"For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
~ 1 Corinthians 4:20
I am by no means a biblical scholar, but having read quite a bit over the years I'm pretty familiar with most of the key themes and phrases throughout Scripture. Every now and then I'll come across something that totally strikes me as "new." Although my eyes may have passed over the words on the page, my heart and spirit sometimes tune out. I wonder how many times I completely miss the power of God's Word to mold me!
As a blogged last time (mere days ago!), I'm making strides to become more disciplined in my spiritual life. One of the changes I'm trying to make is to approach Scripture reading/meditation more systematically rather than randomly. Right now, I'm reading through Paul's letters. As I was reading in Corinthians today, the verse above jumped out at me as "new" for some reason--at least new to me. Maybe it's that it resonates more with me today for some reason. Regardless, I think God put it in my path. It's so short and simple, yet deep and profound.
For the Kingdom of God...
The Kingdom of God is situated squarely in the hearts of people, not in the physical realm. It is not forced or coerced, but freely within our choice to accept or deny. When God reigns in one's life (or that of a body of people), God's Kingdom prevails over this dark world. His Kingdom has been established already through Christ, is being established as the Church fulfills its purpose from His commission, and will be established permanently when Jesus returns. Right now, we are privileged to be involved in the expansion of His Kingdom as we reach a lost and hurting world, which is only our temporary home.
...is not a matter of talk...
Wow - talk about conviction! In many ways, we (the Church) have created a paper kingdom based on nothing more than...mere talk. Either we're so caught up in yesterday that we can't see today, or we're so hell bent on tomorrow that we miss today. Thing is today is TODAY. How much time do we waste talking about God's Kingdom instead of living and experiencing it? Every new day God blesses us with is an opportunity to experience and share His Kingdom in real and tangible ways. And when God's Kingdom truly descends, it will not be a matter of mere talk, but...
...but of power.
Dunamai - miraculous power (where we get "dynamite"). How often do we experience miraculous power in our lives, power that can only be explained by God? It doesn't have to be in the form of a sensational miracle (i.e. physical healing, water into wine, etc.), but isn't abiding daily in Christ a miracle enough itself? Isn't His forgiveness powerful (as well as the capacity to forgive)? Isn't the call to be the hands and feet of Christ to the broken so utterly far from our ability that we must have His power dwelling within us? To earnestly reach out and pray and witness God's Spirit invade someone's life?
All these things are powerful miracles if we actually partake of them, but we can't experience that power if we're not living in them daily. I think one of the enemy's subtle attacks is to fill our mouths with words that sound good but are completely void of true meaning, action, and subsequently the unmistakable power of God.
Talk vs. power. Fake vs. real. Jibber-jabber vs. "BOOM!"
We are kings and queens of words. It's time to shut up.
As a blogged last time (mere days ago!), I'm making strides to become more disciplined in my spiritual life. One of the changes I'm trying to make is to approach Scripture reading/meditation more systematically rather than randomly. Right now, I'm reading through Paul's letters. As I was reading in Corinthians today, the verse above jumped out at me as "new" for some reason--at least new to me. Maybe it's that it resonates more with me today for some reason. Regardless, I think God put it in my path. It's so short and simple, yet deep and profound.
For the Kingdom of God...
The Kingdom of God is situated squarely in the hearts of people, not in the physical realm. It is not forced or coerced, but freely within our choice to accept or deny. When God reigns in one's life (or that of a body of people), God's Kingdom prevails over this dark world. His Kingdom has been established already through Christ, is being established as the Church fulfills its purpose from His commission, and will be established permanently when Jesus returns. Right now, we are privileged to be involved in the expansion of His Kingdom as we reach a lost and hurting world, which is only our temporary home.
...is not a matter of talk...
Wow - talk about conviction! In many ways, we (the Church) have created a paper kingdom based on nothing more than...mere talk. Either we're so caught up in yesterday that we can't see today, or we're so hell bent on tomorrow that we miss today. Thing is today is TODAY. How much time do we waste talking about God's Kingdom instead of living and experiencing it? Every new day God blesses us with is an opportunity to experience and share His Kingdom in real and tangible ways. And when God's Kingdom truly descends, it will not be a matter of mere talk, but...
...but of power.
Dunamai - miraculous power (where we get "dynamite"). How often do we experience miraculous power in our lives, power that can only be explained by God? It doesn't have to be in the form of a sensational miracle (i.e. physical healing, water into wine, etc.), but isn't abiding daily in Christ a miracle enough itself? Isn't His forgiveness powerful (as well as the capacity to forgive)? Isn't the call to be the hands and feet of Christ to the broken so utterly far from our ability that we must have His power dwelling within us? To earnestly reach out and pray and witness God's Spirit invade someone's life?
All these things are powerful miracles if we actually partake of them, but we can't experience that power if we're not living in them daily. I think one of the enemy's subtle attacks is to fill our mouths with words that sound good but are completely void of true meaning, action, and subsequently the unmistakable power of God.
Talk vs. power. Fake vs. real. Jibber-jabber vs. "BOOM!"
We are kings and queens of words. It's time to shut up.
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