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BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY BLOG@ Rhythms of Grace: a Journey into RestSustenance for the journey into rest and peace
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THIS SERIES: SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE  As always, life is simpler when we obey the Manufacturer’s Instructions. Jesus said: Seek first (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (the necessities of life) will be given to you as well. [Matthew 6:33] The ‘Kingdom’ refers to God’s rule and reign—the realm of His authority. Now God always has been, and always will be, sovereign over all; but stewardship and authority in the earth was delegated to Adam or mankind [Genesis 1:28]. When Adam ‘fell’, that power passed into the hands of the Evil One [1 John 5:19]. The reason Jesus became incarnate was to overthrow the strongholds of darkness—as a Spirit-filled man—and reinstate humankind in their destined position as His representatives. Every time He healed the sick, delivered the demonised, comforted the grieving, or fed the hungry, it was an announcement that the rule of God had come upon them [Matthew 12:28; Luke 10:9]. And then when Jesus rose from the dead, victory over every power of the Evil One, and even death itself, was proclaimed. The final fulfilment of the Kingdom will be in the age to come. But for now, we, as redeemed sons and daughters of the King, have been given the commission to implement that victory, and bring His rule and reign into our sphere of influence. KINGDOM RULE IS THE RULE OF LOVE  A religious expert asked Jesus what must be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus summed up the overarching Law of His Kingdom: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ [Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37] He then went on to redefine ‘neighbour’ as not just a friend or fellow believer [Leviticus 19:18], but someone who may be an outcast, despised or even considered an enemy. What a yardstick to measure ourselves with! Paul expands on this Rule of Love: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. And he goes on, (brackets, mine): (Kingdom) love is patient, (Kingdom) love is kind. (Kingdom love) does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (Kingdom love) does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Kingdom love) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (Kingdom love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [1 Corinthians 13:1-7] If we are to be agents of the Kingdom of God, first of all we need to seek His rule in our own lives—we need to take on board what He says—it’s all or nothing! Jesus’ rule of love will affect our characters, values, attitudes and decisions—the way we live our lives, in fact. (Seeking His righteousness means seeking to have His right-living worked out in us. (See THE HOLY SPIRIT AND YOU) Then we need to see that rule and reign extend to our spheres of influence. Jesus said the Kingdom is within us [Luke 17:21]; therefore, everywhere we go we take the Kingdom, the rule and reign of God with us. We should be looking to leak the atmosphere of heaven—the love, grace and mercy of God into our homes, workplaces and local communities. And every time we see our prayers answered, the sick healed, relationships restored, the broken-hearted comforted, or atmospheres changed we see the Kingdom of God come. Jesus instructed us to seek His Kingdom first, and the other things of life will follow on—and find their right place. This, ultimately, is the foundation for a simple life… THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM:
NEXT WEEK: NEW SERIES GET IN TOUCH...
[Photo credits: Carlos N Cuatzo (crown); Nina Strehl (cap); Art Lasovsky (pen) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
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