Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 33

"I know what you have been doing, how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you can’t stand wicked people; so you tested those who call themselves emissaries but aren’t — and you found them to be liars. You are persevering, and you have suffered for my sake without growing weary. But I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Therefore, remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place — if you don’t turn from your sin" (Revelation of Yeshua to Yochanan (Rev) 2:2‭-‬5 CJB)! Turn from your sin. What was the sin? "You lost the love you had at first." Jesus calls us to love God and our neighbors. He calls us to turn from the sin of not loving. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." It is so easy to burn out of love. Living a life of love is exhausting, is thankless, and opens you up to being used. Loving folks is frustrating. Loving folks sets your heart up for disappointment and heart break. Loving folks is not easy. The alternative is much easier. And too often we fall into religious indignation. We fall into writing folks off as beyond hope. We give up on loving and caring and praying. I have been guilty of doing that same thing. BUT, I can choose to repent and get back to loving and living like Jesus. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." I wish I could tell you that burning out is rare BUT it isn't. I need to recharge and refocus because loving is not easy. The good news is that you can get that love back because my God is great. My God breaks the boxes I build for Him. My God smashes my expectations and my assumptions. My God does whatever He Wills. And He only asks me to trust Him. And that is rather a simple request, however, enacting allegiance to Him is never easy. That allegiance is going to mean difficult decisions. That allegiance is going to require denying my self. That allegiance is going to require taking up His cross. That allegiance is going to require following Jesus. And by reading His life, I can see it was simple BUT not easy. Folks have lost their love and they need to repent.

"You lost the love you had at first." Being like Jesus is thankless. Being like Jesus is serving. Being like Jesus is teaching. Being like Jesus is being surrounded by folks that just don't get it BUT still trying to reach them. Being like Jesus is breaking the preconceived notions folks have about the Kingdom of God. Being like Jesus means making folks that want to monetize God angry. Being like Jesus is hanging on a cross and forgiving everyone, even you and even me and even people we don't like. Being like Jesus is simple BUT not easy. So, I pray today that you and I find that love we lost. That we repent of the alternative and we take the time to recharge and refocus on loving and living like Jesus.

Seek first The Kingdom of God. Grace and Shalom to your home.

#NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #seekfirstthekingdomofGod

Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 21

“But in my mind I keep returning to something, something that gives me hope — that the grace of Adonai is not exhausted, that his compassion has not ended” (Eikhah (Lam) 3:21-22). The grace of Adonai is not exhausted. His grace is infinite. He has just as much grace today as He did yesterday and just as much as He will in the age to come. His compassion for people, His love for people endures all types of assaults. BUT He is beyond the limits of our understanding. That’s why we can’t possibly understand how much He loves us. We can only create imperfect examples, analogies, and metaphors for His limitless love and grace.

God does not have limits. I have limitations. And daily I try to push those limitations through the Spirit that dwells within me. I want to better show that limitless love and grace that He has extended to me. BUT it’s difficult living a limited, fleshy existence. This temporality of the world makes me susceptible to so much limitation that does not confine God. And so I work daily on being more like Him in grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness, “Since everything is going to be destroyed like this, what kind of people should you be? You should lead holy and godly lives, as you wait for the Day of God and work to hasten its coming. That Day will bring on the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt from the heat; but we, following along with his promise, wait for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness will be at home” (2 Kefa (2 Pe) 3:11-13).

I need to “work to hasten its coming”. I am not content to wait. I am not supposed to just wait on Jesus. I am looking to help bring forth His Kingdom today. And His Kingdom is filled with His light. “Next the angel showed me the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Between the main street and the river was the Tree of Life producing twelve kinds of fruit, a different kind every month; and the leaves of the tree were for healing the nations — no longer will there be any curses. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will no longer exist, so they will need neither the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because Adonai , God, will shine upon them. And they will reign as kings forever and ever” (Revelation of Yeshua to Yochanan (Rev) 22:1-5). The Tree of Life heals the nations. The future God shows is one of healing through His grace and love. A future where His light shines upon me at all times. And I want to work on bringing that future hope to reality today as much as I can through Him.

I choose to focus on being more like Him in grace and love. That focus changes my perspective on how I treat Him and my neighbor. That focus helps me reflect His light. That focus helps me make myself and show others how to be Disciples and Ambassadors of His Kingdom. “May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven” (Mattityahu (Mat) 6:10).

Seek first His Kingdom which rests on the foundation of love.

Grace and Shalom to your home. The Kingdom of God is now!

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #NotMyWayYHWH