Living Heaven's Life Right Here PART 6
The kingdom of God operates differently than this world. When God was getting ready to anoint a new king for Israel, he sent Samuel the prophet to the house of Jesse. When the oldest son, Eliab, stepped forward, Samuel thought for sure he would be the one for he was tall and very handsome. But look at what God said to Samuel.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
More than anything else, God is looking for someone who will believe him! When Jesus was being interrogated by the chief priests and elders of Israel, he said this to them:
Matthew 21:28-32 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them,"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
The prostitutes and the tax collectors knew they were sinners and were willing to believe Jesus. The religious leaders would not believe Jesus because they thought they were righteous on their own. If you read St. John chapter 4 you’ll see the story of the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was living at that time with another man. Because she was willing to believe Jesus and his words, the whole region heard the good news of Christ through her!
God is not looking for those who are doing it all right, but rather for those who will believe him! Right believing precedes right doing. We must set our eyes on what is unseen – this is the beginning of faith. Will you trust that God loves you today and that because of the blood of Jesus, you are perfect in his sight? Will you believe that he is all around you and within you? You are so loved and so treasured today! God uses people who will believe, and by faith, I declare that you are that person who believes! Today is your day to step into God’s perfect plan for you! Today is your day for…