Open Invitation part 3
I firmly believe that God is too much of a gentleman to force His will on us. Having said that, I think there were times when He did just that. The cross, for example. When Jesus was lifted up from the earh and drew all men into Himself. We didn't have any say in that. And, if you take the book of Jonah for instance, there are times when God will go to great lengths to accomplish what He wants to accomplish THROUGH WHO He wants to accomplish it. My pastor says it like this, "Some are called, and some are cornerd." But I said all that to say this: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Now, if something is at hand, that means it's close. It's within reach. All you have to do, quite frankly, is grab it. Which is where repenting comes in. All it takes is a change in your mindset. Literally from a "worldly" mindset to a Kingdom mindset. Which, to me, is what fighting the good fight of faith is all about--laying hold of the gift of eternal life that we've been given. Receiving the gift, and experiencing the gift by releasing the gift. Because love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. So the best way to repent (which means think differently about something in light of something else... use new information to make better decisions) is by filling yourself up to overflowing with what God has filled you up with. Letting His love come out of you naturally as you let Him love you and love Him back by loving people. That's what this life is for and that's what this life is all about. But here's the thing, and I'm going to quote it from Scripture so we don't get it twisted. Speaking of love in 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT), "or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." I don't know why they split it up like that to have the last two words of what should be verse 4 in verse 5, but I digress. The point is: Love does not demand it's own way. Or, since God is love, God does not demand HIS own way. He makes things available to us. And invites us to partake of them. And we partake of them by inviting others to partake of them. We have been reconciled, and given that same ministry of reconciliation. We have been forgiven... we can forgive. Remember, you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. When we understand just what (WHO, Jesus, love) we have... we will begin to experience it. The Spirt and the bride say, "Come." And when we hear that ringing of the dinner bell, when we hear Jesus standing at the door and knocking, that's when we can sup with Him. That's when we can experience the love feast that is the Lamb and the living water. The bread and the wine. Communion with Jesus. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood--or, to say it another way, filling ourselves with Him. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with so that it can come out of us... naturally. Receiving and releasing the love of God is the Kingdom mindset that lets us acces and enjoy the Kingdom! As soon as Jesus showed up, He brought the Kingdom with Him. Because the Kingdom is the realm where the King rules and reigns. So, really, WE are the Kingdom. He is the King of kings, and we are the kings and the kingdom that HE rules and reigns in, and through, and as. Everything we need is availaible to us. All we have to do is reach out and take it... by reaching out and giving it!