CHRIST'S KINGDOM

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

Isaiah 32:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The words of the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer Jesus taught us, His disciples, to pray, share with us this particularly special phrase, a phrase we should all be praying each and every day as we live this thing called life:

“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

I don’t know about you but I yearn for the Lord’s kingdom to come and abide here in this world we live in. I yearn for the day when the kingdom of Jesus Christ reigns supreme over all of God’s creation in authority, the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He, Jesus Christ, is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).

What will that kingdom look like?

As we look at the opening verses that reveal indicators of when we will know we are abiding within the kingdom of Christ Jesus:

First, we will be ruled in righteousness and justice, not just any righteousness and justice but a perfect righteousness and justice. There will be no wickedness or impropriety in the way we are ruled for everything done – every action, every decree, every conception or notion – will be perfectly contrived and carried out. There will be no room for criticism and no place for cries of injustice for our only response to the kingdom of Christ will be of peace and joy and contentment, of thanksgiving and praise and gratitude.

Secondly, we will know we are in Christ’s kingdom when we all fear no more in life. There will be no need to be afraid because we will fully believe that if the Lord is with us, then no one can stand against us (Romans 8:31) because no one is mightier than the Lord. We will find ourselves sheltered from life’s storms, secure in the safe harbor we find in Jesus, the One who has already weathered the greatest storms in life to show us that through Him and His strength, we can do likewise. In Christ, we are always refreshed through His Spirit and word; we are always protected by the shadow of His wings where we can run for refuge and rescue like one would find in the shadow of a rock while escaping the burning rays of the sun.

Finally, we will know when we are in the kingdom of Christ when our eyes are fully opened to His truths and our ears clearly hear and receive His guidance and direction. There will be nothing outside of our understanding because Jesus will impart His wisdom on the humble, fearful heart that knows it cannot grasp any truth on its own but through Christ can come to discern all things. And not only will they be able to discern the truth from the One who is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6) but they will be able to speak His truth to others with clarity and fluency by way of the Holy Spirit. The only true teaching comes from someone who has fully submitted themselves to allow the Lord Jesus to speak words of truth through them. In other words, they offer themselves to Jesus as a microphone through which He can speak, to freely give themselves up to their Savior as an instrument for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Friends, Jesus is alive and He is working hard to fully establish His kingdom here on earth, answering the words in the prayer He gave us to pray.

With this, are you experiencing His kingdom in your life? Is your heart fully committed to Him, open to receive His Spirit so He might be able to come and reside within you? Do you yearn for His truth to be yours, His understanding to be your understanding, His wisdom to be your wisdom?

After we pray the Lord’s Prayer daily, let our personal prayer be as follows:

Lord Jesus, I give myself freely to You as You have given Yourself for me. I surrender all that I am so You can be all that You are in me. Establish Your kingdom in my heart, mind, and soul, I pray, and use me in whatever way You see fit to further your kingdom here on earth. I offer myself unto You as a living sacrifice, now and forever more. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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