Friday,
January 13, 2023
In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about
everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was
taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions
through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he
suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved
to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of
God. Acts 1:1-3
In a world full of superstition
and baser people who were strong enough, and always willing to take advantage
of the naïve, Jesus took care to assure the disciples that he was actually
alive. They were not very
accustomed to formerly-dead persons walking, talking, and “being” with
them. In this context, with their fears
and amazement sidelined, Jesus then talked to them about the coming Kingdom of
God. Their understanding of the Kingdom
had been clouded by the typical, traditional thought pattern, which pointed to
an earthly, political kingdom. Frankly, Roman
oppression had fueled a desire to see the blood of Ceasar’s soldiers gushing
throught the streets of Jerusalem. But
Jesus pointed to a higher Kingdom, a Temple not made with hands, but
overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, descending from the heavens, an eternal gift from
the Father of Lights, where God, Himself would dwell with His people, and wipe
away every tear.[1]
Sometimes it takes a moment for new
thoughts to emerge from the shadows of dusty, dark places, where your mind has
been wasting-away. For the slower among
us (like me) it may take weeks, months, or decades for light to dawn.
After serving in the military, I entered the business world at the ripe old age of 21. In sales, and subsequently management, the visions of sugarplum-success danced in my head. I totally bought-into the idea of hard work and nose-to-the-grindstone attention to building a little kingdom…for Russell and family. About twelve years into this plan, it was going well for the net-worth bottom line, but relationships were suffering, along with internal growing awareness that I was chasing a rainbow that might destroy everything in me that God intended for my good, both now, and for eternity. Then, like the apostle Paul, I met Jesus.
I was chasing the wrong “brass
ring” of wealth, while God was trying to show me the beauty of His presence,
and the gifts he was just eagerly waiting to bestow on my inner being. He wanted to bless me with the knowledge of
what its like to be REALLY ALIVE!
For You Today
There are about 2,000 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper on
today’s topic, explore some of these:
The Kingdom of God
and The Interview
Images: Title Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal
property of the author, or in public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted
from The New Living Translation©
[1] Read Revelation 21 – read slowly and savor each image of God’s loving presence Also See James 1:17
