Access Denied

S - "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

O - Most likely no one is surprised to hear Jesus talking about entrance requirements into the Kingdom that never ends.  The qualifier he identifies is available to all and is described as doing the will of my Father who is in heaven. The surprise is what won't work as a part of this entry qualifier. The things that won't satisfy the requirement include:

·         Correctly identifying Jesus as Lord.

·         Accurately speaking (prophesying) in Jesus' name.

·         Pushing back evil (casting out demons) in Jesus' name.

·         Blessing others (doing many mighty works) in Jesus' name.

Not only do these not make the grade as doing the will of the Father, Jesus will go on to identify them as works of lawlessness or iniquity.  Seriously?  If these things aren't the will of the Father then what are?  While all these activities appear to be in line with God's will on earth, and even when these activities bless others which heaven likes, there is an essential which makes and confirms them as the God's will and confirmation of our entry into the Kingdom.  The essential?  Love. God is love and his kingdom is a kingdom of love.  All of the cited activities can be (and have been) done without love; but the will of the Father cannot be done without love.  It is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22; Luke 10; Mark 12) and without love Scripture confirms all such actions end in nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

A - Culture (personal, secular and religious) is focused on what is seen while the Father and his kingdom focus on what is unseen.  Culture is about doing something to be someone where the kingdom is about being and all doing flowing from that.  Jesus calls me/us to himself and to his Father according to love.  From being loved and in love the doing takes on more significance than meets the eye.  It becomes rife with his relentless love and irrepressible life.  Today I intend to engage him, his will and this earth according to love.

P - God who is love,

Thank you for today and for having a will on earth which includes all 7.2 billion of my fellow earthlings.  I admit my need of your love so that I can really love.  You have loved me/us first, most and refuse to change your mind.  I do love you back and will rely on the love you have for me and us all to enable me to do your will on earth like they do in heaven … according to love.

In Jesus,

Steve

Shameless Living

S - "And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”" (Luke 9:23-27 ESV)

O - Shame is a very powerful force in human life and culture.  Jesus addresses this head-on as it relates to his person and to his words.  Does this shame dynamic apply to all of Jesus' words or only some of them?  Religion picks a very small portion of his words to connect with this direct statement about shame.  Jesus makes no such limitation.  All of his words are included.  Many will want to identify with the shame of his cross but ignore his words on daily needs and provision (Matthew 6:24-34), money and greed (Luke 12:13-34; 16:13-15) and on loving all and judging none (Matthew 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42; John 15:12-17) to cite a few. The result is that we are taught to be ashamed of many of his words under the guise of good stewardship, practical living and how earth really works.  Aren't these the very issues he calls us to deny ourselves to?  Anyone means everyone.  Whoever includes all.  His metric is simple and clear: "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"

A - The term for shame (ἐπαισχύνομαι) has as its root the action of disfigurement.  This is how I can know if I’m ashamed of his words or not.  Am I believing/living his words or altering them (disfigure) to accommodate me trying to keep or save my life?  Either I will succumb to the shame of culture (religious and secular) and disfigure the words of Jesus or I will believe and live them … shamelessly.  I'll need heaven's help to refuse the shame.  The beauty is that heaven is near and stands ready to help.

P - Lord who is life,

I choose to lose … so you will find.  Thank you for clear words about earth so we can be empowered by heaven.  I accept this assignment according to love.  I admit that you are life and your words lead to life.  I also admit that I am little and weak and vulnerable to shame.  Thank you for refusing to be ashamed to call me brother.  I love you back and welcome your irrepressible life and power unto no shame!

Yes according to Jesus,

Steve

Terms and Conditions for Heaven and Earth

S - "Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. … For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. … And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us." (1 John 2:24-25; 3:11, 23-24 ESV)

O - The Kingdom of God offers eternal life to all who will believe. It calls all people to a simple and direct commandment which simultaneously engages heaven and earth according to love. The problem is that earth wants to redefine the terms of eternal life and believing. Earth makes believing all about "accepting" certain theological conclusions about the identity of Jesus.  Heaven keeps it all about an unqualified personal response to the person of Jesus (John 5:39-40). Earth wants earthlings to think eternal life is a status one obtains by holding on to a prescribed formula. Heaven wants earthlings to know that eternal life is a person who will hold on to them forever (John 10:28-29; 17:2-3). Earth says eternal life begins in heaven but heaven wants earthlings to have and experience this life beginning now.

A - Hearing AND abiding are connected to the promise of eternal life. Both the hearing and abiding involve more than information. I am to abide in him (not just the concept of him) and he will be abiding in me. This is a spirit dynamic which is lived out loud day by day by loving God back and all others as myself. Earth (religion) teaches that eternity is all about what place one will abide in. Heaven says it is all about with whom one will abide. With Jesus the place is not an issue. While the ultimate place maybe future the hearing, abiding, loving and living is now!

P - Lord who is life,

Thank you for wanting to abide in me/us and for calling all to abide in you unto the life that is really life. I accept the dynamics of being loved by you, loving you back and all others. I am very glad to be engaging heaven and earth as you intend. Yes to you and your kingdom on earth, in me, as it is in heaven.

Today while it is called today,

Steve