LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD JANUARY 18, 2024
Greetings to the Saints around the world,
Living in the kingdom, fasting, praying, studying for the
kingdom, preparing ourselves and others, spiritually, for the kingdom, what is
all this about? Perhaps you have wondered about this or don’t feel or see any
connection between how we are living now compared to how those will live who
are accepted into God’s Kingdom in its fullness on earth. Maybe this is a topic
we hear so much about that we have a tendency to turn a “deaf ear” when someone
talks about it.
That seemed to have been the pattern for the Isrealites,
Jaredites, Lehiites (all, of Lehi’s family), as well as the early Latter Day
Saints and the later Latter Day Saints. We have very clear instructions from
God as to what we are to be doing IF we want to be an integral part of His
Kingdom.
Let us read again the words of our Brother Moroni as he
closes out his ministry and time on earth. Moroni 10:27-30 “And again, I would
exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift,
and touch not the evil gift nor the unclean thing. 28 And awake and arise from
the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O
daughter of Zion, and strengthen thy stakes, and enlarge thy borders forever,
that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the eternal
Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be
fulfilled. 29 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and
deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all
ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then
is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ;
and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in no wise deny the
power of God. 30 And again, if ye, by the grace of God, are perfect
in Christ and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace
of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant
of the Father, unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy
without spot.”
If this was the only scripture we ever had, would we have
any excuse for not living in the Kingdom of God, now, and when Jesus returns?
The word, “YE,” is used seven times in this short scripture. Who is “YE?” Ye is
an archaic or old fashion version of “YOU.” Though the word, ye, may be
“old-fashioned” we do not want to be “old-fashioned” when it comes to obeying
God’s word. We do not want to think that God is speaking to someone else. We do
not want to think the Kingdom is not applicable to us now.
Did not Jesus teach his disciples (us) to pray, in
Matthew 6:11 (IV) “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth
as it is done in heaven…” Compare this to the King James
version, Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven.” If we are living when Jesus returns, don’t we want to be living His
will and not our own?
As always, due to the grace, mercy, sacrifice and love of
our Heavenly Father, the choice is ours. Now look up, on your own, the last
statement of Moroni in Moroni 10:31.
God bless
Paul Gage
