Dependency on others and beyond our own kind
Leads us to You to be fully satisfied.

It is Your love that beckons us to burdens,
Set in life by You to guide,
To look beyond the sun above us,
And to see The Son sitting at Your side.


We were lost & yet You found us,
Hidden & now revealed;
Disposed & yet You treasure us,
Loved & newly sealed.