The greatest issue in the history of humankind are the ills of the human soul. God, in His infinite wisdom and intellect, has placed the care of the soul in the hands of those who possess it. He has given us free-will, and He will never withdraw, overstep, or violate it. We are the authors of our own choices and decisions and the owner of the consequences they bring. All of heaven and everything beneath it are watching. They are celebrating when we nurture and strengthen our souls through the example of Christ, and they are saddened when we ignore our identity and betray who God has made us through His beloved Son. Our greatest mistake is that we have misunderstood the void in our souls. It’s a voracious hunger for God, but most have turned from Him and looked everywhere else to satisfy what only He can.
Our technological advances are a marvel to say the least. From the days of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea to the appointed arrival of Jesus Christ to save the entire world, and now, to some two thousand years later, we are still grappling with the same issues of the heart and mind. Humans are still waging wars and as violent and evil as they ever were. Even with all our sophistication and know-how, the level of chaos and confusion in the world is staggering. We’ve looked under every rock and produced systems, governments, religions, and institutions all over the world, but none of those have brought us closer to the level of love that God requires and has made possible for our hearts.
The answer that is so blatantly clear is that it is impossible to look to this world for the solutions to humanity’s problems. We must seek a higher authority and a higher kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ taught in Matthew 13:44-47(ESV), “44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.”
A treasure hidden in a field
It can be said that most have gone down a dark rabbit hole searching for the wrong treasure. All our tools are faulty, the map is flawed, and our thoughts are too tainted with misinformation and lies to find the treasure we seek. How did we get to such a state? To answer that question, we have no other choice but to go back to the very beginning, in Genesis. God lets us in on His magnificent and brilliant creative power. He begins by telling us the order by which He intelligently laid layer upon layer of perfection in the earth. No detail was missed, no step overlooked. He created a utopia, a paradise fit for a king, and then created the human for which it was made.
The curiosity of Adam and Eve, and their willingness to be tricked because of it, demonstrates that in the human soul, both curiosity and the desire for treasure are backed in. It is also very clear that love doesn’t imprison, force, or push. Our Heavenly Father could have slapped that ol’ apple out of Eve’s hands. He could have very easily kept them from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or removed this tree from their access, but God is sovereign, and His sovereignty is absolute. His power, authority, and rule have no equal. He doesn’t squabble with us about truth. He speaks, and as the final authority in every aspect of all there is, we are to listen. Adam and Eve chose not to do that. Many of us have made that same choice.
1John 4:16(NLT) tells us, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” God is love, and He demonstrates for us how love behaves. He does not restrict our choices. He did not restrict satan’s choice to sin against Him and to trick Adam and Eve, and He did not restrict Adam’s and Eve’s choice to fall for satan’s tricks and make a terribly wrong choice. He gave dominion and authority within the earth to human beings. He gave us everything we could ever possibly need for good housekeeping of our souls, and the condition of the world today is an image of what happens when the love of Jesus Christ is absent from the human heart.
God, Himself, is the treasure! His Kingdom is a mirror reflection of Him! The rules, statues, and laws that govern His Kingdom are perfect, pure, excellent, and lovely. His Kingdom is the home of every child of God, for that is where our Father lives. He demonstrates for us how a treasure shines, how a treasure operates, and how a treasure behaves. When we accept His love through the Lord Jesus Christ, God comes to live in us. He is closer to us than our next breath, but most people remain blind to Him. They miss Him because they will not open their hearts and minds to fathom that through Jesus Christ, we are citizens of Heaven, and our Heavenly Father asks no more of us than to live through, in, with, and by Him.
1Corinthians 2:9-10(NLT) says, “9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.” The rich and vast treasure of God’s Kingdom is greater than anything we have ever imagined, and through His Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Father invites us to sit at His table and enjoy all that He has made available to us.
God is the Creator and Owner of the Kingdom of Heaven, and He has a plan. Ephesians 1:9-10(NLT) tells us, “9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” Right now, everything isn’t together under the authority of Christ. Every knee has not bowed to him, but they will! God’s Kingdom is our home, and it's extraordinary to know that He is expanding His Kingdom through us. We are a big part of His Kingdom plan, so although our bodies are here on are, our lives must be governed by the laws, statues, and rules of heaven. Faith and gratitude to God is our culture.
Our souls often have an agenda that isn’t aligned with our Heavenly Father’s plan. To the extent that they do, we must renew our minds by changing the way we think. We cannot have the same mind as those who do not honor God through Christ. We are set apart for His purpose. We are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as His Kingdom people, our minds and hearts, we ought to dwell there continually. God and His Kingdom are our greatest treasures, and as His plan for the earth goes forward, we must remind ourselves that although we are in the world, we are not of it. God is working in us through His Holy Spirit, and He is making everything work out according to His plan.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God’s Kingdom Plan”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Opmerkingen