From: Paul Gage
pauljg_64055@yahoo.com
LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD AUGUST 31, 2023
Greetings to the Saints of God throughout the whole
earth,
We are ending the eighth month of 2023 and look ahead to
what God has in store for us in the last four months of the year. As we live in
the kingdom with the directive to “Seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God
and to establish His righteousness…” are you looking ahead with great
excitement or with fear and trembling?
Build up and establish are action words that call for a
strong, faithful, diligent effort to labor and work for the kingdom and His
righteousness. There is no time or room for idleness, slothfulness, casual
attitudes or just leaving it to someone else. Each person has been designated
by God to perform a life of service that will result in His Kingdom so that the
world might see an example of God’s plan for all who choose to follow Him. That
example, Zion, is very much needed now in the world as so many are turning away
from God to all sorts of deviations, trying to find something of eternal value
in their lives.
Sunday, September 3, 2023 is another opportunity
given to us by God to renew our covenant relationship with Him and to renew a
right spirit within us that will lead us to live in and reflect the Kingdom of
God. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is to REMEMBER HIM-JESUS CHRIST and in
that remembering come to the table following the instructions found in DC
85:20. “a. Behold, I will hasten my work in its time; and I give unto you,
who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you
assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves,
and sanctify yourselves; b. yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and
your feet before me, that I may make you clean, c .that I may testify
unto your Father, and your God, and my God, that you are clean from the blood
of this wicked generation, that I may fulfill this promise, this great and last
promise which I have made unto you, when I will.”
Monday, September 4, 2023 is a holiday in the USA
known as “Labor Day.” A day set aside to be mindful, of all who work and labor
for the support of themselves, their families, and society.
All should be aware, that all things have a temporal and
spiritual side to them. As we work/labor for our support, so also we work/labor
for the kingdom of God. The two really cannot be separated.
As we go forth each day to our job, we have specific
guidelines. A time to be on the job, job description so we know what is
expected of us and we expect to receive a certain salary that we agreed on with
our employer. So it is also on the spiritual side. The scriptures are full of
examples of how we are to do the work of the Master, if we are to receive our
spiritual “salary/reward.” There can be no interpreting for ourselves what the
job description is according to the Master.
The scriptures are also full of many examples of where
“God’s People” agreed to follow and serve Him as He instructed and then decided
to do it their own way. Such behavior is not acceptable in the work-a-day world
“temporal” nor is it acceptable in the Kingdom of God “spiritual.”
The time has come for many people who were fired from
their temporal jobs because they did not meet the expectations of their
employer. It will be no different when Jesus returns, as spoken in the hymn,
“Work for the night is Coming.” “When man’s work is done, when man’s works no
more, when man’s work is o’er.” There will be a time of reckoning for each of
us. How many times over the years have we been reminded of the parable of the
“Ten Virgins?”
If you follow the Daily Devotional published by the
Conference of Restoration Elders (CRE), the new one for September 2023 is on
their website eldersconference.org. The one for October-December will be
available at the end of September.
God bless and keep you,
Paul Gage
No comments:
Post a Comment