Advancing the Kingdom of Heaven Day-to-Day
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” John 14:10-11 NRSV
Series: Love: For the Sake of Others
Devotional: 3 of 5
Do you believe God created you with a plan and a purpose to advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth? Regardless of your season of life, the circle of influence you have been given, or how much you think you have fallen short of God's best for your life; as a follower of Christ, you have been called to live a life of love "for the sake of others."
But what does it look like for you and me to live on mission for Jesus? Day-to-day, how does this practically play out? And does scripture provide a model for how we are to do ministry? To answer these three questions, let's look closer at Jesus' words in the Gospel of John.
John 14:10-11 says, "do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."
In this text, Jesus provides us with an example of how we are to do ministry. Everything He did came out of His communion with the Father. Every word He said, everything He did, everywhere He went - it was all directed by the Father. In the same way that Jesus allowed the Father to direct His steps, we are to allow the Holy Spirit living inside of each of us to guide our path.
Looking closer at Jesus' words in John 14, there are at least two areas we can model as we live on mission for Him.
First, the words Jesus spoke were formed out of His time alone with the Father in prayer. As we spend time alone with Jesus in solitude and silence, He continually molds and strengthens our public words. In the words of Dallas Willard, "silence provides us with a certain inner distance that gives us time to consider our words fully and the presence of mind to control what we say and when we say it."
Second, Jesus' works were a mirror image of what He saw the Father doing. In the same way, "it is God who is at work in [each of us], enabling [us] both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13 NRSV) As we go about our day, the Holy Spirit is our guide, opening our eyes to where He is at work in the lives of the people around us.
Today, my hope for you is that you are beginning to see your unique role in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. As you spend time alone with Jesus in solitude, silence, and prayer; He is molding your public words and actions so that you might "shine like stars" in the midst of a lost and dark world desperately in need of the light of Christ (see Philippians 2:15).
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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