Sunday, March 21, 2010

Living in God's Kingdom

It's another realm or sphere. You're not up in the clouds on cloud 9 but it's something like that! You are planted here on earth but the Bible tells us in I Peter 2:11 that we are "like foreigners and strangers in this world." One translation even says we are pilgrims! Yes, we are breaking new territory for the Lord! It's because our home is Heaven and we are just here on earth temporarily. With work to do while here! We have kingdom work to do so we must live in the kingdom realm and not this worldly realm. When you become a Christian you are a new creature in Christ. See II Corinthians 5:17. It also says the old things - our old way of living and those things that keep us in the world - have passed away! Yes, and it says that all things are new - we have a new way of living because we are in a new kingdom! We are now living in God's country and not this world! That means we are new to thinking like God and talking like God and walking and living the way God would! Remember the saying WWJD? "What would Jesus do?" Well, He is our example of how to live on earth and live in the kingdom! If He did, guess what? We can too! He's our big brother and He will show us - the Holy Spirit He left with us will be our guide to understanding and our power of strength as we do it! Hip-hip-hooray and Hallelujah!!!

Think of it this way if it will help - you are living in another country but right in America. How do you do that? You would live like the French or Italians only you would be - for me, in Payson, Arizsona - I would have a French-style home and decorate it country French and maybe even wear clothing that's frilly and feminine like I picture the French women wearing and I would probably enjoy sipping a cup of tea or espresso sitting at a quaint outdoor cafe. So for the Christian, we live out what God says in His Word, the Bible, while we live in the world that has gone another way than the Bible. The world is a selfish place where people are thinking of themselves instead of others and using people as things instead of loving them. We walk in love because the Bible says God is love and that we are to love others as we love ourselves. Can you see it now? It isn't that hard to grasp - the hard part is putting it into practice and living it out - but we have the Holy Spirit and He shows us how by taking us through a process of maturing in the Word. This is holiness and we are called to "be holy for He is holy."

We are privileged! We are blessed! We live in a kingdom as king with the Lord Jesus the King of kings!

Ephesians 2:10; I Corinthians 7:1, 10; Romans 7; Philippians 2:13; I Thessalonians 4:7; Galatians 5:16; I John 4:4-11 and 2:15-17; I Peter 1:13-16 and 2:9

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