The Kingdom of God was initiated with peace and righteousness when Jesus came to save us from sin. The gospel of His Kingdom is salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus as a crucified and risen Redeemer.
Christ's Kingdom in this present age is a powerful force, an everlasting kingdom established in the death, resurrection and judgment of Christ.
The final stage of the Kingdom of God is the eternal kingdom that is to be ushered in at the second coming of Christ.
John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where i am there ye may be also.
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
17. . . . And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold . . .
Exodus 26:34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
The mercy seat symbolizes God's throne where He judges men's conduct, and His judgment is always a perfect balance of justice and mercy.
The mercy seat is a picture of Jesus Christ. It is through faith in the blood of Jesus that He becomes our mercy seat.
John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (defense attorney) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation (mercy seat) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
PSALM 95:2,3 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For The Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
We are so blessed by the gifts from Your hand
Just can't understand why you loved us so much
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way
Or the words that can say, "Thank you, Lord, for Your touch.
When we're empty You fill us 'til we overflow
When we're hungry You feed us and cause us to know
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring
Take it all, everything; Lord we love You so much
We are so blessed by the things You have done
The victories we've won and what You've brought us through
We are so blessed, take what we hve to bring
Take it all, everything; Lord, we bring it to You
William J. Gaither
It's easy to thank God when things are good, but what about the tough times? Keep praising Him. That kind of praise is called "tough praise".
Job hit bottom, cursing the day he was born when he lost all he had and wound up with boils all over his body, but he never stopped praising The Lord.
Job 1:20 Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshipped.
21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; The Lord gave, and The Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of The Lord.
22. In all this, Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him . . . .
No matter what happens to you, never stop praising The Lord.
As America prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, the words to a beautiful song written by Andrae Crouch best describes my thankfulness.
MY TRIBUTE
How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me;
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.
All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.
To God be the glory, to God be the glory;
To God be the glory for the things He has done.
With His blood He has saved me.
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory for the things he has done.
Just let me live my life,
Let it be pleasing, Lord, to Thee,
And if I gain any praise,
Let it go to Calvary.
To God be the glory for the things He has done.
God is not out there somewhere in some land of vague form. He is very real and has a personal message just for you.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
When you believe in Jesus, you pass from being lost to being saved from hell, from being blind and confused to understanding. You pass from death to life.
Suddenly you will have a brand new outlook and a brand new strength.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
If you don't personally know The Lord, put your trust in Christ. Believe the simple Gospel.
Few people go through life untouched by suffering of one sort or another. How many ways can we suffer -- broken hearts, unhappy marriages, painful illnesses, divorces, depression or loneliness?
God has built a bridge to us through the suffering of His Son. He walks arm in arm with us over the chasm, entering into our own suffering.
Actually, suffering is one of the ways we become more Christ-like. The life of Christ is experienced in "the fellowship of His sufferings".
Philippians 3:10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
God is there when we suffer. He has been there all the time. He is the God of all comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
There will be an end to suffering for those who know and love Jesus Christ.
