FOLLOWING THE WAY AS WE LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD MAY 23, 2024

 FOLLOWING THE WAY AS WE LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD MAY 23, 2024

Greetings to all those following the WAY (JESUS CHRIST),

Do you remember the first words we find in the Scriptures referring to the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus? Those word, as found in Matthew 3:28 and Matthew 4:16, were “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John adds the word YE, which means YOU. The kingdom of heaven is a personal thing, it is not as an old saying used to be, “Pie in the sky.”

The kingdom was at hand because Jesus was present, Therefore it seems that the kingdom would always be “at hand,” because Jesus said He would never leave us. A church sign once read, “If you are not as close to God as you once were or would like to be,guess who needs to move.” We often allow the distance between us and God to increase because we sin. Thus we often hear the command of God to repent.

After going about all Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, Jesus preached his “Sermon on the Mount” which is described by many as the “Keys to the Kingdom.” As we all know, keys can open or close something. This week I locked my keys in the van and had to call for help, which was readily available, though I had to wait awhile. How often do we “lock ourselves out of the presence of God?

What must be done when we realize we have done that? We must call the “Master Locksmith.”

We often go everywhere else to find some way to unlock our life so God can enter back in, but Jesus has made it most clear that He Is The WAY. Others can help, at times, but Jesus is the ultimate solution.

Did you ever wonder why the Wise Virgins could not share their oil with the foolish? It is because the oil is spiritual and is something that each of us must find for ourselves. Remember what Jesus told the foolish when they did return? “YE KNOW ME NOT!”

To know Jesus as best we can, we must do what He has told us. Thus the Beatitudes are the keys to the Kingdom.. Matthew 5 and 6 would be a good course of study for everyone as well classes in our branches. What does it mean to be “poor in spirit, to come unto Jesus, to mourn for our sins, to really be meek, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to truly be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a true peacemaker, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world as Jesus has given us to be?”

Most of the problems found in our individual lives, in our families, branches and all our associations with others most likely stem from not using the keys to the kingdom to open the kingdom in our lives.

What is the biggest mountain, in the past month that has “Caved in on you?” What is the tiniest molehill this week that has caused you difficulty? There really is no difference between the mountain and the molehill. It is how we let it affect us and how we respond to those involved in the events of our lives.

To help us all in our daily living in the kingdom of God, remember, JESUS IS THE ANSWER FOR THE WORLD TODAY. WITHOUT HIM, THERE IS NO OTHER, JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY. We will never be one, until we are one with Jesus. That means each of us individually.

God bless

Paul Gage