Our bad decisions can be be redeemed. I can’t help wondering what it would have been like if Moses had been allowed to enter the Promised Land. If the Israelites had believed Joshua and Caleb and gone straight in. If Saul had remained faithful to God. If Solomon had not followed after foreign women.

Let grace cover your bad decisions.

God allows us our own choices. He doesn’t strike us down when we make bad decisions, He just makes us live with the consequences. Thank goodness for His grace. Thank goodness that He forgives our worst mistakes and can redeem what had been lost. Nothing is impossible for Him.

But I also see how important our decisions are. How amazing God would be for us if we trusted Him. Ask Him to give you perspective on your life. Is there a place that you stopped believing Him? Do you need to go back and repent? It’s not too late. He can forgive and put you back on the right track if you let Him.

Don’t get to the end of your life and mourn lost opportunity. Allow God to be God for you today. Trust Him. Believe Him to be who He says He is. He’s waiting for someone to believe Him so He can do great and mighty things. Let it be you.

The kingdom of God is all about loving each other.

People are important to God, so they should be important to you. Yes, the greatest commandment is to love God above all else, but the second one is to love other people. (Mark 12:29-31)

It’s not good enough that we’re nice to people at church or at work. We need to be connected in community. Everyone should know who they can call in an emergency, when they’re lonely, or when they need someone to celebrate with.

We are family — brothers and sisters with the same Father. Not the dysfunctional family you may have grown-up in, but a healthy, lively, growing family. That means that we forgive each other easily. We help when we’re needed. We celebrate victories we’ve been waiting for ourselves.

It takes effort to be in community. You have to open yourself up to other people and let them in. But that’s what the kingdom of God is all about. It’s a kind, loving place where we love each other and celebrate God.

If you are not connected with other believers, then you need to work on that. Go out of your way and learn names. Say hello. Find out what’s going on with people. Share some food and make friends. The kingdom is a friendly place. Don’t be left out.

Enter the kingdom as a little child.

What’s it like to receive the kingdom as a little child? I was reminded recently of a visit I had with a young family once. The youngest child was a girl of about four years old. She and I hit it off right away. She asked me to come play Duck, Duck, Goose with her. This is a game that requires several people to sit in a circle. I asked her how we would play Duck, Duck, Goose with only two of us. She told me she played it all the time with Jesus and the angels.

That’s how you receive the kingdom as a little child. With joy and innocence. With carefree abandon to what others think is right. With a clarity to see God where others cannot. But above all, with joy.

This is not easy for adults, but I believe it is ours if we want it. We have to be willing to lay down our own agendas and to want God passionately. Do you want to play Duck, Duck, Goose with Jesus and the angels? Maybe not, but do you want to worship with the angels and talk to the Lord about what’s on His heart? You can. You absolutely can.

Set your heart on Him and receive His joy. It will open a new world and heaven will come down and play.