The Promised Land part 2
God came down to us so that He could bring us up to Himself. That's called reconciliation. Not demanding that someone, somehow, improve themselves enough to get up to where you're at, but rather bringing them to where you're at. Basically, I'm trying to say God promised us that land that flows with milk and honey (righteousness and revelation) and then He gave it to us. That's what the cross was: God, or Jesus (God in the flesh) doing all the heavy lifting in order to make sure we got what He had promised us. That's why, after laying His life down... Jesus took it back up. He gave it to us, but He is the One who lives it in us, and through us, and as us. Because nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. So in order for us to experience it, He gave it to us... and lives it in us. The promise wasn't, "I have a land for you... good luck finding it, and settling it, and living in it." The promise was, "I have a land for you. And I am giving it to you. Settling it for you. And living it in through you." Because, believe it or not, WE are the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is the realm where the King rules and reigns, right? Well... that's us. We live IN the Kingdom... and we ARE the Kingdom. We feast on the milk and honey... and we ARE the milk and honey. The revelation of Jesus is that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. That we are in Him because He is in us. That we live in Him because He lives in us. That we live in LOVE because LOVE lives in us. And love is unconditional. If its conditional, its not love. You can't earn love. Love is freely given. All of this nonsense where we put obligations on people, and try to manipulate and control them and call it "love"... no. Not even close. Not at all. Because, if you notice, this Promised Land FLOWS with milk and honey. Its not us making an effort (even though love IS maximum effort, giving everything you have and everything you are) to get anything from anybody. Its simply what we have been filled with overflowing out of us as we fill ourselves to overflowing with it. Learning how to love one another as we learn how our heavenly Father loves us. Learning who we are by learning who Jesus is--by letting Him reveal Himself to us, and in us, and through us. (Do you see a repetitive pattern here?) The promise is not out in our future. Its not about some glad morning when Jesus comes back to destroy the world and save a chosen few. The world is our inheritance. So... why would God destroy it? We are kings and priests equipped and empowered to rule and reign on this earth. Right now. By letting Jesus rule and reign (one more time) in us, and through us, and as us. The promise is not, "I'm going to give you something someday." The promise is, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). HATH given. Past tense. We already have it. We already ARE it. So what we need to do, and I think this is going to be tomorrow's Rant, is seek the Kingdom. Not to get what we've already got, but to explore what we've already got. To understand what we've already got. To experience what we've already got. God did promise it. And then, on the cross, He made good on His promise. We don't have to wait for anything. We can receive and release what we've been given. We can share it, and in that way fully experience it. And its so good that you WANT to share it. You WANT to give it away. I promise!