Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 26

“For you used to be darkness; but now, united with the Lord, you are light. Live like children of light, for the fruit of the light is in every kind of goodness, rightness and truth — try to determine what will please the Lord. Have nothing to do with the deeds produced by darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful even to speak of the things these people do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed clearly for what it is, since anything revealed is a light. This is why it says, ‘Get up, sleeper! Arise from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you’” (Ephesians (Eph) 5:8-14)! I can’t be both in darkness and in light. I can’t be both dead and alive. I need to live like out the goodness, the rightness, and truthfulness of the light. “I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who trusts in me might not remain in the dark. If anyone hears what I am saying and does not observe it, I don’t judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (Yochanan (Jhn) 12:46-47). I need His light to live out His Kingdom today. The light needs to guide my path as I walk today because the light is going to expose everything at judgment. I need to get up and awaken to His light.

I have never had a problem arising in the morning and going about my day. I arise and pray and drink my water and do my exercises and read my devotions and sit down and write. I need to awaken to reflect His light and let it shine on the world. I can’t be both awake and asleep, alive and dead, light and darkness, “We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully giving thanks to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians (Col) 1:11-13). I need to live like His light every day. And the best way to learn what is light is by learning more about Him. “For the mitzvah is a lamp, Torah is light, and reproofs that discipline are the way to life” (Mishlei (Pro) 6:23).

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

Seek First The Kingdom of God no. 24

“‘Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.’ T’oma said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?’ Yeshua said, ‘I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me. Because you have known me, you will also know my Father; from now on, you do know him — in fact, you have seen him'”(Yochanan (Jhn) 14:1-7). As some of you may know, my mom is approaching her final days in this life. Rather than that be a time of sadness and overwhelming dread, I have trust in the resurrection and the life in the world to come. And I think a lot of folks would be worried about themselves or others as their life now ends, however, there is an assurance by Jesus of a world to come and a resurrection and restoration. And a lot of that comes from being unsure of the way.

Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You can’t know the Father without knowing Him. And a lot of folks have made that into saying a little prayer and thinking they are all good. BUT mentally acknowledging Jesus isn’t the same as knowing Him. Knowing someone is understanding them. Knowing someone takes an investment of time and resources to listen and learn. Knowing someone takes a commitment. My father knows my mother. Her children, including me, know who my mother is. We didn’t gain this knowledge from a minute, a day, or a week. We gained this knowledge over a lifetime of living and loving her. And I think that is what Jesus is impressing on His disciples.

These dudes spent years following Him around and were clueless on so many things until after He was gone. They really didn’t know Him all that well when He spoke those words to them. BUT they knew enough to know who God was because they had spent years following and listening and learning. I don’t know exactly who my mother is BUT I do know enough to understand what kind of person she is. And I think that is an important aspect of following Him that we simply want to compartmentalize and not allow to permeate our life. That knowing God is not a prayer or a Sunday service or a routine. Knowing God takes an investment of ourselves, just as knowing anyone is an investment of ourselves.

So I pray that you really know Him. And that is going to take diverting your energy and time and resources away from something else and putting those into knowing Him.

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