LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD FEBRUARY 20, 2025
Dear Saints,
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and
from the Lord, Jesus Christ,
We trust God is blessing you, in spite of hardships and
trials, as you continue your work, each day, in His Kingdom. As we go forth
each day, we have many choices to make. The outcome of each day of our lives is
a result of the choices we made. Every second of each hour offers the
opportunity to choose God from some point between 0 and 100. Our choices come
in many different ways, some in great proportions and some in minute measures,
yet still, the choice is before us. How we respond to any situation is a measure
of choosing God’s way.
In Joshua 24, Joshua was at the end of his leadership of
the seemingly, always rebellious Israelites. He reminds them of all of God’s
blessings of leading them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Joshua says
in verse 15 “...Chose you this day, whom ye will serve...but as for me and my
house,
________________________________________. In Genesis 6:35
God told Enoch to say unto this people, “Choose ye this day to serve the Lord
God who made you.”
Mostly, the circumstances, decisions, outcomes, results
of each moment can be traced to our own use of our agency. Many times we try to
blame someone or something else, even God, when things don’t go our way, but in
the final analysis, we have to be truthful to the person we see in the mirror.
So, how can we be prepared to always make the tight
choices or decisions? Know God’s promises and fulfill our part of the promises.
James 1:5 says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given him.” Also consider Daniel’s response in Daniel 1:8 “But
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…”
Also, the answer which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
gave the king is classic,”Daniel 3:16-18-
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to
the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this
matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
King. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not
serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Like
Daniel, their choice was made before they faced the trial.
There is a story of a young child who went to their
father, who was very busy. The father said, “What do you want, my child?”
The child answered by saying “I don’t want anything, Daddy, I just want to tell
you I love you.” Our first reaction might be one of guilt, for our thoughts go
to God, Our Heavenly Father. We might feel shame at the number of times we go
to God just to tell Him we love Him. We should always include in our prayers a
time to praise and thank God and tell Him we love Him. After all, we are commanded to Love him with
all our heart, might, mind, and strength.
However, as important as words are, they are not enough.
Our expressions of gratitude must be carried out in the lives we live,
especially as we live in the kingdom of God. Our purpose for living in the
Kingdom of God is so that we might be that light and salt to bring others to
God.
God bless
Paul Gage
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