A Kingdom Of Paradox

So are you ready to fall in love with God?

I suppose after challenging you to do so, I need to provide you a roadmap.

Thankfully I don’t have to come up with that on my own; the Bible clearly points the way.

Whenever I’m first trying to discover how I’m supposed to do something through the lens of a biblical perspective, I first turn to Jesus’ words. It’s no different trying to figure out how to fall in love with Him. Jesus said:

    “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Jesus gives us seven simple words that are the key to loving Him. I can boil it down to one: obedience.

What’s that? That’s not easy?

Oh dear Christian you’re confusing the word simple with easy. Simple means not complicated; easy means without difficulty.

See you don’t want simple; you want easy.

There’s nothing easy about being a Christian. It is however very simple. What’s that Jesus taught us about His kingdom?

    “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:1-3)

Jesus is teaching His disciples to give their lives to Him with a child like faith and they can be saved and experience the kingdom of heaven while on earth. Little children completely trust their parents to meet their needs and to do what is best for them.

Oh would that we approach our Heavenly Father in such a way!

The problem is that we come to Christ with our presuppositions and sometimes the confusion delivered from the pulpit and think loving Jesus is complicated. I actually think we want it to be complicated so we have an excuse as to why we are not in love with the Savior.

How do I as an adult love Jesus as a child? It is some paradox, isn’t it? In his national bestseller Loving God, Charles Colson writes:

    “It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn’t want our success; He wants us. He doesn’t demand our achievements; He demands our obedience. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.”

The paradox is not in the kingdom of God; it is in the kingdom of me. I need my success to have self-esteem (a concept from the pit of hell). I need my achievements to have motivation. I want to be a winner; no one likes a loser. I’ve been broken more times than I care to remember; I want healing! I cannot find myself if I lose myself.

The kingdom of God says stop looking through earthly eyes. If you love Me obey My commandments.

But it’s so hard Jesus! That’s why the Bible doesn’t stop at John 14:15. In fact in the next three verses Jesus delivers this wonderful promise:

    “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

I will not leave you orphans. I will pray, meaning Jesus will ask the Father to give us a Helper…the Holy Spirit.

Obedience. Loving Jesus.

How do you love Jesus?

Keep His commandments.

Read His Word.

Spend time with Him in your prayer closet…listening for His voice.

It’s been awhile since you opened His Word hasn’t it? I’m not talking about sitting in the pew on Sunday. I’m talking about when you picked up your Bible say, oh I don’t know, a Tuesday morning and just read to learn.

How about this? How about we start reading the Gospel of John together? Oh, I’m not going to write on it, not necessarily. I love John’s Gospel; it’s the Gospel of Love. Why not start there? We are trying to learn how to fall in love with Jesus.

I hope you’ll join me.

I’m leaving now. I gotta go read John chapter one.

See you tomorrow.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

    Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers

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