'Kingdom of God' Tagged Posts

'Kingdom of God' Tagged Posts

Daily Devotions

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” vs. 40 Matthew 25:37-45 There are a growing number of believers around the world who are beginning to refer to themselves as Matthew 25 Christians. For them that closing parable in chapter 25 of Matthew’s gospel is the defining teaching of Jesus’ entire ministry. In their estimation…

Daily Devotions

But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ “vs. 9 Matthew 25:8-12 We have to look hard to find any kindness or grace in the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. The wise refuse to share their oil and the door to the wedding banquet is locked tight when the foolish finally arrive. Fortunately, this is not a parable about…

Daily Devotions

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.” vs. 13 Psalm 145:11-14 The psalmist uses royal imagery in talking about God, and his metaphors seem inadequate to people of our day. But for him they worked just fine. The Lord was like the most wonderful king who could ever be imagined, and his kingdom would endure forever. And while we may…

Daily Devotions

Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’” vs. 3 John 3:1-3 Nicodemus had been impressed by the signs that Jesus had been doing, but he was also puzzled, and he wanted to have a chat. Concerned for his reputation, he came by night and served as a foil for Jesus’ comments about the nature of faith. Nicodemus had seen the signs, but he hadn’t seen the…

Daily Devotions

…so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” Vs. 10 Colossians 1:9-14 The Colossians had made a good start. They had heard the gospel of grace and had responded in faith, and their little community was growing quickly. But as every generation of Christians has discovered, what had happened was only a beginning. Paul reminds them that…

Daily Devotions

Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.” vss. 5-6 Luke 10:1-11 When Jesus sent out the 70 in mission they were traveling in a world that looks very different from our own. They walked in pairs along rural roads, and stopped in villages with dusty streets to cure the sick and bring the…

Daily Devotions

It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;” vs. 31 Mark 4:30-33 Preachers have generally liked Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. It’s relatively short and seemingly easy to understand–and it provides an opportunity for dragging out a seed or two and talking about how they grow. But still there are questions. Is Jesus talking about the Church? It’s unlikely since there was no Church when he…

Daily Devotions

He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.’” vss. 26-27 Mark 4:26-29 Even though we know that all people are in Christ, equipped with the Spirit of God, and designed to be the light of the world, most of the time we don’t quite know what is going on. And Jesus…

Daily Devotions

Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’” vs. 3 John 3:1-8 It’s pretty obvious from watching the way people behave in our world that not everyone is tuned into the kingdom of God. In fact, some days it appears that the vast majority of people are operating on cruise control and don’t have a clue about how to live at peace with self and neighbor. A…