Fasting & Prayer - Day 11 - Kingdom Work First

Kingdom Work First - Today's Theme.  How do I think about heaven compared to today's living experience?  Do I compartmentalize them?  Do I say:  Heaven is gonna be great!  No more sin, temptation, no more sorrow - I can't WAIT for that!  I'm gonna be perfect there, I won't have to worry about making bad decisions or choosing the chocolate too many days in a row.  <sigh>  Now, back to reality.  (And reality - is this the best life possible?)


This type of thinking is actually humanistic thinking.  It puts 'me' at the center of my life, of everything I do.  Yipes!  Father forgive me for falling into humanistic thinking.  Somewhere along the way, I slipped into this mindset and forgot a foundational truth:  The best things about heaven are available to me TODAY.  'What in the world is that?' you ask, 'It had better be able to help me - in a literal sense - today.'  Ok, have I not already proved myself as the most concrete-thinker you know?  You haven't yet been driven crazy by that?  OK - hang with me for a minute here...

<SPOILER ALERT - if you are attending the Victory In Jesus class at Beaverton SDA Church on 1/11/14 @ 2:30pm>

What are the benefits available to me today from Jesus' death on the cross?  I want a list - a Biblical list - and it better change my life.  Ready - set - go:  (ok, I'm the one typing here, so guess I win!)

First - what type of person must I be for God's grace to fall upon me?

• Without strength, weak, helpless  (Rom. 5:6)  - Did I mention chocolate?  Weak.
• Ungodly  (Rom. 5:6) - Did I mention my preferred entertainment on the internet?  Uh - ungodly.
• Sinner  (Rom. 5:8) - Well this is easy - like David (Ps. 51:3) 'my sins are ever before me'
• Enemy of God  (Rom. 5:10) - Oh my.  Let me just say - I can see that in my life...

It seems unbelievable.  Can I even take that in?  Dear Jesus - help me absorb the beauty of Your gift - that it releases me from work.  There is nothing - ever - I can do to deserve You or anything You have to give me.

Second - that Grace draws me to Jesus's death on the cross which springs forth benefits!!  How cool is that!  But what are they and how do I get them?

OK - here's the deal:  every single morning, when I wake up - I remind myself of the conditions for God's grace to fall upon me:yep, I'm weak, ungodly a sinner and an enemy of God.  Then I remind myself (Rom. 6:11) that when Jesus was up there on the cross, the Father looked at Him and saw the name LAURA and then He saw all of my sin hanging there.  That "thing" that tempts me to be discouraged because I fell into it just yesterday?  That was hanging up there...  Now, when the Father looks at LAURA, He sees the perfect sinless life of Jesus!  Wow!  That's why Jesus cried Why have You forsaken Me?  Because all the Father could see was LAURA!  Now I'm excited to see what the benefits of the cross are!  Believe me - this is a partial list - grow your own...

Now - say after me - I've been:

• Made RIGHT or JUST with God (Rom. 5:9) - a justified column of text - aligned with God's ruler
• RECONCILED (Rom. 5:10)
• SAVED (Rom. 5:10) - note, this is not 'salvation'.  Each day, as I repeat Romans 6:11 - I am reminded that I am now dead to sin.  I have been SAVED by Jesus' death which I choose to have enter into my life!  As I 'die' today - Jesus will be 'living'His victorious life in me!  
• GIVEN A PERSONAL DEMONSTRATION OF GOD'S LOVE (Rom. 5:8) - look, I know that today I'm still gonna be weak/ungodly/sinner/enemy of God each time I forget to let Jesus live His  perfect life in me. The seed of victory takes time to grow.  When that happens, I'm not gonna let my focus turn to my wretched SELF and wallow in guilt, discouragement, doubt - and then start punishing myself.  Nope!  I'm gonna say Hallelujah, Jesus is MINE - and I'm gonna run right on back into the Father's open and loving arms and confess and remember my reasons for rejoicing!
• REDEEMED (Eph. 1:7) - (not the same as Salvation) Remember Ruth & Boaz?  I've been purchased back!  The Lover of my soul has taken back His creature!
• SANCTIFIED (Heb. 10:10) - Once.  Boom.  Jesus was that one-time sacrifice for me.
• FREED from guilt, from condemnation (Rom. 8:1-3)!  Oh praise the Lord for this!  Jesus - New Testament - neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.  No - I will NOT buy into the guilt/condemnation-lie of evil.
• CONSIDERED PERFECT FOREVER! (Heb. 10:13) - Get that?  Sanctification and perfection are 2 big words that don't mean the same thing.  I have accepted Jesus' death - BOOM - I'm considered perfect FOREVER!  Mind-blowing, huh?
• REMINDED THE ENEMY IS POWERLESS (Heb. 2:14-15).  Do I REALLY GET THAT?  Sure, he is annoying - but when I move into praise - see ya evil one!  Talk to the hand of the Man from Galilee!  Jesus is living His perfect live in me - praise the Lord - and I have nothing to worry about...

Now it makes sense - that IS heaven!  Relationally, powerfully - I can experience heaven TODAY!  Sure, someday I'm gonna get to see the physical reality of the coming Kingdom.  But hey - it is simply mind-blowing to realize I can experience everything else now.

Thank You Jesus for Your incredible gifts to one as undeserving as I am...