Dear Explorer,
Re-read John 19:15
Yesterday we were talking about kings and kingdoms. I want us to continue that discussion today.
What does it look like to have your mind and heart set on God's Kingdom and not your own?
I believe that God calls each one of us to declare our loyalty to Him. Remember that Jesus says, “If you love me, you'll obey Me!” (John 14:15)
That doesn't sound like a Sunday-only relationship. When we invite Jesus into our God-shaped vacuum -- and let Him take control -- He doesn't compartmentalize our life into secular and sacred or into Sundays and the rest of the week. He wants all, every aspect of our lives, to be under His control and His Kingdom.
Our assignment as followers is to continue to grow and become more like Jesus in our behavior, our thoughts, our goals - giving Him complete control of everything. That process of growth is called Sanctification. The process of setting aside our lives for His use.
What I see many times is just the opposite. Someone comes to realize their need for Jesus and they invite him in and they are passionate about becoming more like Jesus -- but then after a few months, they go back to following SELF and return to old habits and old ways of thinking. Soon their lives look pretty much like before. How sad! That is NOT God's plan for you.
Romans 8:29 says that when you accept Jesus, God's plan for your life is for you "to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He (Jesus) would be the firstborn among many brethren." NASB God's plan for you is to become like Jesus in your attitude and motives and actions and thoughts, etc. Inviting Jesus into your life is only the beginning of the new life that God has planned for you. Romans 12:2 says that we are to continue this transformation by the renewing of our minds. That's God's plan! We are to move forward under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who is our teacher and trainer and tutor to teach us the next steps and the next and the next.
We can prove to be under God's Kingship by spending time getting to know what the Father desires in our lives.
Here are some important ways to learn what God desires.
1) spend time reading and studying and learning God's Word (the Bible).
2) spend time in prayer so that the Holy Spirit can teach us what we need to change and to give us direction for life.
3) spend time in worship
4) spend time in fellowship with other followers so that we can be encouraged and strengthened by hearing about their growth (and so we can encourage and strengthen them).
These are just a few steps that will help you to grow and become all that God has planned for you.
When we say that we are under God's Kingship and then take no time or effort to seek His direction -- we are deceiving ourselves just as the Chief Priest and Pilate were deceiving themselves,
In His service, dale
Next study