(Day 36)
In the gospel of John, Jesus spoke about the difference there is between being able to “see” the Kingdom and being able to
“enter” the Kingdom:
* We are able to SEE the Kingdom when we are born again and our spiritual eyes are
opened.
(John 3:3) Jesus
answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he
cannot see the kingdom
of God
* To be able to ENTER the Kingdom there is an additional requirement.
(John 3:5-6) Jesus
answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God
Being born of water and the Spirit is much more
than the physical act of “being baptized in "water” and “speaking in tongues”.
Spiritual birth involves a transformation that must come from the inside-out.
It requires leaving the old way of life to be born into a new life.
(Ephesians 4:17-32) Now
this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their
understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is
in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have
given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard
about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old
self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through
deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on
the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and
holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the
truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not
sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the
devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest
work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in
need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good
for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day
of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be
put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Resentment, bitterness, wrath, anger, and slander
are burdens we have carried on our backs throughout our lives. But if we want to enter the Kingdom, we must
leave them behind, because there is not enough room to pass them through the
narrow gate, and they don’t belong in the Kingdom of God
The gate to the Kingdom is narrow, but it is worth the
effort to enter through it, because it leads to life.
(Hebrews 12:11-17) For
the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it
yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by
it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make
straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint
but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain
the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes
trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or
unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward,
when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no
chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
If we want to enter into the Kingdom we must release
the burdens and remove the obstacles.
(Isaiah 62:10-12) Go
through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build
up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. Behold,
the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion
(Isaiah 35:8)
And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the
unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
(Isaiah 57:14-15) And
it shall be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every
obstruction from my people's way." For thus says the One who is high and
lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high
and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to
revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
PRAYER
Lord, I am not satisfied with only
seeing your Kingdom. I want to enter into it. I want to cross the narrow gate
that leads to Your Kingdom. I am willing to leave behind my burdens. If anyone
has hurt me, today I forgive and release this person. I ask that you please
forgive my sins; I am willing to change.
Teach me, Lord, the regulations of
your Kingdom; I want to live according to them. I will enter through the gate
and will remove the obstacles so I may build my life in the Way of Holiness. It
will be a process in my life, but I am willing. Thank you, Jesus, because you
have opened the way and you go ahead of us setting an example for us.
[John 3:3-6; Isaiah 35:8]
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