About renewal not removal

Devotional Guide For the week of June 15, 2008

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE?

About renewal not removal


To read the Bible in one year today read, Isaiah 19-21


To Know:

³Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their
lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.²
(Matt. 25:1)

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be comparedŠ² Can the future be compared to
people and events in the here and now? Humanly contrived religions only
serve to hide the realm of God. Jesus, on the other hand, found
illustrations in the present life to shine light on the relationships we are
to have as citizens of the kingdom of God.

When Jesus said, ³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king
who wished to settle accounts with his servants,² we understand his meaning
because we too settle accounts. When we read, ³For the kingdom of heaven is
like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for
his vineyard,² we identify with the situation since we know what it is like
to be hired to do a job. When we read in our passage that, ³The kingdom of
heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom,² we see our need to be prepared for the unexpected. By
drawing comparisons between the kingdom of God and the lives we live in the
present day and age, Jesus makes the reign of God both understandable and
real.


To Do:

We must be careful not to divorce this life from the life to come. The world
to come is not utterly unlike the world in the here and now. Christ came to
remove sin, not our personal identity. Neither did the Lord come into the
world to disavow the original created forms made for beauty and blessing.
God¹s promise is renewal, not removal. If we enjoy the blessings of this
life, then we will revel in the life to come.


To Ask:

Father, help me to remember that you taught in parables in order to help our
unbelief.



06168$-06168


<\š{{{{><
[ Auf dieses Posting antworten ]