Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done: His Kingdom and Will Sampled
Matthew 4:23-25
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Thought for Today
We live in a time of great comfort in terms of how we live and the access we have to a wonderful medical network. We take advantage of these as we are afforded busy productive lives. We shop for life's conveniences with fully stocked shelves at a myriad of stores(don't check the baby formula isle). But let's take a mind trip back to the first century, Jesus' time. None of these things existed: No medications other than crude home made concoctions and meals from the herd and the garden.
Jesus arrives on the scene and begins His ministry. He has come to redeem the world, those who will know Him as their Messiah, Redeemer King. He also has great compassion on the terrible human condition before Him. He has the capability to care for people by healing their chronic and deadly conditions. What would your reaction be to this marvelous news, that someone has the ability to heal and expel demons?
Jesus also taught about His Father, God. He began to teach the disciples and growing crowds about God's Kingdom and Will. He even told about His coming as the 'fulfillment of The Law'. Can you imaging the growing excitement? Wouldn't you want to be close to this marvelous Man of God? I would!
Jesus came for another, more important mission. To honor Father God by redeeming the sin sick people of the world.
The point of reciting these things is to raise the following: What would it look like if God's kingdom broke through more fully in our church and community? A big piece of the answer is God's Will would be done among us with the same joy, passion and drive with which the very angels in heaven respond to God's commands. How can we as God's Immanuel community of believers join Him in pursing our next chapter?
Prayer
Dear Lord, We want to honor, glorify and serve You in the fulfillment of Your Kingdom, Your Will be done. Please help us become ideally united in understanding Your plan for our faith family and equip us to pursue it. Guide us as we individually and collectively want to share Your Gospel, Your Good News, with those who aren't in a relationship with You and to help each of us grow deeper in our relationship with You. Amen
Devotional Quote
“That is what worship is all about. It is the glad shout of praise that arises to God the creator and God the rescuer from the creation that recognizes its maker, the creation that acknowledges the triumph of Jesus the Lamb. That is the worship that is going on in heaven, in God's dimension, all the time. The question we ought to be asking is how best we might join in.”
― N.T. Wright
Quote of the Day
“No, I have not asked Jesus to join us. All I hope and long for now is that he will ask me to join him.”
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done: His Kingdom and Will Sampled
Matthew 4:23-25
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Thought for Today
We live in a time of great comfort in terms of how we live and the access we have to a wonderful medical network. We take advantage of these as we are afforded busy productive lives. We shop for life's conveniences with fully stocked shelves at a myriad of stores(don't check the baby formula isle). But let's take a mind trip back to the first century, Jesus' time. None of these things existed: No medications other than crude home made concoctions and meals from the herd and the garden.
Jesus arrives on the scene and begins His ministry. He has come to redeem the world, those who will know Him as their Messiah, Redeemer King. He also has great compassion on the terrible human condition before Him. He has the capability to care for people by healing their chronic and deadly conditions. What would your reaction be to this marvelous news, that someone has the ability to heal and expel demons?
Jesus also taught about His Father, God. He began to teach the disciples and growing crowds about God's Kingdom and Will. He even told about His coming as the 'fulfillment of The Law'. Can you imaging the growing excitement? Wouldn't you want to be close to this marvelous Man of God? I would!
Jesus came for another, more important mission. To honor Father God by redeeming the sin sick people of the world.
The point of reciting these things is to raise the following: What would it look like if God's kingdom broke through more fully in our church and community? A big piece of the answer is God's Will would be done among us with the same joy, passion and drive with which the very angels in heaven respond to God's commands. How can we as God's Immanuel community of believers join Him in pursing our next chapter?
Prayer
Dear Lord, We want to honor, glorify and serve You in the fulfillment of Your Kingdom, Your Will be done. Please help us become ideally united in understanding Your plan for our faith family and equip us to pursue it. Guide us as we individually and collectively want to share Your Gospel, Your Good News, with those who aren't in a relationship with You and to help each of us grow deeper in our relationship with You. Amen
Devotional Quote
“That is what worship is all about. It is the glad shout of praise that arises to God the creator and God the rescuer from the creation that recognizes its maker, the creation that acknowledges the triumph of Jesus the Lamb. That is the worship that is going on in heaven, in God's dimension, all the time. The question we ought to be asking is how best we might join in.”
― N.T. Wright
Quote of the Day
“No, I have not asked Jesus to join us. All I hope and long for now is that he will ask me to join him.”
― Elizabeth George Speare