Find your kid self again.

One of the greatest joys of the kingdom is the freedom to be childlike. When we were young, we couldn’t wait to be older. Now that we’re older, we wish for youth. How delightful it is to be allowed to be a child again.

As a child, no matter how much I wanted to be grown-up, I never worried about car payments or house payments. I didn’t worry about grocery shopping or insurance. I fussed about doing homework and running outside to play. I remember skipping down the street on my way home from school and climbing trees just to sit there.

It is a great blessing from God to live with that kind of freedom. We can give Him all our cares and concerns and trust that He will work it out so we can enjoy life. It’s not being irresponsible, it’s actually a command. (1Pet 5:6-7)

God wants us to be carefree, because then we put all our hopes and trust in Him. He can manage so much more than we can anyway. If you are too serious, it’s time to lighten up and be a kid again. Stop worrying and have the kind of fun that you remember having before you became a grownup. It is a requirement of the kingdom. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. (Mark 10:15)

Family is such a big deal to God. He made it our business to love each other, royally. We are family, a body, a connected union of believers that make up the kingdom of God. And not only that, God want us connected with our actual family.

He says, don’t hide yourself from your own flesh. (Isa 58: 7) There are other commands that God makes for us to be descent and human to other people, but connecting with family is a big deal.

God blesses you when you love your family.

So what happens when you take care of your family, as well as taking care of the poor? Then your light shall break forth like the morning. Your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’  (Isa 58:8)

Can you imagine? When the enemy comes against you, he can’t even see because the glory of the Lord is shining behind you. And the righteousness that you show actually goes ahead of you to clear the way. And, you’ll be healed!

There is so much behind the love that we need to show each other. Far more than overlooking petty differences. Try it and see what happens.

Fit in with the part of the body you belong to.

There are so many different people in the body of Christ. Personalities and differences abound. Sometimes the differences are so great that we wonder to ourselves if that other person could possibly be saved!

But that’s because we’re comparing body parts to parts that don’t belong together. You can’t put an eye lash next to a kneecap and expect them to connect well. But the eye lash and the eye lid and the eyeball will all communicate the same language and understand each other perfectly.

When we find the subset of the larger body that we belong to, we’ll feel at home. There won’t be any performance issues, no awkward lingering because we don’t fit in. We’ll connect the way we are supposed to connect. We need to be with others who understand how we operate.

It’s ok that there are different flavors of Christ. As long as everyone agrees with the Lordship if Jesus and His salvation, the variances are not that big a deal. But it is a big deal if you don’t fit in.

If you feel outside of the body that you’ve attended, go look around. There’s no sin in finding a better fit. Your allegiance isn’t to a pastor, it’s to Jesus, and He wants you to be happy.

You have within you exactly what the world needs.

You know the thing about salt? It makes everything taste better. Food that needs salt always tastes bland. Guess what you are! (Mat 5:13) You are called to be the wow factor in the world around you.

But watch out for the warning. If salt loses its flavor, it’s worthless and trampled under foot. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of truth. Don’t try to fit in so much that you don’t stand out at all. You need to be the flavor that everyone is craving.

The only reason for not being salty is fear. If you are afraid of being labeled “one of them”, then you deny the work of Christ on the cross. You hold the fear of man above the sacrifice of the God’s divine love.

You can’t carry the truth in you and look like everyone around you. If no one can see a difference in your life, then you haven’t discovered the freedom and blessing that is yours. Let go of fear and throw yourself into the love of God. Your goal shouldn’t be to blend in. Your goal should be to show the goodness of God in a world desperate for help.

Stop worrying about people and find the flavor of heaven for yourself. Once you really get it, you’ll be tasty!

The gate is narrow, but the kingdom is wide.

We get into so much trouble when we over define salvation. When Jesus said, But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Mat 7:14), He didn’t mean that our life in the kingdom is defined by narrow limits.

He was referring to the fact there is only one way to salvation, through the blood of Christ. Don’t be fooled by nice sounding philosophies that have no power to save, heal, and deliver.

But once we get through the gate, we are not boxed in by rules and regulations. This is not Old Testament. Yes, we live with humility and a desire to honor God, but that just comes from our heart of love toward Him. We obey His command to follow Him.

And in that following is a freedom to lived blessed. The gate opens to a realm of destiny that extends far and wide. God has put inside each of us a desire to be something great in His kingdom and He’s given us the ability to go after it.

Don’t sit at the gate thinking that there is nothing more to have until you get to heaven. You haven’t begun to explore the kingdom yet. Ask God to show you what is yours and go for it.

God helps us balance humility and boldness.

It’s a huge mistake to try to simplify God. He is complex and our relationship with Him is complex. We are called to live in different ways at the same time. We are His servant and friend. We stand in awe and dance with joy. We humble ourselves and walk boldly into the throne room.

When we narrow the definition of salvation to one aspect, we fail in other areas of our relationship with Him. We can’t just say that life in the kingdom is focused on humility. Must you be humble? Yes! Humility is foundational to salvation. God says, I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit. (Isa 57:15) That’s enough right there to make you want to live humbly.

But God does not want us afflicting ourselves with guilt either. He wants us to live the in the freedom of salvation. He forgives and forgets. He wants to bless, so he calls us to come boldly unto the throne of grace. (Heb 4:16) That’s His idea.

So how do we do that? How do we live in the balance between humility and boldness? We confess our sins when we know we need to. We live thankfully for all that God is to us. We receive His blessing with joy and the knowledge that we are privileged children. We allow Him to help us walk with Him. There’s where the balance comes from.

In the clash of power, God always wins.

When the kingdom of this world clashes against the kingdom of God, God always wins. Always. The goodness of God is so much greater than hate, envy, fear, or deception. The power of heaven that Jesus carried never failed to save, heal, and deliver. When the spirits of the enemy saw Him coming, they panicked.

The power of God is so much greater than the power of the enemy. Of course. God is the creator, the enemy is the created one. There is no close second. And Jesus gave His name to us to use as His agents of authority. When I speak in His name, the spirits of the enemy are just as afraid as when Jesus speaks.

We have the authority to do so much through the kingdom of God. Love overpowers hate. Peace overpowers fear. Healing overpowers brokenness. Releasing the power of heaven into a chaotic situation restores peace. When people confess sin and let go of unforgiveness, the power of sickness, depression, and pain must go. Life and love and healing can come in.

Evil has never been as powerful as good. The devil has never been as powerful as God. Never. In the end, every knee will bow before Jesus. Jesus is Lord and His power is the greatest power. In the clash of kingdoms, God always wins.

The kingdom of God is about showing kindness to an unkind world.

Being saved into the kingdom of God isn’t only about our relationship with God, it’s also about our relationship with each other. We are a family, one body. We are to love each other as much as we love ourselves. We are to show kindness, mercy, and grace to each other. And that means that we don’t judge.

Being judgmental is being critical, finding fault. We make assumptions, then take an attitude of superiority. There’s no love in that. None.

The way to stop being judgmental is to stop looking at the issue and start looking at the need. You think someone is wrong about something. What is making them do that? They need God. They need healing. They need blessing.

That’s where you come in. You are God’s ambassador with all His authority. Pray. Release blessing. Love. Ask God to make you sensitive to catching yourself being judgmental. Then repent when you do. Ask God to give you a greater capacity to love everyone, no matter what.

You spread the kingdom by releasing the kingdom. Stop judging people and start loving them. That does not mean that people don’t need to be corrected, but love them anyway. Real love will overlook bad character, and people with bad character need to be loved.