A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. - (John 10:10 the message)
Trusting Jesus Christ for your salvation will get you to heaven. But trusting Jesus Christ for your salvation doesn’t automatically get heaven, and its subsequent power, authority, and blessings, to come down to you.
Getting into God’s kingdom comes by way of the process known as conversion, but getting God’s kingdom to visibly manifest itself in the daily abundant life comes through your commitment.
Getting into God’s kingdom once this life concludes is a gift of salvation through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But getting God’s kingdom provisions and sanctification to you in the here and now is a special grace given in response to your dedication.
Commitment and dedication results only when the Jesus you placed your faith in is also the Jesus who rules within you—in the kingdom of which you are a part. God’s kingdom goal is to manifest in history the operations of heaven. Therefore, when history does not reflect heaven—when Thy will is not done on earth as it is in heaven—then God’s kingdom remains hidden in the shadows of this world. It is not visible.
His kingdom is manifestly visible to the degree that the persons of history emulate the Presence of heaven.
Reflection: What does it mean for God’s kingdom to be visible on earth today? What would it look like for your church, your neighborhood, your workplace, and your family to see reflections of God’s kingdom today? How can you bring God’s kingdom values into your own life?
Father, grant me the “more and better life”—the abundant life of which Jesus Christ speaks. I realize that this comes through commitment and dedication to Him and to You, as Lord and King. You also call this abiding. Teach me to abide that I may know while yet on earth the fullness of Your heavenly grace.
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