Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008

TWG - June 17, 2008

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TWG - June 17, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 27; Psalm 37: 21-40; Acts 1

Today is June 17, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus

Wow… was that ever a day of physical exercise… In the morning I spent an hour mowing the lawn (can you hear me puffing as I go up and down our hill?) Later that afternoon I went to work out with Kyle and Marcia (I’m moving a bit slower now!) And then in the evening I played a few hours of tennis with Phil (I could barely crawl off the court!!!) But I did win 2 sets to 0! Both were 6 to 4. In between I flopped down on the couch and tried to recover while I did some paperwork. Never ending paperwork. Susan was out in her little round swimming pool so I threw the dog in with her. The dog didn’t mind much. I put a picture of daughter Evie doing what she does best, taking a picture of someone else… on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.

This week’s theme verse is Matthew 6:33-34 …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

What do we mean by the term, “kingdom of God?” My Greek Lexicon says that a kingdom is a territory subject to the rule of a king. In the New Testament it is used to refer to the reign of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom which spans the mighty universe. It is invisible to the naked eye and unheard of by the vast majority of human beings. The Kingdom of God is more real and abiding than all earthly kingdoms. It is a spiritual kingdom into which only those born of the Spirit may enter. No other means of entry is possible. If we are to seek this kingdom, we must understand what we are seeking. The idea of “seek first” is the pursuit of or the erection of God’s Kingdom on earth. It is the goal of establishing the spiritual rule of Jesus Christ in our family, church and country. To establish the kingdom has noting to do with taking land or territory and placing it under the “Christian Flag.” When the early explorers of the “new world” landed here, they would plant their flag and claim the land for their “country and for God!” Then they would seek to Christianize the citizens by forcibly requiring that they worship the true God. It rarely worked. Most heathens were still heathen in heart and while they bowed the knee to avoid the sword, their heart was still in paganism. To establish the kingdom has everything to do with becoming good citizens who are obedient to the rule of the King. The heavenly King reigns in His people on earth. Jesus said it this way, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our supreme pursuit is to establish the Kingdom within! Our grandest objective is to submit our lives in obedience to our King, Jesus. You have greater and better things to think about; kingdom living is the one thing that is necessary. Set your mind on things that are above. Our earthly life is all about one important task… to live like citizens of heaven. Our thoughts should be consumed with one great passion; discovering how a child of the kingdom should live. There are profound laws and ethics that govern kingdom life. Jesus laid it out in Matthew 5-7. I’ll list some of them for you. Ye Olde Kingdome Laws: Seek to become “Poor in spirit, mourn over sin, be meek and humble, hunger and thirst for righteousness, show mercy, seek to be pure in heart, be a peacemaker, expect persecution and become the salt of the earth.” If you seek to have these inner qualities you will be blest! You will experience happiness like you have never know, because the center of Kingdom of God is the most joyous place in the universe. It is filled with indescribable light, life and the very presence of Jesus Christ.

My Lord and King: I bow the knee to you. I also submit my heart and every area of my life to your rule. Yours is the kingdom and power. I want to pursue the kingdom with all my heart, soul and might. Help me to think on heavenly things. I want your presence to characterize my life. I want to pass the kingdom on.

I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship

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