ASK...

Today's sermon focused on the Kingdom of God...

And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."

Mark 4:30-31 NASB

His Kingdom... can be pictured... as a mustard seed...

The pastor paints the picture of the small mustard seed... being small everyday acts of kindness... which when sown into the lives of those around us... grows the Kingdom of God...

And he talks about a secular movement which became popular several years ago... ARK... Acts of Random Kindness... passing along kindness to others... without expectation of return...

Examples he gave included... paying for the person's order behind you in the drive through as you pay for yours... or regularly picking up the paper of your elderly neighbor and moving it from the curb to the front porch...

But it occurs to me... there is nothing random about kindness...

Kindness is a movement of God...

for we are created in His image...

and for Believers... it is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 NASB

The Holy Spirit leads Believers to acts of kindness...

there is nothing random about it...

It may seem random simply because of the nature of the Spirit...

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it,

but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;

so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." ---Jesus

John 3:8 NASB

The Spirit blows like the wind through our lives...

and we don't know where it's going... where it's come from...

When we hear that still small Voice...

the idea popping in our heads... feeling a bit random... 

like round up carts in the Wal-Mart parking lot... when it's not your job...

or picking up your neighbor's trashcan and garbage strewn about by a dog that's not yours...

or simply picking up trash along the street as you're out getting Fitbit steps...

it's the Holy Spirit calling you to grace someone with an act of kindness...

bear fruit for the Kingdom...

And the step of faith is the unseen nature of the whole thing...

how these calls to seemingly random acts of kindness grow the Kingdom...

And it's a step of faith to obey even when it makes no sense to us...

or humbles us by doing a dirty job... or cleaning up someone else's mess...

And it's a step of faith... to consider the odd idea... to be His voice...

We should ASK...

Ask Him to call us to Acts of Spirit-led Kindness...

those things He wants to use in someone else's life...

and not for our own glory... but for His...

Because of our broken nature... we often do the right thing for the wrong reason... which does nothing for His Kingdom...

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...

Isaiah 64:6 NIV

He tells us not to lean on our own understanding...

but trust Him with all our hearts...

which I believe includes listening to the Holy Spirit...

and the seemingly random things He calls us to...

So we won't miss His voice...

ASK Him each day... to open your heart to hear His call...

to Acts of Spirit-led Kindness...

which grow His Kingdom...

and are not just random...

waiting thoughts continue...

The verses on waiting over the last few weeks... still stir in my heart... perhaps because I'm doing some waiting...

I think of the patient farmer James tells us to be like...
waiting patiently for what's been planted... hidden... in the ground...

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop,

patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

James 5:7 NIV

Waiting... for growth... for change...
seems to come from something...
hidden away... out of sight...

Jesus told us about another farmer...
scattering seeds... crops growing...
but the farmer has no idea how it happened...

And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter

seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts

and grows; he knows not how. ..."

Mark 4:26-27 ESV

The woman who hid leavening in the bread...
she had to wait for it to grow...

And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour,

until it was all leavened."

Luke 13:20-21 ESV

This hiding... of Word...
waiting for the Kingdom to burst forth...
takes time... days and nights...
it begins where we can't see...
and is a mystery to us who wait...

Some of the things I'm waiting on make my heart heavy...
make me groan with deep desire to see something happen...
I call on the Holy Spirit to interpret my groans...
intercede on behalf of those I groan for...

And this hidden thought comes to mind...
this reminder that I'm in a season...
of patient waiting...

Waiting for growth...
I don't know how...
in a place I cannot see...
patiently waiting...
on Him who is trustworthy...

Amen...

psalm 103... an Easter perspective... part thirteen...

Just a couple more days to go... looking for the resurrected Christ... and we'll be through our journey of Psalm 103...

What will we see today...?

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:19

The Lord Jesus... established His throne in heaven... 

through obedience to His Father...

And being found in human form, he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted

him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under earth...

Philippians 2:8-10 ESV

His Kingdom... rules over ALL...

those in heaven... all the unseen supernatural creatures...

those on earth... all living breathing beings on planet Earth...

those under the earth... all who have already passed from life to death...

Jesus's rule is complete... perfect... preeminent...

The Lord Jesus... established His throne in heaven...

as the Lamb of God... the perfect sacrifice...

And every priest stands daily at his service,

offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of God...

Hebrews 10:11-12 ESV

Jesus... our perfect High Priest... was also the perfect sacrifice...

Perfect obedience...

led Him to the cross...

Unmerited death...

led Him to rise from the grave...

He now sits at the right hand of God...

The Lord Jesus... established His throne in heaven...

by being... the radiance of God's glory... and nature...

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact

imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe

by the word of his power. After making purification for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

Jesus... the Word made flesh... that we might see His power lived out...

The Lord Jesus... WILL establish His throne forever...

when He returns... and fixes all things...

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

"Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom

of our God and the authority of his Christ have come,

for the accuser of the brothers has been thrown down,

who accuses them day and night before our God.

Revelation 12:10 ESV

The Revelation of Jesus... given to John...

proclaims a day to come... when all things will be set right...

the accuser... the enemy... defeated...

sin... death... sorrow... sickness... gone...

"... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

and death shall be no more, neither shall there be

mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away."

And he who was seated on the throne said,

"Behold, I am making all things new."

Also he said, "Write this down,

for these words are trustworthy and true."

Revelation 21:4-5 ESV

Write it down... take note... don't forget...

even if it doesn't look like it just yet...

His throne is firmly established...

His Kingdom rule a certainty...

its fulfillment... still to come...

Lord... I praise You for Your obedience...

Your pure perfection... Your glorious representation of the Father...

Your Word of power... Fill me with confidence in Your Kingdom to come...

assured of Your place on the throne...

The Journey Readings: Week 39... and being peculiar...

Last week's readings... made it clear... God's people... are to be... peculiar people...

For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God;

and the Lord has chosen you to be a peculiar people to Himself,

above all the nations on earth.

Deuteronomy 14:2 Amp

The people of His Kingdom... are to be peculiar... no matter which nation on earth they live...

Peculiar... according to Merriam-Webster... means... characteristic of only one person... group... or thing... distinctive... different from the usual... odd... curious... eccentric... queer...

Other translations of the Bible... use... treasured possession... rather than... peculiar... 

The original Hebrew... reflects this translation... valued property... peculiar treasure... 

God's treasured possession... is to be peculiar... in the world...

The law was the marker which made the Israelites peculiar to every other nation on earth...

A thought continued in the New Testament...

[Our Savior Jesus Christ] gave himself for us,

that he might redeem us from all iniquity,

and purify unto himself a peculiar people, 

zealous of good works.

Titus 2:11 KJV

We are to be different... from the world... when it comes to finances... relationships... entertainment... worship... wisdom... and justice...

For instance...

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

James 3:13-17

How about you...? are you peculiar...? compared to the rest of the world...?

The Journey continues into its 39th week...

Monday                   Deuteronomy 23

Tuesday                   Deuteronomy 24-25

Wednesday              Deuteronomy 26-27

Thursday                  Deuteronomy 28:1-33

Friday                      Deuteronomy 28:34-68

good-bye world... good-bye

The men's quartet sang it in worship this morning...

Heaven is near and I can't stay here,

Good-bye world... Good-bye...

And I think... heaven is near... for those in Christ...

...Jesus began to preach,

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4:17

We do not have to die... to begin telling the world... and its ways... good-bye...

We need only repent... turn from the world's ways... and follow Him...

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

Begin telling the world... good-bye... today... for His kingdom is near... in Him... and we shouldn't want to stay where we are... we should long to draw closer to Him... living in His kingdom... now...

What in the world... do you need to tell Good-bye...? starting today...?

enter the Kingdom... as little children...

the Jesus Storybook Bible...

I found out about this treasure from my sister-in-law... who has many grandchildren... now I have none... and my youngest is nineteen...

But I felt compelled to order... it came... and I've been enchanted by this storybook Bible... subtitled...

Every story whispers his name...

And it does... over and over... the author points the way to Him... His love... and His great plan for the rescue...

Truth... woven into an overview... of the Bible... simple enough... for children...

The introduction to the Nativity story... caught my attention... as it echoed recent thoughts...

Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning.

But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do?

Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held its breath. As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.

---Sally Lloyd-Jones, the Jesus Storybook Bible

If you have children to gift... this would be a great one...

Even if you don't... gift it to yourself...

Come to Him... like a little child...

 But Jesus called the children to him and said,

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom

of God like a little child will never enter it."

Luke 18:16-17 NIV