Are you helping to build the kingdom of God, or are you contributing to the tearing down of the kingdom? That is a question we all need to ask ourselves everyday. What did I do today to help build the kingdom of God? And then, What did I do today that helped in the tearing down of the kingdom of God? Everyday in all of our actions, our words and even in our thoughts, we are either building or tearing down. You say, how can we be doing this in our thoughts? Well, because what you let your mind think, is either building your faith in the Lord, or tearing it down. You see what we feed into our minds has to come out somewhere, whether in our words that are actually spoken, or through our thoughts that we are speaking to our own hearts.
Here are some ways we build the kingdom of God. When we walk in love toward our neighbors. Neighbors meaning anyone we meet on the street. Not just the person living next door to you or your co-church members. No, this is the man you see on the street who needs food, or a job, or just a warm coat. This is the young person in front of you in line at the cash register and doesn't have quite enough money to pay for all their groceries, so they are trying to decide what to put back, and you step in and say let me cover that for you. That is like when Jesus said, let my blood cover that sin for you when you came to him and humbled yourself and repented for your sin. When you give to your local missions, and homeless shelters, and when you give to your church sponsored missions, or when you help to build your church a new building for the youth, which are by the way one day going to be sitting where you are, and now you are setting the example for them on building for God's Kingdom, then you are working toward building the Kingdom of God.
We need to walk in love no matter what we are facing. We need to have our hearts so full of His word, that our flesh won't know what to do without checking with our heart first, and then our hearts are so full of what God says, that the flesh will have to act accordingly. This is a prayer I pray over myself everyday, that the Lord will fill my heart so full of His word, that its spilling out over the edges, and my flesh has to soak it up and act accordingly to His word. HALLELUJAH! That gets me excited every time I say it.
Luke 10 vs 25-34....and behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"
So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and your neighbor as yourself." And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him, and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him......
Now, how might you be tearing down the kingdom? Well, if you are walking around in a bad mood all the time, or using foul language, or being ugly to someone behind the counter or a co-worker, or going around gossiping, for instance if when we speak, and we are not speaking to someone as if we were speaking to Jesus Himself, then we might need to check ourselves. Or when we listen to or tell dirty jokes because we think they are funny. There are so many ways in our everyday life, that if we do not check ourselves with the Holy Spirit before we re-act to a situation we could easily be tearing down God's kingdom. Especially when you let people know you are a Christian and then you walk around with a filthy mouth, or gossip, etc. then you are destroying their thoughts about Christianity, especially if they are not Christians already, Why would they want to be like you? Same goes, if you are doing good for someone and always pleasant to be around, then they would be more likely to want to be like you and have this Truth and Joy you have.
Col. 3 v 8-10...But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.
This scripture is telling us, once we have become Christians, we are no longer to live like our old ways, the old man in us died, and now Christ lives within us. We are a new man in Christ. So we should act accordingly.
Col. 3 vs 12-14....Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.......
So depending on how others see us in our everyday lives, is a true showing of whether we are building His Kingdom or tearing it down.
Neta
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