Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
And as you go, preach, saying "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." - Mt 10:7
What an incredible task we've been given, friends, to proclaim that the Kingdom is HERE. Among us.
What trust He gives us to ask us to proclaim it, to speak life, as we are called to do, to the dry bones we see laying dormant and dead around us. When circumstances seem bleak, when poverty and sickness and addiction and violence and all the ugliness of the world seems overwhelming, even then are we called to preach with power that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
First of all, how would people see it? How would they know it is real? God's Word says in Matthew 7:16 that they will know it is here and will recognize it in us by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Our first question, then, is are we presenting to these people the picture of the perfection of heaven? Chances are we are not doing as well at that as we could be. Our sinful natures get in the way and demolish what God is building. He builds three bricks, we take down two with our own hands. And on and on it goes.
Sisters, how much more, then, should we fight against our fleshly tendencies? We are a picture of heaven to those people who come seeking His Kingdom. Are we faithful to use those gifts He has given us to present an accurate picture? Have we stirred into flame the gift of God that we have? You may think to yourselves as I do sometimes: "I would be able to do that if THIS person were less challenging, if I wasn't so tired, if I wasn't so busy." When I start to think like that, God always brings me back to show me that it is not by my own strength that I will build His kingdom, but with the graces He provides. He has given me a clear path to receive those graces. Why, then, is it so easy to forget to come to Him for strength and not myself? I find that if we are willing, God will use us in our most tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed moments not only to announce His kingdom but to bring US to life as well. In our frustration and daily life, we often forget that we TOO need to be told and reminded and announced that the kingdom is HERE, at Hand.
This fall, one of my favorite Willow House items is the Triple Tiered French Wire Stand. It reminds me daily that we can create a beautiful, perfect presentation of one central message-- in this case, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand-- when we make good use of three very distinct levels of "influence" in our lives.
The bottom tier is like our personal walk with God-- it is the stabilizing element for the whole stand and without it the whole thing would seem off balance. Our personal walk with God is the largest sphere we are able to care for. It starts out empty and waiting to be filled, and little by little we place items inside which we we can use to fill to capacity til it overflows to fill up the top two tiers. We place the heaviest items on the bottom, the things which give us stability and strength, but also the things which grow us. In my personal walk, these things are faith, hope, joy, love, perseverence, etc. But I also put in there those challenges I have prayed for an overcome by the grace of God, maybe even those which I still wait to see deliverance from! Perhaps it's the same in YOUR stand.
The second tier is your family. My clan is the world to me and I exist solely for them. In the second tier we build more strength and stability but if we are using it to present as a centerpiece we also place more decorative items which beautify the stand as a whole. In our families we not only keep hope, patience, joy, etc but also laughter, singing, play and fun. There is still heaviness there, but we surround it with beauty to build a centerpiece that evokes warmth and life. The second tier is usually the "focal point" of the piece and our families are certainly the focal point of our lives.
The third tier we put the "finishing touches. The eye will notice this top tier and be drawn to it, but not get stuck on it because the "building blocks" of self and family are what create the bulk of the centerpiece. The third tier, then, represents the community. The community is pleasing to the eye and everything in the bottom two tiers contributes to its beauty. Without a holy life and a godly family, however, the third tier would look empty and out of proportion, and no amount of "decoration" and filling would make the whole picture look right.
Like our Tiered French Wire Stand, even bare the system can be sturdy and stand alone. We can take our pieces apart and use them individually. We can even turn them upside down and STILL find a great use for them! But the amazing look of a perfect centerpiece is best achieved by using all three together, just as the amazing picture of the Kingdom is best revealed by using all three elements: self, family and community together.
This fall, make it a purposeful intention to declare all around you: "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
What trust He gives us to ask us to proclaim it, to speak life, as we are called to do, to the dry bones we see laying dormant and dead around us. When circumstances seem bleak, when poverty and sickness and addiction and violence and all the ugliness of the world seems overwhelming, even then are we called to preach with power that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
First of all, how would people see it? How would they know it is real? God's Word says in Matthew 7:16 that they will know it is here and will recognize it in us by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Our first question, then, is are we presenting to these people the picture of the perfection of heaven? Chances are we are not doing as well at that as we could be. Our sinful natures get in the way and demolish what God is building. He builds three bricks, we take down two with our own hands. And on and on it goes.
Sisters, how much more, then, should we fight against our fleshly tendencies? We are a picture of heaven to those people who come seeking His Kingdom. Are we faithful to use those gifts He has given us to present an accurate picture? Have we stirred into flame the gift of God that we have? You may think to yourselves as I do sometimes: "I would be able to do that if THIS person were less challenging, if I wasn't so tired, if I wasn't so busy." When I start to think like that, God always brings me back to show me that it is not by my own strength that I will build His kingdom, but with the graces He provides. He has given me a clear path to receive those graces. Why, then, is it so easy to forget to come to Him for strength and not myself? I find that if we are willing, God will use us in our most tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed moments not only to announce His kingdom but to bring US to life as well. In our frustration and daily life, we often forget that we TOO need to be told and reminded and announced that the kingdom is HERE, at Hand.
This fall, one of my favorite Willow House items is the Triple Tiered French Wire Stand. It reminds me daily that we can create a beautiful, perfect presentation of one central message-- in this case, that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand-- when we make good use of three very distinct levels of "influence" in our lives.
The bottom tier is like our personal walk with God-- it is the stabilizing element for the whole stand and without it the whole thing would seem off balance. Our personal walk with God is the largest sphere we are able to care for. It starts out empty and waiting to be filled, and little by little we place items inside which we we can use to fill to capacity til it overflows to fill up the top two tiers. We place the heaviest items on the bottom, the things which give us stability and strength, but also the things which grow us. In my personal walk, these things are faith, hope, joy, love, perseverence, etc. But I also put in there those challenges I have prayed for an overcome by the grace of God, maybe even those which I still wait to see deliverance from! Perhaps it's the same in YOUR stand.
The second tier is your family. My clan is the world to me and I exist solely for them. In the second tier we build more strength and stability but if we are using it to present as a centerpiece we also place more decorative items which beautify the stand as a whole. In our families we not only keep hope, patience, joy, etc but also laughter, singing, play and fun. There is still heaviness there, but we surround it with beauty to build a centerpiece that evokes warmth and life. The second tier is usually the "focal point" of the piece and our families are certainly the focal point of our lives.
The third tier we put the "finishing touches. The eye will notice this top tier and be drawn to it, but not get stuck on it because the "building blocks" of self and family are what create the bulk of the centerpiece. The third tier, then, represents the community. The community is pleasing to the eye and everything in the bottom two tiers contributes to its beauty. Without a holy life and a godly family, however, the third tier would look empty and out of proportion, and no amount of "decoration" and filling would make the whole picture look right.
Like our Tiered French Wire Stand, even bare the system can be sturdy and stand alone. We can take our pieces apart and use them individually. We can even turn them upside down and STILL find a great use for them! But the amazing look of a perfect centerpiece is best achieved by using all three together, just as the amazing picture of the Kingdom is best revealed by using all three elements: self, family and community together.
This fall, make it a purposeful intention to declare all around you: "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
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