The Kingdom of God (Part III)

The Kingdom of God is so important that when Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He chose to pray about it first in what is known as the Lord’s Prayer. 

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

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Jesus could have asked about many different things, but He chose to ask for the Kingdom of God first. Jesus began by honoring God’s name, and then he asked for the Kingdom of God to come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (verse 10).

Jesus’ first request reveals His priority. He desired to see the Kingdom of God to be manifested on earth. When you think about your most frequent prayers, what do you pray about first? I find that my prayers can quickly turn into a request for myself, a loved one, or someone in need. However, Jesus’ prayer was about His kingdom coming to the earth.

In the above prayer, Jesus connected the will of God to the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God will come to earth when the will of God is done. Jesus was the forerunner in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and doing His will. He chose to live His life perfectly and become obedient to the cross. He set an example for all believers on how to pull heaven to earth and live a life that represents a different Kingdom. His resolve was never dependent on His popularity. He chose to stand on truth and die for for truth. He continued to love those who hated Him and forgave them on the cross. We are citizens of this awesome Kingdom that He established!

Isn’t it amazing that our obedience doesn’t just benefit us!? Just as Jesus’ obedience to God opened the door for us to become citizens of this Kingdom, our obedience does the same thing for others. When we walk in obedience to God, it reveals the Kingdom of God and makes it become visible to those who are hopeless and helpless in life! We are the conduits who stand between heaven and earth and allow the Kingdom of God and the desire of God to be manifested on the earth.

Are you ready for the challenge? You could be the answer to someone’s prayer! Are you willing to pray as Jesus prayed and be part of the answer to bring the Kingdom of God and the will of God on the earth? Can we be the ones who change the atmosphere because we are operating under a different Kingdom!?

 

The Kingdom of God (Part II)

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Ephesians 2:19

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When I was Growing up in Iran under a dictatorship, the government of U.S. looked very powerful, free, and out of reach to most of us. As a 15 year old, when I walked in the U.S Embassy in Switzerland to apply for a student visa, I was in awe. In the natural,  the office didn’t look spectacular, but because it was representing the United States of America, it looked so majestic and powerful!

During that trip, I was granted a student visa to come to the U.S. I knew this was a great privilege because most Iranians would not have this kind of opportunity to come to such a great nation. I left everyone and everything I loved, in order to join this great kingdom. When I was finally granted U.S citizenship years later,  it was even a greater privilege. I was no longer a stranger or a foreigner in this nation but a fellow citizen with millions of other Americans.  

Becoming a citizen of the kingdom of God has even greater honor, and it has eternal privileges for those who are part of it. When we accept Jesus and His work on the cross, it gives us the opportunity to enter His Kingdom. The good news is that this citizenship is available to whosoever believes!

The amazing part of being granted U.S. citizenship was that I inherited every privilege that others had worked for, fought for, and died for! In the same way, Jesus did the all the work to buy us freedom and citizenship of the Kingdom of God. We get to inherit all these privileges without having to work for them. However, while these privileges are freely given to us, they came at a high cost to Him who fought for us. 

The Kingdom of heaven gives us true freedom that no earthly government is designed to give us. Do you value being a citizen of the Kingdom of God? Do you know the privileges you are given as citizens of this free government?

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

The Kingdom of God (Part I)

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When God created the heavens and the earth, the Kingdom of God was in ruling power until the Fall of Adam & Eve. When they sinned, they gave the legal permission for the devil to begin ruling on the earth and sin permeated every aspect of creation including humanity. The regime of bondage and darkness began to govern the earth. However, God had a plan through Jesus to take back His Kingdom!

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

Fighting for freedom is a battle both at the natural level and at the spiritual level. Naturally, those who control people with rules and regulations don’t want to lose territory. Those who run a dictatorship expect no interference with their opinion from those who disagree with them. 

Spiritually, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t want to lose control of people and their allegiance to the established rules and regulations. The kingdom of heaven came against direct opposition of the kingdom of darkness. There was great forcefulness from those who opposed the truth preached by Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus exerted his force and authority by remaining perfect and not backing down on his teachings and his principles.

The confrontation of power came down to Jesus dying on the cross and conquering the dictatorship of Satan. He was able to regain the territory lost to the devil due to the Fall. This was a spiritual transaction that took place in the heavenly realm.

When we accept Jesus and his work on the cross, it gives us the opportunity to enter His Kingdom and forsake the kingdom of darkness.  Jesus came to set people free from oppression and bring liberty to the captives. We don’t need to live in fear nor are we indebted to the kingdom of the devil any longer. The battle is won, and we are citizens of the heavenly Kingdom. What an extraordinary privilege to become citizens of this new kingdom!

The principles of the kingdom of God are opposite of the natural world. Jesus didn’t fight His battles like an ordinary ruler does. Nations and religions are guilty of fighting others by brute force and bloodshed, but Jesus came to show us a different way to live and fight. 

In the next devotional, I will share about significance of the Kingdom of God!

 

Freedom (Part III)

Our freedom was purchased through the love of Christ by giving up His life for our sake. It cost Him everything in order to set us free from the bondage and grip of sin and put us on the path of a loving relationship with God. He set us free for a great purpose!

What is the purpose of this freedom that Christ purchased for us?

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Light of the world: Jesus called us to be the light of the world. In our past un-regenerated state, we walked in darkness. Now that Jesus has set us free, we are born into the Kingdom of light, and we get to be light! God can use us as a flicker of light for those who are looking for a ray of hope in their dark world. When people around us act foolishly or selfishly, we can be the one with a pure heart reaching out to others. We can participate in the work of Kingdom by brightening someone’s world. Praise God!

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44

Loving our enemies: Jesus set us free to love the unlovable. This is not something that our carnal nature is capable of doing. It only comes by the grace of God. Love is the greatest transformer!

If you have ever felt unloved or rejected, you know how lonely it feels. It’s a great blessing when God chooses to send someone along our side to love us in-spite of how we feel about ourselves! In turn, He chooses to use us to touch that one person in the same way that He chose to use others in our lives.

Who are you called to love? Who is waiting for your love to give them hope for change? We can intersect people’s lives and help them come out of the rejection cycle! This can motivate and inspire them to trust God and try again!

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, Isaiah 61:1

Setting captives free: Jesus set us free to set other captives free. Sometimes people who are in bondage are not even aware that they are imprisoned by their own passions, addictions, and opinions. Bondage seems familiar and normal to them. When we come alongside of these individuals, they can see us free in areas that they are held captive. This opens the opportunity for them to ask questions about how the issues of life don’t affect us as it impacts them.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

Developing Healthy relationships: We now can develop healthy relationships. The more secure we become in our relationship with the Lord, the less need to control or be controlled by others. We are able to accept others and their limitations and not allow them to become the focus of our happiness and peace.

While God uses people in our lives to bless us from time to time, people are not the answer to our happiness and success. When our desire is to honor and love others and not seek to be right, there will be less room for friction and strife. This impacts our marriages, raising our children, our friendships, and all our others relationships.

Is there anything/anyone hindering your freedom? Are you exercising the privilege of your freedom for God’s purposes? 

 

Freedom (Part II)

Freedom must be coupled with moral responsibility in order to produce good fruit and maintain the liberty of the individual as well as the society. It is our moral obligation to paint a complete picture of freedom, so the next generation is not confused about the privilege of freedom.

In addition to our governmental freedoms, we need freedom for our souls in order to become all that God created for us to be. Jesus came to bring true freedom in our lives. He came with the dual assignment of setting us free from our past and at the same time setting us free to step into God’s purpose for our lives. 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Jesus came to set us free from the following areas:

Sin: we are no longer slaves to sin as we were formerly. We have a new nature and a new ability to overcome sin that we didn’t have before. Due to the fall of Adam and Eve, we were born into sin, and we also sinned.  We violated God’s laws as a form of lifestyle. We didn’t know we can be freed from the compulsion of our feelings and our will. We thought we are just born angry or fearful, and that is just part of our personality until we met Jesus.

Shame/guilt: Our lives were on the roller coaster of shame and guilt. When we were young, we thought adults get to do whatever they want and have all the fun! However, as adults we found out that when we gave in to our compulsions, we felt guilty and ashamed. We didn’t feel free as we had hoped. In addition, the fruit of our bad decisions brought about headache and heartache, which didn’t make us feel good. Jesus came to set us free from guilt and shame of the past in order to walk free from its shackles.

Freedom from self: We are free now from serving self. We used to be dominated by every whim of the flesh moving us in the direction of self gratification, self service, and our passions. Some of us may have tendencies towards addictions, others may just feel unmotivated or lazy. Whatever the case maybe, we don’t have to serve self any longer. Self is not our master anymore!

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. Colossians 2:16

Free from others’ expectations: This is a big one and  some of us are still working on this issue. We are free from the expectations of family, culture, and religion. The people around us knowingly and unknowingly pressured us to conform to their expectations. Some families have a great deal of pressure on education or schooling. Others want to dictate the kind of person one should marry. Others expect a certain lifestyle from their adult children. Whether we follow the expectation of others or rebel against it, we can still be bound by it. When we become a Christian, Jesus sets us free to follow Him and please Him alone!

The above scripture tells us that now we have a responsibility to not allow ourselves to fall back into the bondage of the past. We have to fight for our freedom in order not to get entangled by it again!

Are you free in all these areas? Praise God if you are. If you are not completely free, ask the Lord to show you what is stopping your progress. 

Christ set us free in order to launch us into purpose. In the next devotional I’ll share about the purpose of freedom.

Freedom (Part I)

What is true freedom? Why is having freedom so significant?

Freedom (according to webster’s dictionary): the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another

Freedom (according to Strong’s Concordance -G1657): Liberty to do or to omit things having no relation to Salvation -free from Mosaic Law

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Having a choice in matters of life is an important factor, and it is one that we should not take for granted. We have fought many battles in this nation and across the world to ensure that the freedom of all people are preserved. Today we are remembering the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his passion for civil liberties of all people regardless of the color of their skin or their place in life. Our nation has been a beacon of freedom for many who have fled their nations because of political or religious persecution.

Having a choice in life coupled with strong moral convictions is a powerful force that cannot be reckoned with. However, if we have choices without foundational truths, it can trap us into great bondage and lead us into destruction!

True freedom is not about living life with no restraint. Freedom has a God given purpose! The 1960’s-1970’s were the era of free love. People became counter-culture and sought free sexuality without consequence. Women demanded their rights along with their birth control pills. The nation legalized abortion in the name of choice because we claimed that without choice there is no freedom! As a matter of fact, January 22nd marks the 53rd anniversary of legalization of abortion. Did we set people free by legalizing abortion? Do our choices always equate with having freedom?

For example, let’s take a look at choices we give our children. If you give your teen-ager the freedom to drive your car whenever they wish, you are giving them a great choice and opportunity. If they understand the magnitude of the privilege, they will utilize the car well and use it when they need to get to school, work, or some other function. However, if they choose to be foolish with their choice, they can drive the car carelessly, load up the car with a few friends and act crazy trying to show off to their friends that they get to drive your car. When a policeman stops them and gives them a ticket for speeding or reckless driving, they are not free anymore!

Just because we are free to choose, it doesn’t mean that our choices continue to bear freedom in our lives. We will do our countrymen a dis-service if we don’t tell them the truth that every choice they make, is a moral decision, which will either lead them into greater freedom or will trap them into bondage.

The scripture tells us:

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

What did Jesus set us free from? This is the subject of the next devotional. 

Confidence (Part II)

I shared about self-confidence in the last devotional. The focus of today’s devotional is Godly confidence.

Godly confidence is sacrificial and has humility associated with it. David and Paul are two examples of individuals with Godly confidence. 

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 1Samuel 17:34-37

David approached the king with humility to ask him for the permission to fight Goliath. He wasn’t there trying to take anyone’s position. He wasn’t looking to bring attention to Himself. He didn’t criticize the armies of God for being too weak to fight Goliath. He was just passionate to defend God’s work, and He was confident that this giant wasn’t going to defeat the armies of God. David knew His God would not put up with being defeated with an uncircumcised philistine. He was confident in His God, and His focus was on the Lord not on himself.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7

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The Lord is the main focus of a Godly confident person. We don’t assume just because we care about something, it should be important to God. When we have Godly confidence, we care about the Father’s business just as Jesus was. 

Godly confidence stems from knowing God’s character well. We have deep trust and confidence that God is with us, and He will give us what we need for the challenge or the assignment.

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— Philippians 3:3

Paul was a man who used to be self-confident, and he saw the bitter fruit of it. Prior to meeting Jesus, he was a capable and zealous person, but his zeal was misdirected. When finally Paul came to his senses by meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, he realized how wrong he was and how deeply he had hurt the people of God!

Paul’s conversion became a demarcation point in his life. He no longer was confident in the flesh. His natural confidence crumbled under the truth of the gospel and God’s unconditional love. Paul became a different man and was transformed into a humble, gentle, and sacrificial man. Instead of trying to take the lives of others, he was willing to give it all up in order to see people saved.

Do you have Godly confidence? Are you about the Father’s business? Ask the Lord to show you where your confidence stems from.

 

Confidence (Part I)

Our culture continually reminds us that confident people are successful people, and it stresses that confidence opens the  door to great opportunities in life. Confident people are attractive, and we are drawn to those who are confident and self-assured. We teach our children to be confident and poised, and it is one of the qualities we focus on in developing in ourselves and those entrusted to us. 

What does it mean to be a confident person?

Definition of Confidence (According to Webster’s dictionary): Having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

Definition of Confidence (According to Strong’s Concordance -Greek G2292): to be of good courage, to be hopeful

There is a worldly confidence or what our culture calls “self-confidence”, and there is a Godly confidence. 

What is worldly confidence?

Worldly confidence has an outward appearance of having it all together. We tend to be very focused on outward appearance. Many people believe “first impression” is everything. We put a lot of stock on how a person presents himself or herself and teach people to “dress for success”. However, we all know individuals who look great and sound great, but after spending sometime with them, we find that they don’t deliver as we expected them to. Their level of competence does not match their level of confidence. There is no substance to their confidence. 

The world system tries to train us in self-confidence. While self-confidence has some positive results, according to the Bible, it can be very dangerous!

A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident. Proverbs 14:16

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The Lord looks down upon self-confidence, and He considers it foolishness. Self-confident people can be presumptuous and have an irrational expectation that things will turn out to their favor without taking responsibility for their part. Self-confident individuals have a tendency not to look for feedback and impulsively jump into something without giving it much thought.

Generally a self-confident person has a high view of their level of competency and ability to achieve something. For example, some people are habitually late because they think they can accomplish more than it’s possible in a given amount of time. 

Everyone can suffer from presumption or impulsivity from time to time. The issue that makes the self-confident person stuck in these situations is that they don’t learn from their mistakes. They believe the last mistake was either an anomaly or someone else’s fault. That’s where the Bible calls a self-confident person a foolish person. The foolish part of the self-confidence is that they don’t learn from past missteps. They continue to go on doing things their way without being willing to change or receive input from those closest to them. 

It’s important for all of us to have people whose feedback is important in our lives. It’s also important to consider how we are raising the younger generation. If self-confidence goes unchecked, it turns into arrogance!

As believers, God has given us a different kind of confidence, and that’s the subject of the next devotional. 

 

Finite People…Infinite God (Part II)

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The Lord uses time as He sees fit. Sometimes things take a lot longer than imagined as it was in the case of Abraham (See the last devotional). There are other times that we see the hand of God move swiftly and accomplish something that could have taken much longer. For example, the day of Pentecost was a swift and powerful day; God allowed people from all over the neighboring nations to be present in Jerusalem and to get transformed by Peter’s first gospel message!

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:38-41

The Lord strategically had chosen the day of Pentecost for the baptism of the Holy Spirit to occur; this was the day that the Jewish people would come from all over the neighboring nations for the celebration of the Festival of Weeks.

When the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles, they began to speak in different tongues. The people coming from various nations heard their own native language, and they were astonished. Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit gave a powerful message, and the people were moved by the gospel message.  The Bible tells us that three thousand people were added to them on that day! That’s amazing! 

When Jesus was on the earth ministering for about three years, He only had about a couple of hundred of people who were his true followers. The account in the book of Acts 1 following Jesus’ ascension tells us:

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty). Acts 1:15

God chose to move quickly and swiftly on the day of Pentecost and allowed many to become transformed in a powerful short period of time.

Time is in the Lord’s hands, and He chooses the speed of events happening in our lives. The more we try to control time, the more frustrated we can become. Our part is stewarding the time and the opportunities He has given us to the best of our abilities. Enjoy what we have been blessed with today and try not to focus so much on man-made timelines and goals!

Lord, free us from the bondage of time and help us to trust you with our lives and our years!

 

Finite People … Infinite God (Part I)

While time is immaterial to God, He still chooses to work with His people within the concept of time. There are seasons when God’s work seems very slow to the point where individuals get tempted to doubt or to help God. That’s the subject of this devotional. At other times, He moves so fast; it’s as if a spiritual earthquake hits an area and things shift quickly for people.That’s the subject of the next devotional.

When the Lord first spoke to Abraham about having a child, It was logical for Abraham to think that it would happen soon since they were already old. However, God did not mention a timeframe.  

Abraham & Sarah waited for the promised child a long time (about 12-13 years), and then out of impatience took the matters in their own hands. With Sarah’s suggestion, Abraham agreed to sleep with one of his concubines, which brought forth Ishmael. That was not God’s idea nor was it His timing; it just appeared a practical and cultural thing to do considering the circumstances.

Finally, God spoke to Abraham one last time about Sarah having a baby by declaring:

Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Genesis 18:14

This time God was more specific about the imminence of Sarah having a child. This was 24 years from the first promise God made to Abraham. In our perspective, that would feel like a lifetime. What would you do if you were Abraham or Sarah given the circumstances?

The long waiting years causes some of us to begin to doubt God’s promises. Others move into action and begin to formulate plan B for their lives. A few get so discouraged that they walk away from God.

From 21st century vantage point, looking at the timeline of Biblical history, 24 years of waiting doesn’t seem to have made any difference in the purpose of God.  Ultimately, Isaac was born and the nation of Israel was formed. However, for Abraham and Sarah 24 years of waiting must have felt like eternity!

We all have had times and seasons in life, which felt as if they lasted forever. However, when we look back now, that time period was a lot shorter than it seemed at the moment. It’s important to keep the right perspective on time, otherwise we can easily get impatient or discouraged. We can all be tempted to produce our own version of Ishmael, which we will have to live with for the rest of our lives. Let’s surrender our desires to God, so that the enemy cannot use them to tempt us into taking matters into our own hands. 

Lord help us to enjoy our years and steward them well. We will continue to stand in faith and believe for what you have promised us. We choose not to get impatient and not to invent plan B in the meantime. Time is in your hands, and we surrender our desire to control it. We ask for your grace and mercy to walk in freedom from bondage of time everyday. Amen!