Today is the 40th day I have been struggling with the side effects of an antibiotic called Ciprofloxacin. It left me with neurological issues in the muscles in my legs, arms, and chest and swelling in my joints which has made walking difficult and at times impossible. I have been in constant pain for 40 days and have discovered the hard way that pain killers and muscle relaxers intensify my pain so I have had to seek something other than medicine for relief. But the news of praise to God is that I am improving.
Prayer has played a significant role in my ongoing recovery. I have spent lots of time begging God for healing and relief through prayer. I have been humbled as many people, for whom I am grateful, have lifted me up in prayer. And I was encouraged as the elders anointed me with oil and prayed for God's blessing of healing upon me.
Dealing first hand with what is probably the most serious health issue I have ever had to face left me with with lots of time flat on my back to think and pray and gripe and ponder. In this process I was drawn into consideration of our Hope in Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Throughout Jesus' ministry he talked about the Kingdom of God. Over and again he would tell about the Kingdom of God. But what exactly is the Kingdom of God?... It is a reality in which God is in charge. It is a reality that currently exists in the hearts of those who believe and accept the message of salvation but that will some day grow to be all encompassing. It appears that throughout the gospels Jesus is trying to give us a glimpse into what our reality will look like when the Kingdom of God has been fully revealed and implemented. This is our Hope in Christ.
What we see of the Kingdom of God through Jesus ministry on earth is incredible... healing flows freely to anyone who is hurt or injured; food is abundant and good, the focus of life is upon the good of others- not our own self focused interest, nature works with us- not against us...
Right now we live between the resurrection of Christ and the end of this age when Christ returns. Until the end of this age those that pass from this life go to wait for the resurrection with God. At the time only known to God this age will come to an end which will culminate in our resurrection to a new physical resurrection body in a new heaven and earth where God reigns. I can't wait to experience life in the Kingdom of God- life that is free of pain, tears, hunger, evil, death, and decay.
When we realize where our Hope in Christ is leading there is reason to get excited and to tell others around us about how cool this all is. But we currently live in a world that is damaged by sin. We live in a culture that has falsely believed we can create a utopia here on earth through our own efforts. We have believed that through science or laws or social engineering we can continuously improve life here on earth. The problem is that these things become a god that we worship above the Lord God Almighty.
Jesus spent his time in ministry on this earth proclaiming the Kingdom of God and encouraging everyone to seek first God's Kingdom. It isn't that God intentionally made His Kingdom hard to find or that He has intentionally created a set of entry requirements so difficult that very few will make it. Instead we realize that sin and the entanglements of this world that is currently ruled by the evil one intentionally work to obscure God and deceive us from the truth of Hope in Christ.
I have been amazed at how quickly my mind has been able to jump from
optimism and hope in God to despair and temptation to let God out of my
sights. Living through 40 days of pain is nothing compared to some people who have endured health problems for years and years but my 40 days experience of disability has given me new insight into the mental challenge that people struggling through extended illness must wrestle with.
This brings to mind the importance of Jesus' focus in his ministry on earth to spread the message of the Kingdom of God. We have to remember the Hope to which Jesus calls us. We have to realize that we will not find fulfillment and perfection in this life. We have to trust that God will correct all wrongs in His Kingdom, not in this life. And we have to encourage each other when this evil world closes in around our heart and our mind and our body.
Jesus came to this earth for just a moment and said let me give you a taste of life in the Kingdom of God. He said try out some healing, experience compassion, absorb mercy, indulge abundant food and drink, watch in awe as nature works with you. You know what?! I'm in. I like what I saw and I want more. I want an eternity of life in God's Kingdom.
However my temptation is to try to create my own happy kingdom. If I am unhappy I quickly try to jump and find something to renew my happiness. I will buy something to make me happy. I will do something to make me happy. I will watch something to entertain me. Or I will take medicine with risks of significant side effects at the drop of a hat to make me feel better. The problem is that there are consequences to all of these actions. There are entanglements that develop and it is these entanglements that can be used by the evil one to obscure our ability to see God and His Kingdom.
Over the last 40 days the Holy Spirit has very faithfully continued to draw my mind back to thinking about God's Kingdom.... Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Read with a sincere tone. I am not being cynical.
ReplyDelete“But what exactly is the Kingdom of God?”
Contemplating questions is good, but what if the right answers to your questions are irrelevant? You are exploring God, His church, and living as a Christian. How do you know that God has a church? Has He ever mentioned it? What does living as a Christian have to do with God? Did He prescribe the religion complete with trimmings … or did someone else?
“Throughout Jesus’ ministry he talked about the Kingdom of God.”
Who is Jesus? Where/when did that name come from? The man you are referring to came in the name of God, correct? What is God’s name? How is God’s name depicted in ‘Jesus’? Examine this in the context of John 17 and Jer 23:25-27. God’s son spoke often of the Kingdom of God and directed people’s attention to God’s teaching (Torah), aka: ‘law’ as the source of eternal life and passage into God’s Kingdom.
“… entanglements can be used by the evil one to obscure our ability to see God and His Kingdom.”
Religion has been the primary tool of deception for the evil one from the time of Nimrod. How can God have, “so loved the world” if He declares to the religious, “I never knew you”? Knowing is a prerequisite to loving. And of course He hates many others as well who are/were part of the world. The obscurity has caused beguiling, and few even wonder.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously”
So many questions need to be answered. Discovering the Kingdom of God is truly rewarding. How can that be accomplished before finding God: Deut. 4:29; Jer. 29:13; Prov. 8:17; Ps. 119: 2…10? Where can God be found? Where has He revealed His name, instructions, appointments and promises? What exactly is righteous living? God defines it as observing His Torah. The man you refer to as ‘Jesus’ spelled it out very clearly before everything he taught was superseded by the one who came in his own name, descended from Benjamin (wolf banner), identified himself with the offspring of vipers, despised God’s Torah which will be the standard in God’s Kingdom and admitted his own demon possession.
“We have to remember the Hope to which Jesus calls us.”
Can you be sure that anything you have been taught of this hope wasn’t filtered through Marcion, Constantine, Jerome, Erasmus, Luther and others? Philip Comfort asserts that there is little hope in reconstructing integrity in what has become the new testament with the manuscripts that comprise it.
Everyday Calcium+Magnesium by Rainbowlight 4x/day, some quality tuna and restful sleep will help you recover.
Without a doubt the modern Christian view of religion has been filtered and damaged by a variety of influences through the last 2,000 years resulting in people who seek 'religion' above God which would technically classify 'religion' as an idol. And without a doubt Christianity in general has had far too many instances in which it sought to understand religion before it sought to understand God. This has resulted in people who try to impose a method of 'following' God upon others that is externally focused with very little focus upon that which God desires which is to have your heart.
ReplyDeleteOver the past 25 years I have been on a wonderful journey of discovering God as He is revealed throughout Scripture. Time after time I have come to realize that there are so many ways the Christian world has not understood who God is. Christianity has at times tried to understand God through the New Testament alone with the obvious problem being that God reveals Himself through the story of His people. However the mistakes of Christianity through the centuries does not negate the reality that something significant went on with Jesus Christ.