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Posts Tagged ‘kingdom of heaven’

Eternal Words of Jesus

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 21:33
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Jesus’ words are eternal. Jesus’ message, then, is also eternal. No matter how one might interpret the passages in this chapter of Luke about the end times and whether or not the signs have already happened or will still happen… well, that’s not my point today. No, I just want to highlight the other aspect of this passage which is even more important: Jesus’ eternal words, in the face of the passing away of both heaven and earth, two distinct dimensions of life, will remain. Pure truth will survive. Love will stand. Mercy will triumph over justice. Light will shine brighter than any darkness. Hope and faith will remain.

It is indeed the new heaven and the new earth and that idea is beyond anything we can fathom.

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Seed of Heaven

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on April 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Matthew 13:31b-32
…”The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

The mustard seed metaphor for the kingdom of heaven is really amazing. First of all, if we remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is synonymous with the Kingdom of God … which is within, then the mustard seed of heaven is within and actually has an opportunity to grow. So, some people have a very small kingdom within and some have a very big one…. the nurtured seed that has become a tree.

This is the whole point of following Christ… to nurture and grow the kingdom of heaven. The seed is planted when we accept Christ. If we follow all the growing metaphors that Jesus used and were recorded in the New Testament, there are lots of lessons on how to grow that seed.

I ask the Lord to give me courage to see the true size of my tree. I know I’ve sprouted, but is it still a seedling after all these years? Is it still struggling to grow because of the quality of the dirt? Is it bearing fruit?

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