Imagine waking up tomorrow with no worries, no stress, no hurt feelings or anger, and you have a day filled with doing exactly what the Father wants and what pleases him, and you confidently know exactly what that is. I know it’s impossible.
You know what Jesus said about impossible things? “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matt. 19:26
To be fair, in this instance, Jesus was talking about a rich, young goodie-too-shoes that wanted to get into the Kingdom of God and was doing everything right. But Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God. Jesus also said, “the Kingdom of God is already among you!” And I say, that if we can live our lives with no worries, no stress, no hurt feelings or anger, and have days filled with doing exactly what pleases the Father and confidently know exactly what that is. That would be living with your eyes open to the Kingdom of God.
We have been invited into the Kingdom of God. He is offering that kind of peaceful, life-giving existence to you. Why are we not taking it?
Because taking it means we might have to die a little. Like die to ourselves every daily. What is dying to ourselves daily? What does that mean? You could also say yield to God’s will.
Luke 9:23, “And Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
It is metaphorically and literally getting off our phones and turning around to see what you can actually be a part of!
I’m going to walk you through an exercise that my therapist showed me.
Imagine with me you are standing underneath a beautiful waterfall. It’s coming down at just the right speed, it is the perfect temperature for you. It feels magical. Let’s imagine this waterfall is God’s love pouring down on you. Now it is going right through you. In my imagination, I turned into a clear tube at that point and I had some kind of gunky build-up all over the sides. The water was trying to wash it away but I didn’t want it to wash away. I liked it there I found comfort in the build-up. I realized that the water was not going to wash it away unless I wanted it to be washed away. What was the buildup and why did I like it? I saw that the build-up on my tube was all the things that I thought made me who I was. If the gunky build-up was washed away, I would be different, and people woudn’t know me and I would be see through. When others looked at me,they wouldn’t see me anymore. They would see what was inside me. They would only see the love washing through me.
That is the point. In the Kingdom, we reflect His glory, not ours. My built-up gunk in my me-tube was my good hair, my beautiful athletic body, my mother of four boys status. My foster mom status, my starting a scholarship fund for Angolans. My beautiful healthy family, my bank account. My ability to be a giver. My incredible speaking abilities to give just the right amount of inspiration while getting a laugh here and there. That was my gunk! If I can get a crowd to laugh, that is bringing me glory. Not my Father, it feels good for me. I started a Non-Profit scholarship fund, I love to tell others about it because it makes me look really good and giving and special. Do I love to run a Non-profit? No, it’s hard and stressful. My beautiful house brings me glory my beautify body brings me glory. Let me just tell you how much I love telling people that I’m a foster mom, but do I actually like being a foster mom? Uh no, it’s hard. Once I posted a very obnoxious photo of my bio kids and foster kids and adopted kid all playing together in my beautiful back yard lawn and I said, “It’s a foster life! Anyone can do it, you just have to say yes.”
Not many nights after the post, I had to call the police to come to my house because my foster kid was scaring me and my husband, he was 6 years old. No I don’t particularly like fostering, but it does bring God glory. Telling people that I’m a foster mom, I do like that, that brings me glory. I do find deep joy, and a feeling of doing something good and right, but it is really hard.
I’ve got news for you, being an amazing person actually is not very likable. We are affectionately known in our neighborhood as the obnoxiously good couple. The point to this life is not doing amazing things and being as good as possible. The point is bringing glory to God!
To bring Glory to God, we have to find his glory we have to abide in that glory.
I’ve been begging God to show me his Kingdom and allow me to see what he is doing, but I want to do it all while building my resume so I can use it to write a best-selling book someday. Me, Me, Me. I realized that I am the rich young goody-too-shoes.
I started grieving to think of letting those things wash away. So my tube could be clear and when people looked my way, they would cease to see me, and they would see the glory of God. His love for them. So, in my vision of me being a clear tube, I watched all the stuff that I thought made me who I was wash away and I grieved. Then God said to me, “That is what it is like to die to yourself daily. Give up the need to look good before men, and just allow my love to move through you.”
Every morning, when I wake up, my tube is all clogged up again with me. Allowing the tube to be washed out by the love of God is an every-morning event, sometime 3 times a day. Many days I’m too selfish to consider washing my earthly identity away. I try to remind myself that it is not about me. Because I want to be in the Kingdom of God, my life needs to be about bringing Him glory.
The Kingdom is among us. We can look around and see what he is doing and be in Awe. You can be in Awe that he wants to use you! When our self-seeking glory is not getting in the way, we will see opportunities to love people.
To Be Rich Financially
It is curious that every time I’ve heard a minister preach about the Rich Young Ruler and the dangers of being too dependent on money; so far, they always tag on a disclaimer saying, that Jesus was not telling all of us to give all of our riches away. He was specifically talking to that man who had a problem loving his money. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10
So if you really love money this might apply you. Seriously? Who doesn’t love money? Money is a slippery thing. It gives us comfort, money gives us peace, confidence, and allusion of safety. Money is deceitful.
Here is what I say, if this passage makes you at all uncomfortable, plunging you into scripture to defend all the reasons why you should keep your money, then I think this verse is for you! If Jesus appeared at the foot of your bed in the middle of the night, and he said, “can we talk?” You say, of course and bow to his feet because you are so utterly blessed to have the privilege to behold him with your own earthly eyes. And he says, “I am so proud of you. You make us very pleased, just for being you. Thank you for living into who we made you to be. But if you want more from our relationship. If you want to dwell in our presence daily, hearing us clearly, and feeling confident in our love for you; you have to stop depending on money, and look to me for everything. Seek my Kingdom first. I am your provider; I will show you my Kingdom and you will feel so connected. The only way to truly know that you stopped trusting in money, is to give it away. Then you will get to watch first hand, how my provisions come into place. You will see clearly how much I care for you.”
I know I’m purposing a radical, unrealistic approach. My point is that we should always consider that Jesus was being serious, and suggesting a way to have better, right, connected relationship with the Father. We must consider giving it all away.
As I write this sitting in my big, beautiful house, looking out at my comfortable cul-de-sac with it’s breathtaking landscaping; I’m not sure how much I’m actually following Christ, as his advocate to the world. I feel like the rich people giving in the offering at the Temple when Jesus compares them to the poor widow giving all that she has.
“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44
As the rich young ruler was trying to understand how he could get into the Kingdom of heaven by being good and perfect, Jesus said that he should sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
“But when he heard this, he became sad for he was very rich. When Jesus saw this, he said, “how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
Jesus replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
Was Jesus saying the impossible part God would help us with is to be saved while we are rich? Or to sell everything and give to the poor? Oh how we love to stake all our hope on the impossible at this moment! That God can actually save a rich man but give less attention to the impossible act of giving all our possessions away to follow Christ.