The King of Hearts is my most influential teacher. I love Him because He first loved me and has taught me so much. He wants to be the King of your heart. Let Jesus welcome you into His deck of cards (the body of Christ) and shuffle your priorities until they align with the kingdom of God. Always follow His lead and obey His call. Refuse to discard Jesus (even for a moment) from your thoughts, words, and actions.
The first-century Jews didn’t recognize who Jesus was because they wanted a political Messiah who would make Israel great again. They didn’t want the invisible, supernatural, heart-transforming kingdom (inner government) of God that Jesus came to give them. They wanted a leader and a visible government that would physically overthrow the Romans and drive those without Jewish documentation out of the land. The end result in 70 AD was disaster — the flattening of Jerusalem and its temple that Jesus had predicted in Matthew 24.
Freedom: If people aren’t governed from within by wisdom, kindness, and righteousness, turns into conflict and chaos. The kingdom of God isn’t built by forcefully taking away people’s freedom to do wrong. It’s built by cultivating an environment where God can change people’s heart and give them the desire and the power to be led by His Spirit instead of by their own opinions, desires, and feelings. It’s built by Christ-followers radiating such joy, peace, love, and hope that they cause other people to want to be governed from within by Jesus. When Christians radiate self-righteousness and pride, they cause other people to want nothing to do with their religion.
The kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world don’t mesh. One is led by the Spirit, the others by human opinions and desires. “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” (Galatians 5:17)
Expecting the kingdom of God to come through the actions of a human political leader is to confuse the human with the divine. Nations rise and fall, but the kingdom of God is forever. Put your trust in God’s eternal kingdom, not in temporary ones built by humans. A Christian’s first and most committed patriotism needs to be to the invisible kingdom (inner government) of God and to Christ’s Kingship and Lordship.
To “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” is to continually cultivate your mind, your will, your desires, and your emotions causing them to align more and more with the risen Jesus. It is to remove everything from your heart that hinders the fruit of Christ’s Spirit from flourishing within you and radiating through all you say and do.
When Jesus is truly your King people will see the kingdom of God in action when they look at how you live and what you say. Take the kingdom of God by force! (Matthew 11:12) Compel your every thought, word, and action to align with King Jesus. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Be a mustard seed person. Let King Jesus take full moment-by-moment control of your life so He can grow you from a tiny seed into a great tree. Mustard seed people realize that by laying down their own minuscule strength and by surrendering their all to the risen Jesus, the kingdom of God will grow within them into a mighty tree. Too many Christians are content to remain an itty-bitty mustard seed instead of growing into a powerful demonstration of the kingdom of God.
“The kingdom of God comes without observation.” (Luke 17:20) Until Christ is reigning as absolute King, Lord, and Master in your heart and in your daily life, you won’t be able to see His kingdom anyplace else.
“All we like sheep have gone astray.” “There is none righteous, no not one.” All of us human beings deserve Hell. Christ came to offer to rescue us from Hell. The question isn’t whether or not you desire Hell. The question is whether or not you want Christ to rescue you from Hell.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 