Kingdom of God

Probably one of the most famous Bible verses has to be John 3:16.  I'm sure most of us know it by heart.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16 (NIV)

But what is lesser known is that this famous quote from our Lord Jesus came during a nighttime conversation with a man named Nicodemus that began like this.

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:1-3 (NIV)

Nicodemus was showing respect to Jesus as a great teacher, referring to him as Rabbi, and acknowledging he was from God. 

But notice what Jesus says before launching into his lesson, before even mentioning being "born again."  Back up just a little further to three very significant words.

"kingdom of God"

There is a kingdom  which you cannot enter without a spiritual rebirth, because it is a spiritual kingdom.  And as such, it transcends nationality, political parties, even dare I say, church membership!

I'm challenged by this thought.  What does it really mean to be a part of this kingdom?  

The subject was of such importance that we find John the Baptist preaching about it up until his imprisonment.  And then Jesus' first message after being tempted by the devil in the wilderness was the same, 

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matt 4:7 (NIV)

What is the kingdom of heaven? 

For the next few blogs, let's dive into this subject.  What does it mean to be a member of this kingdom?  How should our lives be different because of it? What do we do to build the kingdom?  Does this kingdom have an enemy?

I look forward to exploring this with you!

Old vs New

Last night I was changing the strings on my guitar, something I try to do regularly. 

The old strings look and sound OK.  But when I take them off and coil them up I can see how dark they have become.  Then when I compare them to the new strings there is a visible difference.  The new are shiny and bright. 

Once the strings are on, I stretch them a little and then play.  I'm always amazed at the brightness of the new strings.  The guitar seems to have new life.

Over time, these new strings will begin to darken, both in color and sound.  It's gradual, you really don't notice the change until you compare them, once again, to new ones.

I thought about how it's important to take inventory of our lives.  To see if there is anything in our walk with the Lord that simply needs to be refreshed, like those strings. 

Day by day we can miss a devotional time, or skip a service, our lives get caught up in busyness and soon we become dull.  It happens gradually, and it's not until we compare it to the brightness of the joy we once knew that we notice the difference.

That's why it's a good idea to pray the prayer David once did as a regular part of our time with the Lord.

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23:-24 (NIV)

That way, we can always remain bright and fresh and ready to shine for his glory.

Grateful Praise

I thought it fitting, with Black Friday upon us, to not let the Thanksgiving holiday pass without at least one more mention of giving thanks to the Lord.

I know the shopping has already begun.  The countdown to Christmas is here, but before we get caught up in that, let's just take a moment and pray the words of this Psalm.  I think it is good to ignore the shouts from all the advertisements, designed to get us to rush into a purchasing frenzy. 

Perhaps even print this one out and make it a daily prayer during the Christmas season.

Psalm 100 (NIV)

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is here, and before the turkey is cold and cut up into sandwiches, our thoughts will quickly move toward Christmas.  Many may even be shopping this very day.

But before we get caught up in the holiday rush, take a moment to maybe write down what you are thankful for from this past year.  Perhaps this has been a rough year for you.  Or maybe it's been an amazing year.  More than likely it is a combination of both, still, there is always something to be thankful for.

I do want to say, I am thankful to be able to share these times with you.  Writing the Daily Rock is a blessing to me.  To explore the Scriptures and be allowed to share with you what the Lord lays on my heart is a blessing beyond words.

God is good, all the time.

So, I will wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and leave you with this Scripture.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever. "(1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)

His Love Endures Forever!

When I think back to some of the things I did in my younger years, (and even my not so young years) I wish I could go back to that rebellious time and make better choices. 

That is the amazing thing about walking with the Lord, no matter how much we messed up in the past because of the foolish things we have done, he can take our broken life and make something beautiful with it.

Continuing with Psalm 107 as Thanksgiving day quickly approaches!

"17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

Has your life  been restored?  Do you look at all the mistakes you made and realize (with a shudder) where you would be had the Lord not reached down and saved you from that path? 

Then give him thanks for his love that never fails!

...for He is Good

Continuing with Psalm 107 today...

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God's commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

Some chains do not have to be made of iron to bind us. 

Some years ago I rebelled against God in an effort to find some kind of "freedom".  But the more I sought what the world had to offer to make me free, the more in "utter darkness" I dwelled.  It took some time living that way before realizing my need for the Lord. 

What amazes me about the prisoner is this, he is in chains because of his rebellion to God, yet when he calls out to that same God, he is freed and forgiven. 

If you can relate to the prisoner, then take a moment to give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his ability to cut through the bars of iron that enslaved your soul.

Give Thanks to the Lord

With the approaching Thanksgiving holiday being within days, I thought it only fitting we take some time to read through Psalm 107. 

Life can often be difficult, and we can struggle to find something to thank the Lord for.  But this Psalm is a wonderful reminder of where we were when the Lord found us, and how to give thanks for his hearing our cry for help.

Psalm 107 begins with an exhortation to give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and love, and then for the redeemed of the Lord to tell their story.

Psalm 107 (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south

What's amazing to me is the honest depiction of the different types of people there are out there, and how when they reached an end, cried out and found the Lord.  Perhaps as we read through, you and I will identify with one or more of these.

Let's begin with the first, the wanderer.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

Can you relate to that, were you the wanderer?  Perhaps you were not literally wandering about, unable to settle.  But maybe, like me, you wandered through different kinds of escapes, trying to simply find peace.   And then, when all energy was spent, you cried out to the Lord and he heard you!

Take a moment to recall that time, the time of wandering and the time of deliverance, and give the Lord thanks!

Next we will read about the prisoner.