Dave H.
2/26/2014 10:32:31 am
Steve Norman said something on Sunday during the Kingdom Come "Obey" session that really made me think. It started with this scripture passage; "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." That sounds kind of scary. Then he told us that a camel's eyes are on the side of the head, so when a camel walks through a narrow space, once it gets too narrow, it will get spooked and back up. Its own fear and doubts are stopping the camel from proceeding forward. I never knew that! Let's be clear, when we are talking about "the kingdom", we are not talking about just making it to heaven. We are talking about experiencing the richness and fullness of a life worth living and a life of eternal impact. We are talking about growing God's kingdom on earth and experiencing our time on earth as a "slice of heaven", and a life of showing the glory and love of God to world. All of these things are eternal, meaning we carry them with us to heaven. So why is it so hard for a "rich person" to enter the kingdom? Maybe one reason is what Jesus said about when someone doesn't think they are sick, they don't need a doctor. Also, when we are more concerned with safety and security than risk, love, and courage, we are wasting our lives and not experiencing the kingdom. We are the camel backing up in the narrow gate (or the eye of the needle). "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). So we are instructed to seek the kingdom first but it's like a camel trying to get through the eye of a needle. Do you see the quandary? So let's say we are camels. We have to obey our master and trust him to pull us through the narrow gate, and when we get through it we will experience the kingdom. This requires letting go of other masters that have not served us well. It means taking some risks that are outside of our comfort zone. It means listening and responding to God's will for us. It means that we need to think and act differently than other people. We are in the world, but not of the world. We serve a King that loves and pursues us violently, and we owe (obey) it to him to glorify him in every aspect of our life.
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