Grow Up! part 4
A shift took place. 2000 some odd years ago. On an old rugged cross. In a place called Golgotha--which means skull. Because, really, while it was a heart shift... that manifests in a head shift. Repentance is being able to think again about something because of something else. Seeing a change and being able to change with it. Being transformed into what we have already been transformed into. Knowing and believing that because of the cross things are different now. A sinner saved by grace is not a sinner anymore. He is a saint. So let's look at our key verse for this Rant series again: "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you" (Matthew 5:48 MSG). Did you catch that? You're Kingdom subjects now. We have been taken out of this world and brought into the Kingdom! That's not something that needs to happen. We're not looking for a rapture, or an afterlife. And, listen, I'm not saying there's NOT an afterlife. I'm simply saying that what we have right now is what we have right now. We are kings and priests equipped and empowered to rule and reign IN THIS EARTH. In this life. We don't grow up in order to get to the end. We grow up to in order to enjoy the journey! To experience Jesus's abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrecion Life of love! When you know better, you can do better. When you know it, you can throw it. Once you've received it, you can release it. As a king and a priest who can (and ought to) do all the things Jesus did, and greater works than those, we need to start exercising our authority and power. And by that I mean living towards each other graciously and generously. Our authority and power comes from the name of God. Jesus. Love. That is where we get our strength from. That is how we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. He strengthens us with love. He strengthens us by loving us. And then we use that strength to love each other. Receiving and releasing His love. That's as simple as I can make it. Because that's how simple God made it. We love... because He first loved us. God loves the hell out of us, and then we love Him back by loving each other. That's what this life is for. That's what this life is all about. That's how we rule and reign. Not by lording over people, but by letting the Lord inside of us come out and loving people! It's all about love. Maturity is, well, let me quote a memory verse: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). And what I really want is those last four words, "made perfect in love." Because that's what maturity is. Maturity is being made perfect in love. Being fearless. Being able to love without fear. Being able to love each other without worrying about... well... anything. Not "loving" people in order to get something, but LOVING people because we have something. Something worth giving. That's the shift--going from trying to get... to giving what you've got. KNOWING what you've got. Knowing you are loved, and loving people with that love. That's the New Commandment. That's what life is all about. That's what we grow up into, and that's how we grow up!