Wow!
Did you catch that?
It is God's, our heavenly Father, pleasure to give us the kingdom.
Us.....me....you...The Kingdom of Heaven....
Me, who can't keep up with his car keys, is given the kingdom of heaven.
Not only that...but he trusts me. With all my mess ups....all my foul ups....all my "not getting it right".....God trusts me with the kingdom.
I think maybe God has a different view of me than i do of myself.
Hebrews 12:28 reads: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptable with reverence and awe.
What is the kingdom? Is it a physical piece of land. Is it symbolic? No, the Kingdom of God is wherever God's rule and reign is being carried out. The Kingdom of heaven is all around us, and yet, as Jesus says...it is within us.
If I have been saved, born again or whatever the term du'jour is....and I have this relationship with Jesus, then God imparts to me, through His Holy Spirit, His rule and reign in my life. I no longer am on the throne of my heart, so to speak. I step down and allow Jesus to sit on that throne. I defer to Him, so that I can grow and mature in this relationship.
All of what I have written so far is a spiritual way of stating the 3rd step of the twelve steps.
Step#3 tells us that We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
In taking this step, I am being "rocketed" (As Bill W. would say) Into a 4th dimension of a new way of living. I wish I could explain what happens to someone who has been devastated by a life of addiction......who is broken by all the guilt and shame of what they have done. I wish I could explain exactly how and why it works when someone finally gives up and turns to God, but I can't. I just know it works. I know that it isn't a matter of will power....I now know it is a matter of being powerless. I have seen countless lives changed because of this surrender of self and turning to God. Each time it happens, I stand there, mouth open, thinking to myself...."This is incredible!"
It is this transformation that cannot be explained, which boggles the human mind. As the big book of A.A. says..."God did for me what I could not do for myself." If you want to get totally honest, isn't that the state of all mankind? We are a powerless species when it comes to lifting ourselves out of a spiritual pit of sin and death. It takes a power greater than ourselves to reach down to us and lift us out. To simply be lifted out would be an incredible feat in and of itself, but there is more. We are given a guide and teacher to show us this new way of living. That teacher would be the Holy Spirit. Now, free and clear of our old lifestyle, we learn a new way of living. To learn this is a progressive work.
God puts at my disposal His entire Kingdom.
He equips me to live life here on planet earth, yet remained detached from sin and the spiritual darkness that seeks to pull me back into that old life.
He calls me to follow Him rather than the voice of death we formerly followed, leading us to new friends and new experiences. I no longer have to fear my past as I have dealt with it, buried it under the blood of Jesus, and have moved on. There is no looking back with feelings of guilt and shame. I am a new creation of infinite worth to my Father.
I do love God.
I do love Jesus.
I am all up in the Holy Spirit.
God on you today....
mb
No comments:
Post a Comment