Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (IThes 5:23)

Be healthy body, soul, and spirit.

We understanding that salvation saves our spirit man because our bodies will die. But we’re also supposed to be blameless and sanctified in our physical bodies and our minds. That goes against “spiritual” teaching that says that our bodies don’t matter, and knowledge of the world is useless to spiritual things.

Paul says that bodily exercise profits little, he didn’t say it profits nothing. Going to a conference to be touched by God and then eating a bag of cookies by yourself does not show that you’ve attained any self-control that is an aspect of the Holy Spirit. Maintaining a diet that promotes sickness and disease is ungodly by anyone’s standards.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m don’t believe in swinging to the opposite extreme of only eating raw food and carrot juice. There’s nothing wrong with that, if you like that sort of thing, but it’s not a substitute for common sense. Taking care of your body includes eating well and getting enough exercise to stay healthy. Abusing your body, then asking for prayer doesn’t honor God.

We are also called to have a sanctified mind. What we watch on TV matters. Who’s message it is to kill, steal, and destroy? It’s not God’s. So why do we promote entertainment that clearly goes against the kingdom of God?

If we don’t understand the world of politics, education, or the media, how will we affect change? Those who are blessed in the area of higher education are in a position to bring the kingdom into areas that God wants to take back. I believe there is a lot of truth to be discovered by pressing into all areas of study. A spiritual mind will hear God and learn what other’s can’t.

There is a path that God has set before us that includes living healthy with renewed minds. Body, soul, and spirit are joined together and all part of presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. (Rom 12:1) It is a form of worship to present our whole self to God. We are created in His image, so our bodies and minds matter to Him as much as our spirits.

By royal decree, you shall be joyful!

By Royal Decree, You shall be joyful! This is the command of the Most High God, that you cease and desist from attitudes of fear, depression, anger, and resentment. You shall resist the enemy and he shall flee from you. You shall not believe or follow after lies or twisted truth.

You shall, from this time forth and unto eternity, live in the comfort of your God, who loves you with a compelling and encompassing love. You shall live in great peace and joy and walk with full assurance of safety and freedom. You shall read and be filled with the words of life from the Word of God and shall receive the Holy Spirit to follow His guidance and help.

You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, your strength, and your mind. You shall love other people as much as you love yourself. You shall seek to do good for others, and the Lord your God will bless your efforts with His great blessing.

This decree shall be for all who call themselves by the name of Jesus, who have been redeemed by His blood, and embraced into the royal heritage the Son God for ever and ever. Amen!!

The kingdom of God is about showing kindness.

If we are told to love those who abuse us (Mat 5:44), what do you think we are expected to do if they only disagree with us? For some reason, the church thinks it’s ok to wage a holy war against any ideology that it disagrees with. Yes, abortion is bad. Yes, gay marriage goes against God’s word, but so is lack of self-control. I won’t even stir up that mess.

Don’t you know that you catch more flies with honey instead of vinegar? The crusades were a great example of how not to win people to Christ. The Spirit of God is not behind name calling and anger.

We need the compassion of God. We need to feel His heartbeat. If we can love those who are lost with the same passion that He does, there’s no way we wouldn’t sacrifice to help them. People who don’t know God will make terrible decisions. Even people who do know Him make terrible decisions. We can’t judge them because of that. We need to love them and show them a different way to live.

Ask God to show you if you’ve been judgmental. Just repent and tell Him you’re sorry. Ask Him to give you His kind of love so you can show the kindness of God. That will change far more than angry words.

Relax and dance a little.

Don’t you love to watch little kids dance? What’s not to love about that. You don’t even have to be related to them to get teary-eyed. Their lack of self-consciousness is delightful. They dance because it’s fun and it feels good. And it’s that innocence that God loves when we step away from our grownup attitudes and relax a little.

Do you ever dance a little when you’re alone and a great song comes on TV or your iPod? Even a just a little shuffle step? If you can’t manage that, then you’re way too old for the kingdom. And I don’t mean because you can’t dance a little because of age-related issues. Age is in the heart, and we are called to be as little children.

Have some fun. Do a little dance. God is not impressed by our propriety. He’s impressed with our passion. Look at David! He danced so much he embarrassed his wife to no end. And God loved Him for it.

I challenge you to dance like a child. If you have to be alone to do it, then so be it. Sing a little song while you do. The joy of the Lord is so much greater when we stop fretting about how we look or what other people think. Turn your eyes to God, and do a shuffle step with Him.

As a fully functioning member of the family of God, we hold some responsibility to the world around us. We are the salt and light needed for the kingdom to be released. That doesn’t mean that we have to take on the Taliban like Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who was shot for supporting the education of girls in Pakistan. But we are all responsible for doing something.

What good thing will you do today?

What we do to do good is an individual matter. It may be that when you see someone with an obvious physical disability, you ask to pray for them. (It will bless them more than you know.) It may mean that you get involved with local government to pray over the laws being passed in your city. It may mean you prayer walk your neighborhood and get to know your neighbors and bless them.

There are any number of ways to affect change all by yourself, or in connection with others. Just don’t assume that you don’t have to do anything. Jesus told the story of those cast out of the kingdom for not visiting the sick, those in prison, or feeding the hungry. We are community, and that means caring about other people and doing something about it. Now, what are you going to do?

Be patient when the seasons change on you.

No matter how long we’ve been a believer, at some time, we’ll suddenly realize that things have changed for us. Life in the spirit flows very much like life in the natural. We grow physically and spiritually, and in the same way, we experience seasons in our lives.

It is very natural for us to have extended times of great blessing, where every door opens before we touch it and everything that we need falls in our lap. And then it stops. It’s unnerving when it happens, because we wonder what we’ve done wrong. It truly is a good time to stop and evaluate our lives to see if repentance is in order.

But very often, the uncomfortable change is not because we’re in sin, it’s more likely that God has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves. He changes the season on us to draw us closer. It’s a time of listening and learning. We can’t get to the next place He’s called us to until we learn to step higher. The quiet season is the time it takes to get to the greater blessing.

When you realize that you’re in a transitional period, relax. As much as we hate change, it’s going to be ok. Ask God to make you sensitive to what He is doing and agree with Him, don’t fight it. Trust Him that His plan for you is awesome. And before you know it, the season will change again.

One of the many wonderful aspects of salvation in the kingdom is how kind God is. Our humanity does not surprise Him. Before we came to Him, our lifestyles were not honorable, even if we tried to be “good”. Any effort on our part that does not include repentance and forgiveness of sins is all about us and not God. But God is not bothered by that. He made us, so He knows exactly what to expect from us.

No matter how bad your life was before you met Jesus, you are His beloved. When you confess your sins to Him, He forgives and forgets. You may walk out the consequences of your actions, but He does not hold you to blame. For instance, if you killed someone, you would be forgiven, but still carry out a prison sentence.

He will cover you with His wings.

And in God’s amazing love is the covering He puts over us to protect us from our own past. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. (Ps 91:4)

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth. (Isa 54:4)

God only looks at the renewed person He made of you, and so should you. Don’t be afraid of you past coming back to haunt you. If you live under His wings, you’re protected from your own self.

The kingdom of God is all about loving each other.

I heard a discussion on NPR about the fact that mammalian babies are born with smaller brains to make it out of the birth canal. As a result, mammalians require care from adults to survive and the infant brains will grow and learn culture at the same time.

Evolutionary discussions aside, I think there’s something to that. We have been created to need people. Baby humans can’t run off on their own like baby turtles. We need each other. And the fact that we require interaction from others at birth does not change as we grow older.

The spirit of individualism can get in the way of developing the community that we were made for. That’s why it’s such a huge command to love each other. We need to be open to help and receive help. God blesses community. He blesses cities and nations.

The temptation to isolate yourself is not Biblical. It creates a wedge to separate you from the connections that you need. Resist that. If you have trouble connecting with other people, and I don’t mean just being introverted, ask God to help you. Ask Him to show you if there is a problem that you need to address.

We are a social people in the kingdom of God because we were made to love each other, so look around and find someone to love.

Let God show off and people will be drawn to Him.

To those who don’t know the Lord, salvation is foolishness. (1Cor 1:18) They don’t understand their need to be saved and they don’t know the beauty of the Lord, so they see our heartfelt devotion as silly, wasted time.

What they need to see is the reality of the kingdom. That is, the power that comes with walking in Jesus’ name. The power of that authority brings healing, and that changes lives. The power breaks fear and depression. When people are delivered out of pain and sickness, God is revealed.

No one is impressed with pretty words or promises of afterlife. What they need to see is God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. That will get their attention. Empty faith does nothing for anyone. But amazing faith to release the kingdom of God will draw people to Jesus.

Never hold back from letting God show off. As a believer, you carry the kingdom, so let it out. Be the source of life for people who need to be saved. Believe God to heal when you pray for the sick. Believe that He will provide for people who need it. He’ll back up what ever you trust Him for. It will supercharge your faith and bless the people you minister to.