Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." What did Jesus mean by "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand?" We are not the people God created us to be. We have allowed sin to separate us from God. If we repent, we begin removing everything in our lives that is not in harmony with God and His love. Of course, this can only happen once we believe Jesus came to save us. Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
God began the creation process with the end in mind, Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." He can only live with us in an environment of love because He is love. 1 John 4:16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." This is what abiding means, 1 John 2:6, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."
God created everything to work together for good, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." When things are not working the way God created them to work, they begin to decay. We were meant to return God's love, first to Him and then to everyone He has created. Matthew 22:37-39, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." We cannot love God or our neighbors when we refuse to abide in Him.
Ultimately, abiding means everything we think, say, do, and imagine will be in harmony with God and His love. In this life, we can only move toward this perfection by believing Jesus is the Son of God. God calls this sanctification, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:" It starts with our hearing the truth and believing in it, which leads to our salvation and begins the process of sanctification. And Jesus will finish the process when He returns to take us home, 1 Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Our corrupt minds, bodies, and souls will be healed.
The truth is, when we abide in God's love, we are happier, more fulfilled, more joyful, more creative, more honest, more loving. Because we were created to live in a world of love. Our bodies and souls decay when we lie, cheat, steal, rape, hate, fight, and go to war. That is why Satan pits us against each other.
When we accept Jesus as our savior, we join God's Family, which means we live His example the best we can and tell the good news to everyone who will listen.
God has placed us in unique places throughout this world. This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those you believe would be blessed by hearing it. Bless you! If you want to receive the weekly blog, email us atbill@reasoningwithgod.com. If you want to read past blogs, go to https://www.reasoningwithgod.com/blog.
Comments