Everything that I have read lately tells me that the message of Jesus is to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, that we might have life to the fullest. It tells me that, above anything, life is important, that life is sacred. So sacred, in fact, that we are to intentionally, purposefully seek it out. We are to live our lives in a way that truly brings abundant life to not just ourselves, but to those around us as well. Matthew 10 tells us to heal the sick, to raise up the dead, to give freely, to keep ourselves from greed and excessive consumerism (paraphrase...)...to continually live on the narrow road that leads to Jesus, forsaking all others.
We are to seek His kingdom. We are to seek His life, life through the Spirit.
God is love. That word wholly and completely describes Him. Everything in our lives should be motivated by the love of God--the God who raises the sun each morning so that His people can carry on. The God who paints the stars in the sky, and reminds us that our lives are but a breath. The God who counts every hair on our heads and knows every quirk and tick to our beings. The God who brings the rain, and who calms to storm.
He cares about life. He cares about suffering, and brokeness. He sees families torn apart and destroyed by bombs, nations ruined by war. He sees little babies with their stomachs distended in hunger. He sees a discontented western culture seeking life at the bottom of a bottle, marriages reduced to nothing more than bitterness, life summed up by the word "struggle."
And in this, He tells us, seek the Kingdom of Heaven, and there you will find life. Seek first His name, leaving behind all others in the name of Jesus, for the sake of life. Seek His Kingdom--do what He says. Love others more than yourself. Give up your own comfort so that others may find rest. Do not destroy your soul and reduce yourselves to beings seeking pleasure in unhealthy ways.
I have a confession. I have done life without Jesus, attempting by my own strength to succeed. I failed. I have done life proclaiming the name of Jesus while still substantially trusting only myself, forgetting even to pray. I have failed at that, too. And I have done life with Jesus, seeking His face, and His heart of love for six billion people created uniquely, but all intertwined, oddly similar in the desires of our heats. That is where life is found. The fulfillment of life--and the joy, love and peace that accompany it--comes by the name of Jesus.
So now, I attempt to daily seek His kingdom, and ask that others would keep me accountable to that. And I ask that He would bring His Kingdom into my life with force, that He would revolutionize my world, shock me into the reality of His power, that He would overwhelm me with His greatness and that He would blow my mind with His love for people, and His love for life.
We are to seek His kingdom. We are to seek His life, life through the Spirit.
God is love. That word wholly and completely describes Him. Everything in our lives should be motivated by the love of God--the God who raises the sun each morning so that His people can carry on. The God who paints the stars in the sky, and reminds us that our lives are but a breath. The God who counts every hair on our heads and knows every quirk and tick to our beings. The God who brings the rain, and who calms to storm.
He cares about life. He cares about suffering, and brokeness. He sees families torn apart and destroyed by bombs, nations ruined by war. He sees little babies with their stomachs distended in hunger. He sees a discontented western culture seeking life at the bottom of a bottle, marriages reduced to nothing more than bitterness, life summed up by the word "struggle."
And in this, He tells us, seek the Kingdom of Heaven, and there you will find life. Seek first His name, leaving behind all others in the name of Jesus, for the sake of life. Seek His Kingdom--do what He says. Love others more than yourself. Give up your own comfort so that others may find rest. Do not destroy your soul and reduce yourselves to beings seeking pleasure in unhealthy ways.
Seek His Kingdom. Seek His life. Seek Him.Seek Him in a way that restores your soul, that brings your laughter back, and that lets your song be heard. Seek Him in a way that brings color back into your life, and in a way that marks your story victorious. Seek Him in a way that brings out the child in you, that makes you want to dance, that brings your imagination to life and brings you to a place of adventure.
I have a confession. I have done life without Jesus, attempting by my own strength to succeed. I failed. I have done life proclaiming the name of Jesus while still substantially trusting only myself, forgetting even to pray. I have failed at that, too. And I have done life with Jesus, seeking His face, and His heart of love for six billion people created uniquely, but all intertwined, oddly similar in the desires of our heats. That is where life is found. The fulfillment of life--and the joy, love and peace that accompany it--comes by the name of Jesus.
So now, I attempt to daily seek His kingdom, and ask that others would keep me accountable to that. And I ask that He would bring His Kingdom into my life with force, that He would revolutionize my world, shock me into the reality of His power, that He would overwhelm me with His greatness and that He would blow my mind with His love for people, and His love for life.
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