Category Archives: Kingdom of Heaven

Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough

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I think I know this guy.  For that matter, so do you.

” Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”” (Matthew 19:16)

We know him because he is our spokesman.  He asked the question we have all asked: “Have I been good enough to go to Heaven?”  “Do I measure up?  If not, tell me what good thing to do so I can take care of it.”

Interesting.  We find out later (verse 22) that this guy is loaded.  Great wealth.  Presumably, if he wants something – anything – he only has to get out his wallet and he can have it.  He’s traded up for a three car garage. He’s sampled wine and brie in Paris.  Got the newest phone.  Or maybe he’s famous, stands in the wings and listens to the sellout crowd chant his name. He’s the guy we secretly wish we were.

But somehow, he realizes that it isn’t quite enough.  He’s not “in” yet.  There’s something missing. He senses that he hasn’t quite done enough good.  Other people look upon him as a good person.  Maybe they even named the hospital wing for him.  But he knows himself too well.  Old regrets steal his sleep.  But no matter: just tell me what good thing to do. I’ll get out my wallet and get it done.

Jesus zeroes in on the word, good.

““Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. ”” (Matthew 19:17a)

The only “One” Who is good, is God.  Anything short of God’s goodness isn’t “good.”  Almost good, pretty good, good enough, as good as it gets – none of that is perfectly “good.”  If you had a strawberry shake, made just the right way at the old fashioned soda shoppe, and then I put a tiny drop of spit into it, it wouldn’t be “good” any more.  You don’t measure good by comparing yourself to other imperfect humans.  You measure good by God’s standard.  Anything less isn’t “good.”

Jesus says,

“If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17b)

If you want to be good enough, do what God has said to do.  Perfectly, like the only One Who is good.  Like the only One Whose goodness qualifies Him for eternal life.  But the guy doesn’t get it.  He doesn’t think that way.  Which becomes obvious, with his next question:

““Which ones?” the man inquired.” (Matthew 19:18a)

How much is good enough?  We will come back to this.  But for now, let’s go stand next to the guy and puzzle over the way Jesus used the word, “good.”

I know this guy, don’t you?

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Post Election Prayer

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Here’s my fantasy: A skilled mediator meets in private with two government leaders from opposing sides of the aisle, coaching each of them to listen attentively to the other until they each could articulate the other‘s position to his (or her) satisfaction.  Each of them would keep trying until his adversary would smile involuntarily, and say, “Yeah, that’s right; you completely understand.”  Then, and only then, they could look for any area of common understanding, Hopefully, they could proceed from there, working together to govern in a harmonious way.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Much of that scenario comes from principles Jesus taught His followers about settling disputes:

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)

Notice these important principles:

  • Reconciliation works best when the parties meet in private.
  • If you are feeling wounded, take personal responsibility to initiate reconciliation.
  • Listening is the key to understanding.
  • If you cannot agree, still keep it small and private, but bring in a couple of neutral witnesses because it is possible that you are wrong.

The last part of Jesus’ teaching pertains especially to followers of Jesus in a church setting.  Local churches are supposed to operate as a bodies.  If a part of your body has caused hurt to the rest of your body, the rest of your body acts in a united way to take care of it, to bring the offending part back into line.  For example, perhaps you have heartburn: your whole body gets up and goes to get an antacid. You chew it and swallow it, working to restore peace.  When such a thing happens in a church and is not resolved easily in private, it is necessary to see if, working together, the whole church body can restore harmony.

If not, Jesus says, “…treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (the worst example of a social outcast).  How does Jesus teach us to treat pagans and outcasts?  He commands us to love them and tell them about the good news!  To reach out to them and invite them into the fellowship of Jesus’  followers in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I know, I know: ain’t no way Congress is going to resemble the Kingdom of Heaven.  But my prayer is for the believing Senators and Representatives to obey Jesus and start acting as though it could.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

What Will You Do?

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It’s supposed to be easy to install the new operating system on my Android phone.  But when I read the instructions, I froze up, because I couldn’t understand all the special terms and acronyms.  Even knowing that OTA means “over the air” made no difference.  I felt stupid and backed away.

Too often, Christians say things like “accept Jesus by faith,” a quote from my last post, forgetting that those words might sound like secret code-talk.  People don’t understand, feel stupid and back away.  Worse, many have a distorted idea of what those words mean and back away.  If I don’t install a new operating system on my phone it’s no big deal.  But failing to “install God’s new operating system” in your soul is tragic.  It’s a life or death thing.

So, what does it mean to “accept Jesus by faith?”

Your car breaks down in the middle of Montana, shudders to a stop and emits a brackish smell.  You get out and open the hood, looking down at the engine and trying to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it.  You don’t realize it, but you only have a short time to fix it before a deadly storm blows in from the west.  You reach down and fiddle with the thingamawidget and tap on the fuse box.  Along comes a guy in a van, who stops to help.  After assessing your situation, he says,

“There is no way you are going to be able to fix that on your own.  But if you would like, I’ll be glad to take you with me into the next town.”

What do you do?  You might say, “That’s ok, I appreciate it, but I think I can get it…”  To which he replies,

“You don’t want to be out here much longer; there’s a really bad storm coming.”

You have two choices: you can continue to take care of your problem by yourself, or you can “accept his offer by faith.”  If you trust him, and truly believe he can save you from the coming storm, that he really has your best interest in mind, then you abandon your own efforts to get yourself going and surrender to whatever it is that he will do.  You climb in, and let him take over.

“Accepting Jesus by faith” is the same kind of decision.  There is something desperately broken with human life as we know it.  Most of us try one thing and another to fix it, or at least to make the best of it.  Jesus comes along and says,

“You will never get that fixed on your own.  But if you will trust Me, I’ll take you with Me and take you to the only One Who can fix what is broken.  You don’t want to stay out here, though, because before long it will be too late.”

What do you do?  If you accept His offer, you trust Him, so to speak.  Jesus then brings you to The Father (John 14:6), Who forgives you completely (Romans 8:1), receives you in a loving and sustaining way (John 1:12), and gives you His Holy Spirit to fill your soul (Acts 2:38; John 14:16).  This Spirit is life, a kind of life we cannot imagine without experiencing it, and it lasts eternally  (John 7:37-38).  It truly is a new operating system.

What will you do?

You are Precious

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The pushing and shoving has already begun.  Now that the nastiness of the political campaign process is over, the winners are now jockeying and maneuvering to be the greatest in the new government, to have the most power and prestige possible.  That’s the way we do it here on earth.

But not in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus said the greatest in His Kingdom would be those with the simplest, humblest faith.  He said that each believer in His Kingdom would be personally loved and treasured by God, so much so that He would take it personally when anyone caused harm to any of them.  He spoke in the strongest terms about how horrible it would be if we hurt ourselves by getting stuck in sin.  In other words, Each of us who join His Kingdom by faith is precious.  Our importance and significance is measured by this:  we are important and loved by Him.

Therefore,

“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:10-14)

When you accept Jesus by faith, you are more than accepted by God.  He receives you into His family.  You are precious to Him, so much so, He will pursue you if you wander away.  God is not willing that _____________________ (put your name in the space) ever be lost!

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Hand in Hand

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You have seen him: He’s just caught the game-winning touchdown pass and now he stands in the end zone, his arms raised and his hands lifted up to receive the adulation of the crowd.  His face says, “That’s right, I’m the greatest!”  Picture him.  Now compare ???????????????????????????????him with this little boy, also with his arm extended, but this time with his hand holding tight to the hand of his father because the waves are so high.  (http://annmareebeaman.com/)

You’ve seen him, too, perhaps as he goes into the schoolyard for the first time, or approaches the lions’ cage at the circus, holding onto Dad’s hand.  Two boys with their arms held high: Who is the greatest?

” At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4)

In our world, we think that the greatest is the strongest, the most gifted, the richest, the coolest, the most famous, the most powerful, the guy with his arm raised up in the end zone.  Jesus said that guy doesn’t even make the cut for the Kingdom of Heaven – that is, unless he changes and becomes like a little child!  But like a little child in what respect?  In humbling himself.  

A child knows he needs help, that he can’t succeed on his own, so he reaches up and takes the hand of his father.  When it comes to entering the Kingdom of Heaven, becoming a child of God and attaining eternal life, we need to begin by realizing we cannot do this on our own. To do so on our own would require absolute perfection, from the moment of our birth until we die.  Impossible.  We need to reach up and take hold of the Hand of the Only One Who can accomplish it, Who can open the door to the Kingdom of Heaven.  When we reach out for His hand, we change from the world’s “can-do,” arrogant attitude, and adopt the humility of a child – trust and dependence.  In that position of weakness and trust, we hold on to His strength and competence.

Like Elvis sang:

Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee

(Put Your Hand in the Hand – by Gene MacLellan)
Bible quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Not Even Close

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When George (not his real name) said he’d seen Heaven, his son believed him.  So did I, because George was a no-nonsense, straight shooter (literally: he was a crack shot with a hunting rifle…).  George was more at home with farmers than he was with most of the people for whom he served as a pastor for many decades.  A couple of days before he died, God gave him a quick peek; He showed him a glimpse of Heaven.  When George tried to describe it to his son, he wound up gasping and weeping uncontrollably, and choking out, “It’s so beautiful!”  He eventually pulled himself together, but never was able to find words to adequately describe what he had seen.  But there was no doubt: this was no hallucination.  It wasn’t a dream.  George had taught people about Heaven all his life.  But now he had seen something beyond anything he had ever imagined.  His understanding of Heaven was not even close.

Jesus did that for a few of the disciples.

” After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-8)

When Jesus invites us to trust in Him, to believe in Him, it’s not like anyone else saying, “Trust me…”   Jesus is God, Who appeared to us on earth as a human, so we could see and touch and hear and understand.  But He is much more than a mere human.  He is fully human, but also fully God.  That sounds contradictory, but human words cannot convey Heavenly mysteries.  They describe them to some extent, but they are not even close.

It’s easy for people to underestimate Jesus, thinking that, because He came as a human, He is just like you and me.  People tend to imagine Jesus and think they fully understand Him, that they’ve “seen” all there is to see.

Not even close…

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Close Encounter

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When it comes to alien space creatures landing on earth, Steven Spielberg does it the best.  Compared to the jittery, puppet-like, bubble-eyed “aliens” in the sci-fi films of my youth, lurching about in with ray guns and saying “Greetings, Earth people,” Spielberg knocks it out of the park.  Go YouTubing and check out the end of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”  The response of the clueless government officials and scientific experts (with their skinny black ties and pocket protectors) is hilarious.  In contrast, Richard Dreyfuss and the little kid are swept up in a rapturous sense of amazement and awe.  Spielberg makes us want to be there, and gives us the sense that we would “get it,” we would not be blinded by the computers and oscilloscopes.  We’d be like the little kid, gazing in wonder and awe but taking it in with openness and acceptance.

But Spielberg doesn’t know the half of it.  The scenes he has imagined will look stilted and silly compared to the glorious, mind-blowing return of Christ!

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27)

Try to imagine what “His Father’s glory” means.  “The Father” is the One Who created the blaze of a supernova, the brilliance of a desert sunset, and the sparkle in a drop of dew.  When His “glory” is revealed, it’s going to be astonishing.  Jesus gave a brief preview to a few of His disciples (see: Matthew 16:28 – 17:9) and it terrified them.  Talk about “close encounters…”

But as powerful as that will be, you don’t need to be terrified by what Jesus said next: “…and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.”  Jesus wasn’t saying He will get out the heavenly yardstick to see if you measure up, to see if you have done enough.  The words “what he has done” literally mean your “practice,” the essence and sum of your life as a whole.

But the idea of being judged by what we have done caused the people to ask Jesus,

“…“What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”” (John 6:28b-29)

When Jesus returns in His Father’s glory and with angels, He will reward those whose life and practice were marked by a wholehearted belief in Him.  He will welcome them into His eternal kingdom.  And what will that be like?  Spielberg, himself, couldn’t imagine it.  But when that day comes, you will want to be there.  Some will miss it, blinded by their religious presuppositions.  But if you put your faith in Jesus, you will be one of those who “get it.”

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Until Today…

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Alice Mosely painted a picture for her dog, Joe, when he died.  It showed Joe’s soul  ascending to a place where a separation was made: one heaven for dogs and one heaven for folks.  The title of the painting is, “Until Today I thought I was Folks.”   You can see it in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, or here: ( http://www.alicemoseley.com/until-today-i-thought-i-was-folks/ } I liked that painting and Mrs. Moseley’s whimsy.  But I would have liked it better if Joe had gone into heaven with the folks!

Jesus is God, but when He was here on earth, He was folks.  His parables and stories were crafted from common experiences of folks. When Jesus saw hardworking fishermen, hauling their net in to sort their catch, instead of ignoring them, He used their work as a picture for His next lesson:

” “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50)

Every time one of those fish were discarded, Jesus’ listeners saw a picture of this sobering truth:  There will be a separation at the end of the age. It won’t be sorting the dogs and the folks, but the wicked and the righteous.    You and I will be there. Read again how Jesus described the destination of the wicked.

Did you read it?  Okay then, here’s the question:  How righteous is righteous enough?

God won’t be grading on a curve.  There is no such thing as “righteous enough.” Righteous means perfectly righteous.  It means pure.  That’s why, on another occasion, Jesus said:

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. “ (Matthew 5:48)

Lot of folks will be saying, “Until today, I thought I was righteous…”  But righteousness is measured against the standard of God’s perfection.  You won’t make it, not unless you somehow get a pass.

Here’s the deal.  Jesus is the only One Who has the authority to give you that pass, to take you out of the “wicked” line and give you a place in the “righteous” line.  That’s because He fully paid for it on the cross.  We don’t deserve it.  We could never earn it.  That’s why it’s called being saved.  Here’s how Jesus explained it:

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”” (John 6:40)

Lots of folks who accept His offer, when it comes time to be separated at the end, will be saying, “Until today I thought I was wicked…”

Quote: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Better than Everything

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The violin was in the trash.  Some guy down in Texas spotted it, fished it out and took it home.  Years later, he decided to get it checked out at “Antique Road Show,” to see what he had.  The instrument was in pretty rough shape, but turned out to be a 1922 Pedrazinni.  If that name doesn’t get your attention, try this: $50,000.

You may think that kind of thing would never happen to you.  But it could; you could find something better.  Pay close attention to these hints from Jesus:

” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46)

In both short parables, the “treasure” is the Kingdom of Heaven.  It is hidden, at least to those who are not looking.  Perhaps they are too busy.  Maybe they are rushing off to close a business deal.  Maybe they are too worried about something.  But in both stories, when someone looked for the treasure, it was right there to be found.  Jesus was telling people, “Pay attention; if you are really looking you will find it.”

In both parables, the value of the treasure was so great that it made sense to cash in everything else to gain it.  Again, Jesus was saying something.  If you find the Kingdom of Heaven, everything else in your life will pale in comparison to the value of what you have found.  That may seem far fetched to you.  There was a time when it made no sense to me, either.  But when I found this “treasure,” I realized Jesus wasn’t joking or exaggerating.  When you discover the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no cost that will seem too great.

How can you have this “treasure?”  First you have to “find it.”  When you come to realize that Jesus really is Who He said He is – that He is God – you will have found it (See: No Small Detail).  Why is the Kingdom so valuable?  Here are some of the reasons:  It comes to you with complete forgiveness, wiping away everything that would put any awkwardness between you and Almighty God forever.  It comes with full reconciliation with God.  It comes with eternal life.  It comes with God’s Spirit living inside your soul, guiding you, empowering you and transforming you.  There’s a whole lot more, but those things are harder to describe.  You have to be there…

So, what is the cost?  What does it take to “purchase” this treasure?  It costs everything, just like in the parables.  You let go of everything else and say “Yes” to Jesus.  That might sound too expensive until you recognize that all that other stuff has not satisfied you, and is temporary.  The Kingdom is forever.

Happy hunting!

Quote: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Bubbling Up with Life

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They’d been using it for thousands of years but didn’t know how it worked – not until 150 years ago.  Talking about yeast.  Did you know it is alive?  And when it’s warm and wet, yeast grows and multiplies so fast it makes rabbits look like amateurs.  One tablespoon of yeast contains over 140 billion little yeastie guys, all ready to get started transforming your next batch of bread dough from a gooey lump of paste into a puffy, yummy wonder, all set for baking.

That’s how the Kingdom of Heaven works, too.  It grows and multiplies because it is ALIVE!  Religion is mostly dead – a bunch of strict rules and boring ritual.  But the Kingdom is alive with the Holy Spirit and growing.  It can take the gooey lump of paste that is dead humanity and gradually transform it into a growing, yummy wonder, filled with new life and all set for heaven.

But don’t take my word for it; Jesus said it first:

“He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”” (Matthew 13:33)

You don’t have to know how yeast works to make bread.  You simply mix it into your dough and wait.  The yeast does the work because it is alive.   You don’t have to know how the Holy Spirit works to be transformed by His life and become part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  You simply have to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, trust Him and surrender to Him.  He causes the Spirit to be born in your soul and bring you into eternal life.  The Spirit does the work, because He is alive.

That’s why this thing is called Fresh Bread of Life.

Quote: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.