For roughly three short years two thousand years ago, we got a brief glimpse of what the Kingdom of God looks like. When Jesus lived among us, He healed all those who were sick. He partied with the outcasts of the culture and chastised the societal elite. He was at once revolutionary and peaceful. Jesus knew no strangers and loved unconditionally. No wonder such large crowds followed Him; who wouldn’t want the slightest glimpse of Heaven? Who wouldn’t want to experience what life was truly meant to be? Jesus showed us what a life lived for Him, a Kingdom life, was all about. He set the example that all His disciples commit to follow.
Love
Our Omnipresent God
Greg Boyd recently questioned, “How can you expect to grow when you spend 99% of your day not thinking about God?” This hits the nail on the head. Many Christians spend their lives waiting for God to show them what to do, but the vast majority of their time is spent looking for anything but what God may be trying to bring to their attention. Others say sometimes they feel like God isn’t listening or isn’t even there. I submit that the reason you might believe He isn’t listening is because you won’t stop talking. Perhaps the reason you think He isn’t there is because you never sit still long enough to experience His presence.
How Great is the Love
How often do we take the time to ponder the enormity that is the love of God? If you are like me, this is not something you consider regularly. Yet everything we believe, everything for which we live, hinges on the unsurpassing, indescribable, immeasurable love of God. Without love there is no Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no sacrifice for sins. And without His sacrifice, there is no hope for humanity. All creation, all thought, all meaning, derives from the love of God. His love is so big, so utterly amazing, that we can scarcely comprehend its magnitude.
The Boy Scouts and the Church
Recently several churches in my area have been dropping their sponsorship of Boy Scout troops. My own church home has made headlines because of their decision to follow suit. At issue is the recent decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow homosexual boys to join their ranks, something that has previously been forbidden. The churches that are pulling their support from the scouts are doing so ostensibly so they are not financially supporting or associated with a group that allows homosexuals to benefit from their funding. Upon learning of my home church’s decision, I took an afternoon to think and pray about this stance. I’d like to share my thoughts with you.
You’re All Right
God is so merciful and His grace is unending. We all know the things we should do, but in practice few of us consistently succeed. We go through seasons of growth, but then there are those times when it seems all we can do is mess up. We could spend the majority of our days living in guilt, discouraged that we have missed the mark again. God rejects that idea. He sent His Son to free us from guilt and to remove all of our sins. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus gives us never ending opportunities to start again.