Next Steps - Sep 27

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:9-10

Jesus' gospel is that all the preliminaries have been taken care of and the kingdom of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable opportunity. -- Dallas Willard

When Jesus' disciples asked him how they should pray -- what they should pray about -- the words above were his response, followed by recognition and request for God's provision of food, forgiveness, and protection from the temptation to live in ways that are out of tune with his Kingdom. Have you thought much about Jesus as King? What are the implications? One is the very fact that when a king says something it happens -- a king's words make things happen. Do you remember the story in the Bible when Jesus walked on water? It took place right after Jesus fed 5000 men plus thousands of women and children. The disciples were traveling back across the lake, when Jesus comes walking up. The men in the boat were scared, which makes sense since this is not something one sees every day. Mark, one of Jesus' disciples, wrote about this later and described it in a fascinating way. He wrote, " And they (the guys in the boat) were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves." (Mark 6:51-52) You see, when Jesus fed the 5,000, he demonstrated that he was king over the very elements of creation and that as king, they must obey him. So, the only way they could be astonished that he could do something like walk on water was if they did not understand that, "did not understand about the loaves."

There is a King and he has a Kingdom - the range of God's effective will. You have a kingdom, the range of your effective will. What does it look like in your life when those intersect? In what ways do you make "up there" come "down here"? Do you think that can happen? Do you think God can really make up there come down here, through us? Test Jesus on this, and see if you do not discover that it is indeed a remarkable opportunity.

Look around you, the Kingdom of God is near.

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug