Keys To The Kingdom

“Keys to the Kingdom of God” is a phrase Jesus used to describe something that He would give to someone. Specifically, He said this phrase to the disciple, Simon, right after He changed his name.

Does that make you wonder what Jesus meant? What are kingdom keys? What if you were given the keys to unlock and lock up an entire kingdom? Maybe that isn’t quite what Jesus meant – control of the door…

I’m thinking that if you have a set of keys, it simply means you have access to the other side of the lock. Having keys to the kingdom might just mean you can get in.

Maybe having keys to a kingdom means being able to get in any time we want just to see what’s going on.

It could mean we have access to the King as well. If the King gave us the keys, does that mean we can go in and stay as long as we want?

If we go in to see the King, do we bring gifts? Or does He give us the keys because we too are royalty?

Kingdom Living

The bible talks about the Kingdom of God often with the three words

• righteousness
• peace
• joy

Are these three of the keys to the kingdom?

Romans 14:17

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 17:20

“For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

If the kingdom is inside me, why do I need keys?  Why would anyone need them?  Is the kingdom of God inside everyone?

1 Corinthians 6:9+ (ESV)

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. “

Note – that’s pretty much all of us, right?  But read on…

“And such were some of you.  But you were washed,  you were sanctified,  you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

The keys to the Kingdom are given to sinners saved by grace, washed by the blood of Christ, sanctified and justified in His name and by His Spirit, the Spirit of God.

We can’t unlock the door of our heart to enter into the kingdom of God without righteousness, the righteousness that comes to us washing and by regeneration.

Newness of Life

Regeneration means a completely new creation, a change like a catapiller experiences in becoming a butterfly.

In the bible, regeneration means the change an individual experiences when he becomes a citizen of the kingdom of God.

It is a spiritual thing, a spiritual birth, being born again but not physically.   but of being born again only this time, spiritually.   It is by the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Righteousness, Peace and Joy

Take the keys of the Kingdom, unlock your heart, invite the living Christ inside to reign in you over your body, mind and spirit.  Become the righteousness of Christ, filled with peace, overflowing with joy.

“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb.10:22; also see Eph. 5:26)

How To Find Purpose In Your Life

If you’re like most people, you have wondered about your purpose in life. Christians often wonder what God’s will is for their life. Think of it like this and see if it helps you gain some supernatural ease about life’s questions.

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is hanging out somewhere near you. He’s been trying to get you interested in joining him for a night out but you put Him off because sometimes He hangs out where you have no desire to go.

Try this next time He invites you to spend time with Him. He might tell you where He wants you to go with Him but most likely He wants to surprise you so He doesn’t say. He says, “Oh, you’ll see. Just follow me.”

So this time you say “OK, why not.”

You don’t know when or where you’re going yet but you say, “Just let me know when, and I rearrange so that I can go.” He says, “Great! I will.”

Fairly soon you hear from Him, either while you’re reading the bible, or in prayer driving to work, or maybe something happens. An out of the ordinary circumstance. If you never read your bible or pray, this seems most likely. The circumstance can be really wonderful or it might seem really bad. Either way, you are aware of Jesus being near letting you know He’s there in your circumstances.

So you say, “OK, if you really want me to hang around with you now, I will but you’ve got to understand, I have these circumstances going on.” He says, “I know. Just trust me on this. You’ll be glad you did. Come with me. It’ll be great.”

You say again, “But where are we going.” He probably will say, “You’ll find out. Just stick with me.”

So you say “OK” knowing that you’re a little leary but you’re going with Him. You said you would.

God’s Will Soon to Be Revealed… This Happens to Me All the Time
I’d like to tell you where I think we’re going but I don’t really know yet. He’s starting to give me hints. Until I write again, please enjoy the beauty all around you. And if you like, talk to Him in the beauty you enjoy because He’s always there, always.

because of Mother and Daddy, I love birds and their songs of joy

This morning I am awake and dressed long before the birds sing.  I just took my husband to the airport.  He’s leaving for a mission trip with others from our church.  I’m back home now counting my blessings of a wonderful husband, wonderful parents, a wonderful brother and a wonderful dog

Sparkle and I are waiting for the dawn.  It won’t be long before the sun quietly begins to wake the birds.  We’ll go outside by the pool in a minute to watch and listen. 

Because of Mother and Daddy, I love birds.  They know all about birds.  Daddy knows how to care for them and attract the best of the best.  A martin family comes back every year because of his loving care.  I love that.  And humming birds – Mother loves humming birds and Daddy loves to feed them for her.  

Bird watching is going to be one of the new things I learn to do…

For example, you can’t watch a humming bird without feeling joy… oh, and here comes the sun, watch for it!

painting in the sky

Every morning God gives us a new painting in the sky

I Was Awakened To See The Dawn This Morning

I was awakened to see the dawn this morning.  Sparkle and I went outside by the pool and watched as the sun that we couldn’t see turned the sky a very beautiful pink and blue.  Sparkle is our little girl… See her?  She’s sunbathing by the pool.

 She would rather sunbath than walk or swim.  So would I.  So getting up early to see the dawn is easy for us because we rest in it.  Sometimes running in a race means looking forward to the finish line, a time when we can rest. 

Does life seem like one long race to you?  Many people believe that we just have to persevere and endure life.  They call life the rat race. 

But there are some of us who refuse to participate in the that race. 

We can chose what race to enter.  There are many races in life that are marked out for us and along the way they have rest stops. 

The rat race is real but it’s just one race and it isn’t one of the races marked out for us.    

I remember the rat race.  And I remember leaving it.  I left it to run in a different race, the one marked out for me at the time.

In the rat race, I had very little rest, very little reflection, very little energy, very little life. 

Don’t get me wrong, when I left the rat race I didn’t retire.  I absolutely loved my very busy, high pressure career.  Why?  Because I was in a different race, the one marked out for me.     

See, I don’t agree with Calvin Coolidge.  Character can take the place of perseverence.  Coolidge says “nothing in the world can take the place of perseverence.”  Not true. 

Romans 5:2-5

• And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

When character takes the place of perseverence, we are not taken out of the race.  I’m talking about the race marked out for us, not the rat race.  (Character can take us out of the rat race.) 

But the race marked out for us at any given time requires perseverence only until it is replaced with character. 

More on this later after I try to find out what Coolidge meant.  Maybe he was taken out of context.  Until then, I’ll think on these things…

Hebrews 12:1

• Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

 

TGIF But Now I Love Mondays Too :)

I’m sitting here on Monday morning in my kitchen with a cup of coffee listening to the birds sing.  It is a gorgeous day but even if it was raining I would love it.  TGIM! 

Most people hate Mondays unless they are like me, working out of their home.  I work hard but I decide when and where and what priorities to literally enjoy working on today and every day!

Actually, the Lord directs my path for I am not my own.  That’s the only reason I enjoy what I work on every day.  He’s the reason I have a song in my heart like the little birds this morning. 

I missed the dawn earlier today.  I over - slept.  But guess what, that’s fine with my boss – me!  God directs my paths but He expects me to use not just the Holy Spirit to help me but also my brain. 

I am to be like the dawn, quietly shedding His light in all that I do.  That’s my purpose and my “why” right now as I plan my work.  The little birds singing this morning were like the dawn for me that I missed.  Joy from the God of the universe can come from His magnificent creation of things on earth. 

Think how magnificent the birds of the earth are and begin your day with me, trusting the Creator to direct you.  My simple prayer this morning is to thank my Lord Jesus for making me magnificent such that I live and breathe and think and can bring joy to others because of how He made me. 

We are created in HIS image.  As magnificent as the birds of the earth are, they are not created as wonderfully beautiful as we are, for we are like Him.  God is love and so are we.  Nothing is more beautiful than that.

Remember that today and every day, trust Him and He will bear you up on eagle’s wings on the breath of dawn…