Justification

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”  Romans 5:18

Awareness of our need for Justification begins with accepting that we owed a debt we could not pay.  We stood guilty before God in a sinful nature, deserving of punishment and eternal separation.  BUT God, in his great love and mercy, made a way for sins to be paid, declaring man justified and made right before Him. 

“… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

Romans 3:23-25

Easton’s Bible Dictionary says: 

Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and forever satisfies the law, namely, Christ’s righteousness….. 
 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.   2 Cor. 5:21, ESV

….“Justification is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ,…..justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified”.

“..but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification."  Romans 4:24-25, Berean Standard Bible

Justification from Discovery Bible Helps Word Studyshows the following meaning ~ 

Cognate: 1344 dikaióō (from dikē, "right, judicial-approval") – properly, approved, especially in the legal, authoritative sense; to show what is right, i.e. conformed to the proper standard ("upright").

The believer is "made righteous/justified" (1344/dikaióō) by the Lord – cleared of all divine charges (punishment) related to their sins. 

The easiest way to remember what justification is the way I learned this when I was first saved. Justified:‘just as if I’d never sinned’.  It is what the gospel presents and what Jesus has given us at our salvation. Justification makes us acceptable before God, because we have been cleansed by His blood and given His righteousness. 

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:9, ESV

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21, ESV

Hard to reason, but simple to believe, and believe we must in order to walk in the benefits this brings. Our faith is the one required condition for us to apprehend His righteousness.   Freedom from sin consciousness, guilt, shame, and condemnation are done in this place of ‘just as is I’d never sinned,” forgiven, and accepted before God our Father.   Not because of what we have done, but only in Christ and by His blood.  

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”   Romans 5:1 

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Romans 3:22-26, NLT

Redemption

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,..”

Ephesians 1:7 

“…in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Col 1:14

Redemption Defined ~ 

 “The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.”Oxford Online Dictionary 

Helps Word Study from the Discovery Bible 

629 apolýtrōsis(from 575/apó, "from" and 3084 lytróō, "redeem") – properly, redemption – literally, "buy back from," i.e., re-purchase (winning back) what was previously forfeited (lost).

629/apolytrōsis ("redemption, re-purchase") emphasizes the distance ("safety-margin") between the rescued person and what previously enslaved them.  For believers, the prefix (575/apó) looks back to God's effective work of grace which purchased them from the debt of sin, and bringing them to their new status of being in Christ.

In a biblical context, redemption describes the process by which individuals are freed from the bondage of sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  

Salvation is entirely dependent on one's ability to believe in the redemption that has been provided through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is why Romans 10:9-10 delineates the belief required.  

To redeem someone or something literally means to buy back. It means a price has been paid, the penalty is fulfilled, and the guilt is removed — but, removed from what? This becomes the question that we must answer.  And to answer that, we must consider the beginning of mankind. 

In the beginning, we have God’s creation of man.  Made from the dust of the ground (physical flesh), God breathes into him His own breath of life (spirit), and man becomes a living (soul). Alive unto God, Adam and Eve now live in perfect harmony with God in this perfect environment, the Garden of Eden.    

Through one man's disobedience, we find in Romans chapter five, a full explanation of how sin enters and reigns in the heart of every individual, meaning all require redemption.  The book of Hebrews tells us in 10:5 that Jesus had a body prepared for Him to offer up as a sacrifice. His body and His blood became the price required to redeem man back to God. 

From the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden, as described in Genesis 3, to the arrival of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, and his ultimate death, burial, and resurrection, we begin to understand the need and story of redemption.

The life and blood of Jesus, poured out for the remission of mankind’s sin, becomes the acceptable price before God to redeem and restore mankind. 

In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Ephesians 1:7 ESV

Once redemption was made, our belief is required for restoration. This restoration, as stated in Romans 10:9-10, brings salvation to everyone who calls upon that name. 

 For there is no other name given under heaven whereby men can be saved, 
Acts 4:12. ESV

In summary, redemption is the act of freeing individuals from sin, while salvation is the assurance of eternal life and a restored relationship with God.

Salvation

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 ESV 

The Gospel is about what God has given to us through His son, Jesus Christ. The gospel is a message of salvation.  It is both a message to be believed and a person to be welcomed.

Throughout the scriptures, we are instructed in salvation, redemption, justification, and sanctification.  Big words that we must understand.  They provide our foundation as believers.  We could call them pillars of faith, and as such, I want to explore each of these with you over the next few weeks. 

These truths are activated and released the moment we believe…..

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Romans 10:9-10 ESV 

…and creating a tension of now and not yet that we as believers are called to live in. 
 

To begin with, salvation is one of the easiest words to understand. 

From Oxford's Online Dictionary, we learn that salvation means ~ 1. preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. 2. deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.

From the Helps Dictionary in the Discovery Bible, the Greek rendering for salvation is :

4982 sōzō (from sōs, "safe, rescued") – properly, to deliver out of danger and into safety; used principally of God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin – and into His provisions (safety).  

[4982 (sōzō) is the root of: 4990/sōtēr ("Savior"), 4991/sōtēría ("salvation") and the adjectival form, 4992/sōtērion (what is "saved/rescued from destruction and brought into divine safety”).]

1. 4982/sōzō ("save, rescue") refers to the Lord's saving work in the believer and is applied in all three time tenses in the Greek NT: past, present, and future.  The believer:

   1. has been saved – Eph 2:5,8: "By grace you have been saved for by grace you have been saved through faith”;

           • Believers are being saved from the power of sin (= sanctification, 1 Cor 1:18, 2 Cor 2:15, Phil 2:12).              

           • Believers will be saved at Christ's return from the previous effects of sin (= glorification, Ro 5:10,  11 Thes 5:8, 22 Thes 2:14).

2 Corinthians 1:10 shows us the Apostle Paul's confidence in all three of these phases of salvation provided. It is important for us to understand the tension between the now and not yet.  While we have been saved, we continue to have a daily need for salvation.  We enter this salvation experience through our acknowledgment of Romans 10:9-10, and we live in this place of being saved through a process the bible calls sanctification.  

Next week’s Good Word ~ Redemption  

What does the Lord require?

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 ESV

In a culture that cries out for truth and justice, the church should shine as a beacon of hope.  God’s church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 TM 3:15). We know that His church is composed of many individual members. Within many and varied households, these members form the universal family of God, comprising those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Who is able to see that these independent members, all having been given supreme sovereignty over their own wills, can and would bow to a greater authority that desires to dispense righteous justice?  Shepherds, after the heart of God, are given to us to watch over our souls, helping us navigate the modern complexity of mindsets and choices. 

This is the very plan of God, and ultimately, on that last day, every knee will bow to the name of Jesus, the ultimate judge, dispensing righteous justice.  Until then, Christ, in the believing one, is our Father's hope of manifesting His glory through justice and mercy upon this earth.

This is our job as the church: to continue proclaiming the goodness of God, so that others can receive the mercy He offers now through Jesus.  Justice and mercy must be displayed through individuals who have first humbled themselves before their Lord and King. 

Revelation 19 reveals Jesus’ return; beginning with verse 11 through 16, we read from the ESV: 

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

This is our righteous judge. While Jesus declared in John's gospel,12:48 ~  “the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day,” these words spoken from the Father, manifested by Jesus, are the ultimate judge.  As a two-edged sword, Revelation tells us that His sword proceeds out of his mouth.   Again, you cannot separate Jesus from his word.   They are one and the same. 
 

To dispense justice and mercy requires a vital union with the Father, built on the word and taught by the Holy Spirit.  Our world craves justice, and it needs mercy.
 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

You Must Believe

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
John 12:47-49. New King James Version

It is the Spirit of Christ who brings all things, which Jesus has said, to our remembrance.   All holy Alignment demands agreement with the Spirit of Truth. 

Today’s verse reminds us of the need for our agreement with Him, lest there be judgment on the last day.  

We all face times of questioning, “did God really say.”   It was Eves temptation in the garden.  

Jesus met His own ‘if’ in,‘If you be the son of God,’and then found his security in, ‘man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ His believing that God had said, “this is my beloved son,”  had enabled Jesus to sanctify himself to His Fathers purpose.  Adam and Eve’s rejection of Gods command allowed sin to dominate their choices and ultimately alter their very nature. 

Our scripture from John’s gospel is a strong admonition by Jesus for us to believe. When Jesus was asked by the hungry crowd what work they must do, He responded, you must believe,  John 6:29. You cannot separate Jesus from his words. 

We’d all like to have a Damascus road experience to assure our doubt or disbelief.  Something that knocks us off our horse.  An encounter that blinds by its light and a hearing of the holy voice; but we seldom realise that even these moments still face the same questions.  Whether it’s the challenge of man or simply adverse circumstances, our job is to be steadfast in our confidence that God had said. Paul wrote  that those things that are seen require, no faith, Romans 8:25. It is always the unseen that demands our choice to believe. Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, Romans 10:17, there is sufficient grace in this living word to activate believing.  Thus, choice is freely given to mankind. 

The whole trinity of the Godhead is involved in the process of choice.  

The Father decrees the word.   Jesus is the word.  The Spirit of Truth reveals the word and works within the unbeliever this conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment. 

There is no accountability where there has been no word delivered.  However once the word is presented choice is required.  Acceptance or rejection lies within the purview of every individual.  The servant who heard and received, but did not do was judged.  The one putting his hand to the plow and looking back is judged.  We might be able to coast along in this life, but the day comes when we must give an account for having heard, and the choices we made with that word. 

Holy Refinement

But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires”. 

Matthew 3:15 NLT

• “Let it be so for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” ESV 

•  “ Permit it just now, for it is the fitting way for  [both of us to fulfil all righteousness,  [that is to perform & complete whatever is right].” AMPC 

In this season of holy refinement, God is working throughout His church. We see a great return to holy alignment. A holy alignment that requires  each of us carrying out all that God requires.  Much emphasis is now being placed on a returning, which can only be indicative, first of a leaving.  

We note from Hebrews chapter 3, that it is the evil heart of unbelief that departs from the living God. It is deception to believe we are in love and right before the Father without a life that perpetuates continual, willing, obedience. 

.  

From the New Testament Narrative translation, we find the publicans asking John the Baptist what they must do. His response is “do nothing more than that which is appointed you.” Luke 3:13

Mary at the wedding of Cana tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you”  John 2:5. 

From the book of Samuel we learn from Saul’s example of the cost of disobedience. It cost him his Kingdom.  1 Samuel 15:22-23

From the prophet Isaiah, we learn the Lord delights in obedience and discover it is the willing and obedient who eat the good of the land.  Isaiah rehearses in chapter 1:11,

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me [unless they are the offering of the heart]? says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts [without obedience]; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he-goats [without righteousness].” Amplified Classic.

Verse 17 continues,”If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Amplified Classic

It is said of Jesus in the book of Hebrews, knowing he had a body prepared, he had come to do the will of the Father Hebrews, 10:5-7. His willing obedience, His love of righteousness, crowned Him with the oil of joy.  Hebrews 1:9

Grace, is our Fathers enabling power at work in us.  His truth, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” receives my response of ‘yes’ back to Him.  The purifying work done within us by the Holy Spirit is a holy refinement, a refiners fire producing holy alignment. This experience was never designed to be an one and only event but achieved through daily union with the Holy One.  

These wonderful days, David and I spend the majority of our time pastoring, pastors. That is encouraging and strengthening them to be shepherds after the heart of God, and stewarding and overseeing the souls given to them to guard. 

Leading a people into holiness is not only done through teaching, but must be by precept and example.  If judgment begins with the house of God, it must start with those leading the church.  The teaching that comes from the pulpits must be aligned with holy scriptures.  While we all, as ministers, believe we are preachers of the word, we must also examine whose name is focused and exalted.

Jesus, as the head of His church and comes to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Forever marked as His.    Fire to burn the chaff, ignite the soul and produce a zeal for Him that consumes our lives. The Holy Spirit becomes a seal upon our lives.

Forever marked as His. 

Family Matters

”….. making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”  

Ephesians 1:9-10 ESV 

Family Matters.  Family matters because it is the first place we are given to experience the fellowship of belonging with active participation.  

God is a Father to those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  He desires to be a Father to all.  He has breathed eternity into the heart of mankind, in their creation, that they might hunger for, seek, and find Him.  He is the archetype that all Fatherhood is to derive its ‘name and nature’ (Hudsons translation of Ephesians 3:15).

I had an interesting travelling experience this summer.  I met and engaged in conversation with an individual who participated in Orienteering.  Having no idea what orienteering was, provided me with an entire flight of information.  Following the flight, I took the time to find out what clubs and opportunities were available at home.  I discovered that the ‘club’ asked for three things: participation, service, and fellowship after their regular meetings. This particular club was very clear in its expectation for whole-hearted commitment.

I thought about how much this was like church, of course, it was without Jesus at the head, but still looking for the foundational blocks that church provides.  

The world will have its ‘clubs’ to provide its spiritual and relational needs through participation, service, and fellowship. Mankind intuitively replicates the heart’s cry that God has placed in everyone, yet they try to do so without God.  The innate drive in every individual's heart is the need to serve, to belong, and the need to be a part of something larger than themselves….Family.  

Every healthy man-made organization centres around these three dynamics: participation, service, and fellowship.  As a rule, we are all quite willing to engage in those requirements whenever we join a club, yet when it comes to the ’real’ church, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth, with Jesus as the head, we want to engage on our own terms.  Commitment, for many, loosely gives way to convenience.    

It is the uniting and gathering around a central theme that creates the unity of the group.  One value, one purpose.  The oneness that flows from the Head with a unity and bonds that cannot be broken. 

As the church was founded, we find in the book of Acts a group of men and women gathered around a single purpose, with one heart and one mind.  They continued daily in this purpose in the temple and from house to house.  Understanding that we are a body of believers, fitly joined together as individual members, gives us insight into the needs of mankind.  We all want to belong.  

Our responsibility as believers, when engaging with others, is to be able to touch the eternity that lies within them and bring it forth into the awareness of God and what He has provided through His son, Jesus Christ. 

Ever ready to answer with the hope that lies within us, let us be keenly aware of each opportunity given and sow words of life, trusting that our part continues to water the seeds God has planted, 1 Cor. 6:8. 

P. S.  Enjoy the clubs you share in now, but know the author and giver of all life, is only Jesus. The club is not our life. The job is not our life.   The relationships you have within these groups are opportunities to let the light shine so all will question this hope we hold.   

Kingdom Treasures

‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’ 

Matthew 13:52 ESV 

NLT ~’ new gems of truth as well as old’

From Matthew, we once again see the parables where Jesus taught Kingdom lessons. The purpose was to teach his disciples the secrets of the Kingdom, as He taught new gems of truth, as well as reinforcing the old. 

The parable of the Hidden Treasure, verse 44, and the Pearl of Great Price, verse 45, show us the value of the Kingdom.  Because of the Kingdom’s value, Jesus notes they’re treasures, but treasures one would sell to acquire that which has greater value. 

From the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that no man can serve two masters because they will love one and hate the other.  What you treasure is what your heart will pursue.  

So, our training, as disciples of the Kingdom of Heaven, creates in us a heart that holds the treasures of heaven.  We have come into an inheritance where His divine power has granted to us the riches of this realm.  All things that pertain to life and godliness grow through the knowledge of Him.  

Called to His own glory and excellence, these precious and great promises enable us to become partakers of His divine nature, 2 Peter 1:3-4, escaping the corruption that lies in the world through sinful desires. 

Our treasure holds not only what is old but also the new.  We have truths that have been revealed to us through Scripture, beginning with the Old Testament and concluding with the New.  These are not two separate books of thought, but one continuing revelation of the character and nature of God as He works to redeem mankind by His gift, Jesus Christ.  Jesus, who will ultimately ‘in that day’ return to set up this Kingdom where every knee bows and every tongue confesses that He is Lord. 

This Kingdom, in the book of Revelation 21, reveals a new heaven and a new earth descending from the heavens, where the dwelling place of God will be with man.  He will dwell in their midst.  There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for all will have passed away.  The One seated on the throne makes all things new. He promises His words are faithful and true.  The one who is the beginning and the end gives to the thirsty the water of life.  This is the heritage of the one who conquers, the one who has been discipled, will be the son of God forever.  This is Kingdom Reality. 

To the one who has been discipled for the Kingdom of Heaven, the work carries on.  Treasures of what we learned here on earth and what we will learn within the Kingdom that is yet to come will continue.  

2 Peter 3:11-13 gives us some understanding of the ‘not yet’ tension of waiting. 

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Having been discipled for this work in the Kingdom, we continue to do our part as His expression here and now while we wait for the ‘not yet’.   

Trained for the Kingdom

“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” 

Matthew 13:52 ESV 

NLT: Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.  

HELPS WORD_STUDIES reveals that our word here for ‘trained’  is the Greek word #3100 ~ disciple.  The Greek uses the past tense of 'having been,’ and so translates this as having been discipled, and gives us the following definition and explanation ~ 

3100 mathēteúō (from 3101/mathētēs, "disciple") – to disciple, helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured disciple (literally, "a learner," a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, i.e. a believer learning to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice. 

Our life and work in the Kingdom reveals the level of our growth in discipleship.  As we grow in the knowledge of God, we become equipped with understanding and wisdom to project Kingdom realities.  

Matthew chapter thirteen deals with Jesus’ method of teaching through parables.  When the disciples ask, ‘Why parables?’, Jesus responded, so you will know the secrets of the kingdom.  He begins his answer by explaining his purpose (verses 10-16) and restates the explanation again in verses 51-52.  Highlighting their need to understand, he has taken the time to thoroughly explain to them Kingdom realities through parables, thus learning ‘new gems of truth as well as old’.

We learn the parable of the sower is foundational to understanding all parables.  The condition of the heart is the measure of fruit-bearing.  Always assigned to do greater works, it is paramount that a disciple purge himself from all things that would prevent the fullest measure of fruitfulness.  The parable of the sower explains the need for examining and guarding one's heart, which becomes foundational to all activities in Kingdom work.  

Continuing with Matthew chapter 13, mindful that the purpose of all the parables was to train the disciples with new gems of truth that gave them understanding (secrets) of the Kingdoms operation; we come to the parable of the weeds and the parable of the nets.

First we learn from the parable of the weeds that we have an enemy who sowing corrupt seeds in the fields we are working in.  Bad seeds grow with the good. Then the parable of the net explains how the Lord will separate the good fish from the bad at the end of the age. It is important to note, in both of these parables, who, how and when the unprofitable is dealt with.  

The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven both teach us that this new Kingdom penetrates everything it touches, growing into fruition.  The Mustard seed shows us how the smallest of seeds grows into a tree that can provide a dwelling place of rest and security for the birds of the air.  The leaven shows us the ability and the power, the kingdom has to impact and influence all it penetrates. Growth and increase are the natural state of this Kingdom.

With Jesus’ words to his disciples, ‘I give you all authority over all the power of the devil… and nothing shall by any means harm you,’ (Luke 10:19; Matthew 28:18), and His final recorded expression, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…Go therefore and # 3100 disciple all nations. Having been trained, discipled, they were ready to go and do His work, holding treasures of truth, both old and new.    

To be continued…..

Kingdom Within

For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].

Luke 17:21 Amplified 

When we speak of the Kingdom of God, we understand this to be a spiritual realm. When we speak about a Kingdom, we are speaking about a King and His domain.  

The Kingdom of God is a reality that is now, but not yet.  While the church is the pillar and foundation of truth, she exists as the body of Christ here on the earth, now, to be expressed through every individual member of His body. His body, designed and purposed to continue His work, manifesting His Kingdom ways and rule, while we await  His return.  

The mystery of the Kingdom, which God has chosen to make known, is found in Colossians 1:27.  It is Christ in us, the hope of glory.  Being crucified with Christ, according to Galatians 2:20, sets the believing one free of the past, giving a whole new realm to live within. Through Jesus, a place has been prepared for us to dwell that we may be found as one new man with the Father and His Son, John 17: 20-23, abiding in perfect union.  

‘Carriers of the presence of God’ is the new reality God has created through His son, Jesus Christ.  This gospel announcement ushered in a new way and realm of life with God.  The tabernacle of God is with man, now, as Jesus expressed from Luke 17:21, and yet to be, Revelation 21:3. The eternal Kingdom has no end 

The present moment is what we must give ourselves unto, to understand and practice the ways of His Kingdom.  Jesus told his disciples, “Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear”. As opposed to those whose hearts had grown dull, hearing but never understanding, and seeing but never perceiving,  Mt. 13:14-16. His message of the Kingdom was preached, taught, and recorded in Scripture for us to learn and practice.  “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”.

Being able to see and hear is the beginning of revelation. This is why Jesus remarked that the Parable of the Sower is the one parable that is the most important to understand, Mark 4:13.  Understanding involves hearing and receiving in order to be fruit-bearing.  Fruit-bearing is foundational to each part of His body doing its share of His work. 

The Apostle Paul prayed that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give believers the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  That the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, Ephesians 1:16-18.  

It is understanding Christ within us, extending His Kingdom now, that we see and hear the need to hold His Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  While Isaiah writes His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, it does not say we cannot hold them.  Paul wrote we have been given the Spirit to know the mind of Christ and understand the things that have been freely given to us by God, 1 Cor. 2:7-16.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, is the prayer Jesus taught.  The tension we live in is a Kingdom that is now and yet to be.  We long for this Kingdom, and while we wait, we align and work to do His will while we manifest His Kingdom in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  Romans 14:17 

To be continued…….

Your Kingdom Come

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Matthew 4:13 ESV

From the Spirit filled life study Bible (electronic ed., Mt 4:17). The verb is at hand means “has come,” “has arrived,” or “is here,” and suggests the inauguration of the reign of God, which still awaits its consummation.

The term “gospel’ means announcement.  The announcement of a new King.  A new King creates a new Kingdom.  This message was promised through the prophets, preparation declared by John the Baptist, then by Jesus and to be continued by us.  

We live in the tension between now and not yet. Jesus came to reveal this Kingdom teaching and preaching a message that challenged not just the status quo of religion but the reality of expectations and practices. The difficulty, at the time of Jesus, was that the Jews were expecting a natural King.  One who would free the nation of Israel from its current political state. 

His declaration from John 18, ‘My kingdom is not of this world’ emphasis’ the spiritual realities of His Kingdom. The New Testament teaches a kingdom within us. Highlights from Romans teach us freedom, in this Kingdom, is found in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  the message of the Kingdom and the ways of the Kingdom. 

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount opens up a whole new perspective on Israel’s understanding of the law and the prophets. He begins teaching the ways of the Kingdom and then goes about demonstrating Kingdom thought and practice. 

Under the Lordship and Authority of a new King, his subjects gain access to the abundant life He has come to provide.  Luke 17:21 acknowledges the Kingdom of God is within us necessitating the need for all to be born again. You must believe, Romans 10:9-10.

Jesus’ death and resurrection, his body and his blood, satisfied the legal requirements for the redemption of mankind and provided deliverance from the Kingdom of darkness. The confession of Lord, seeking His will, assures us of an entrance into this eternal Kingdom prepared for all who will believe. 

Bowing our knee to this new King holds recognition of having lived within the old. Colossians identifies the old as  this Kingdom of darkness. Accepting Jesus Christ take us out of this dark kingdom ruled by evil and fear and into His Kingdom of Light where darkness has no power to overcome - Col. 1:13; John 1: 5.

The Apostle Paul wrote, it is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, Romans 14:17. Peter wrote in his second epistle, 1:3-11 a list of characteristics we were to be diligent to acquire and practice promising entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

As we live in this tension of now and not yet, we pray for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done,  with our cry, Come quickly Lord Jesus. 

To be continued ~ ……

Bitter

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 

Hebrews 12:15 NLT 

A root of bitterness left unattended is shown from Deut 29:18 as having the potential to turn hearts away from God.  In our pain and bitterness, we can understand how this would work. The questioning of why God, who could have, should have, done something did not prevent this from happening.  Or the self-condemnation of why did I let this happen,  as if I can control another’s choices.

The reality is simply this: in pain, we can’t see clearly; perceptions are clouded, and judgments are skewed. We’ve all experienced devastating losses in life.  From the death of a loved one, to suffering through broken relationships.  Live long enough, and you face many opportunities to deal with loss and disappointment.  These things are common to man. 

Life’s question isn’t about what we’ve lost or why, but how to move forward without adapting to the bitterness of soul that works to hold one in tormenting bondage.

Scripture is filled with multiple examples of loss which we see from the following….

 

From the book of Ruth, we see Naomi become Mara in her bitterness..

Childless Hannah in 1 Sam 1:10 

David, at Ziklag, 1 Samuel 30 

Jobs devastation with too many references to list. 

Bitterness was expressed over captivity by the people and through the prophets. 

The disciples over Jesus’ crucifixion. While we don’t see the word bitterness, the emotions displayed show us resentment, frustration, and their struggle with faith.

All these, and more, give us understanding and help to deal with and overcome bitterness. While this is common to man, we see the redemption of God in each of their stories and are assured there is hope for tomorrow.  

From the Topical Encyclopedia we read 

“Bitterness of soul is a profound emotional state characterized by deep sorrow, anguish, and resentment. This condition is frequently depicted in the Bible as a response to severe trials, injustices, or unfulfilled desires. It is often associated with a sense of hopelessness and a feeling of being overwhelmed by life's circumstances.”

The Apostle Paul, addressing bitterness, shows us common manifestations associated with this wound when he writes ~ 

Ephesians 4: 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”  

The fruit reveals the heart.  The awareness that these are manifesting alerts us to our heart condition.   Moving past the pain, to regain our strength and forward momentum, begins with acknowledgement.  Ownership that bitterness lies within and that we need help is the beginning of healing. 

It’s the same process for all.  We meet loss and we move through the emotional upheaval it brings but always choosing to bring everything into captivity to the word of God.  Whatever the loss, however it came, love covers a multitude of sin and holds no record of suffered wrong.   We forgive by choice, not feeling.  We forgive not only others but ourselves.  Always mindful that we cannot control others' choices or actions, only ours, and we must choose life, to truly be free. 

This always brings us back to our foundation in God.  As we trust Him, we are restored and healed, engaging once again in Christian community, giving and receiving life with the others. 

The comfort we receive from Him, Paul wrote, we then become able to comfort others  in their affliction. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Weeping may endure for a night but the promise of joy holds hope for our morning.  

Feeding on Faithfulness

“If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 

2 Timothy 2:12-13 Berean Standard Bible 

HELPS WORD STUDIES on ENDURE and DENY ~ 

    Endure: Cognate: 5278 hypoménō – literally, remaining under (the load), bearing up (enduring); for the believer, this uniquely happens by God's power (cf. 1 Thess. 3:5)

    Deny: 720 arnéomai – properly, deny (refuse); hence, contradict, refuse to affirm or to confess (identify with); disown (repudiate).

Psalm 37:5 encourages us to Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness”. The NAS reads ‘Cultivate faithfulness’ but the literal rendering is to ‘feed on faithfulness.  

Another example, promoting endurance is found in Jeremiah 29:4-7.  We learn Israel, even in captivity, was to increase and flourish.  Life demands a continual awareness of the faithfulness of God. Good times, tough times, we need to pay attention to what we are cultivating in our lives. What are we feeding on?  What are we giving consideration, observation or meditation to beyond the necessary routine affairs of home and work?

Moses set before the people the law and then told them to choose what they would hear and obey.  The law was designed to bring life.  Without adherence to the law, the default choice was death.  Joshua constantly fed upon this book of the law. Assured that his obedience to it would make his way successful.  

Jesus said ‘feed on me and live’. The daily cultivation of the word of God sustains and enables us to endure as we wait on His times. Without a daily diet we are tempted to question, doubt, and ultimately deny the validity of what God has decreed.  Without endurance, we can’t increase. 

We are told how to walk on water in the midst of a storm and shown that sinking always comes when we look at the storm, rather than at Jesus. I’m thankful for His faithfulness in those moments to reach out and save.  This isn’t to encourage us to continue fretting and doubting while we consider our troubles. Jesus’ response to Peter ; “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
 

In these moments the doubting reveals what our trust is in. Doubting Him reflects a lack of trust or knowledge in His character.  How awful it is to doubt the very nature of a God who is the epitome of a loving Father.  

Our new covenant is established on the very nature of Gods innate character revealed throughout scripture. Let me concluded with just few scriptures to remember. These are foundational to our believing in the character of God and sufficient to hold us through any storm. 

 

Exodus 34:5-7

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty ….

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Romans 3:3-4

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? / Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar.

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

SIGNS FOLLOW

The Lord working with them confirming the word with signs following.   Mark 16:20 

These signs shall follow them that believe ….Mark 16:17 …

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 

What we believe is foundational to our activity.  Who we believe also shapes our activities. 

Destiny and purpose are two thoughts that I keep engaging with the Holy Spirit.   If we consider, as the bible states, ‘times and seasons,’ we understand that to every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven, Ecclesiastes. 3:1 KJV. 

We understand that a day, with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years is a day, 2 Peter 3:8.  As humans, we practice a linear concept of time that revolves around a yesterday, a today, and a tomorrow. In contrast, God exists in the eternal "now." 

Given an allowance of time on earth, we are told to redeem the times we are given. Life isn’t only about being active, but being active in the right things, at the right time.  At the right time, is a well used scriptural phrase describing a God set time.  Galatians highlights a ‘due season’.  A due season being an assigned ‘now,’ by God.  

We are given one life this side of heaven. This life is to be spent, as I’ve written, seeking and finding God.  Growth occurs through our active engagement doing His purpose.  We become like Him as we learn Him.  So, every opportunity in life is a God opportunity to do just this; seek, learn, and grow with the ultimate goal of expressing to others the very life and nature of our Father.  

With the dawning of every new day, we are given opportunities. This isn’t hard to figure out.  We get up every day, separating ourselves to His agenda as we go about life with Him.  Husband, wife, parent, sibling, relative,  friend, employer, employee; wherever we connect with people, there is to be the manifested presence of God through us. 

Right words, right actions, right results equal His righteousness displayed.  God is glorified in the activities of our day.  These relationships come, go, and shift throughout our lifetime, and what we have in one season may be present in another.  We must learn to seize the day given. 

For over thirty years, Jesus was a faithful son who grew in wisdom and stature, finding favour with God and man; until his ‘kairos’ moment arrived. 

This is life, walking supernaturally in a natural realm, seeking and seizing divine opportunities with God. Understanding times and seasons, heightens our awareness of opportunities set before us.  

Change is inevitable, yet it always leads us to a greater good in God. With Him, there is always increase ~ from faith to faith, from strength to strength, from glory to glory.  

Where there is a declaration of ‘I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded…,’ there is God's activity at work.  Where a believing in a due season exists, there is still  God activity working in the waiting. Signs follow the believing.  

Greater Works

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12

The awareness of Almighty God within encourages us to continue His work on this earth. It is staggering to consider that He has chosen to dwell within us through the presence of His Holy Spirit. Anchored by Ephesians 3:20, let us live with the awareness that we have been destined to do ‘greater works’ as Jesus promised in our verse today. 

In our pursuit of learning God through daily events, we discover His nature, His will and His purpose.  Invited to engage with His activity, we have been graced (enabled) to do these greater works, “of his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”  Jesus is doing His part in heaven, and we are left here on this earth to do ours.   We are graced to extend His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, Romans 14:17.  

From the onset of creation, mankind was to be fruitful and multiply.  Colossians tells us that bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God is fully pleasing to the Father.   Our destiny is to increase: to increase with the increase of God.  Greater works that these can mean more in splendour, number, or simply because more believers are doing His work. 

The parable of talents in Matthew’s gospel teaches us that we are to take what has been given and increase it for the glory of God. It identifies the one with unused hidden talents as the one who knows God incorrectly.  

What if we were to meet every moment, aware of the power at work in us, both to will and to do His pleasure?  We would surely stretch forth hands, open our mouths, lay hands on the sick and cast out devils. To know we have been designed and equipped for greater works is to know we are also pruned to bear much fruit.  Life with God revolves around our destiny in Him, and He is never weary in His work with us.  
 

John 15 expresses the fruit-bearing process. 

• John 15:2 ~ pruned to bear more fruit. 

• John 15:5 ~ abiding bears much fruit 

• John 15:8 ~ bearing much fruit glories the Father and proves we are disciples of Jesus. 

• John 15:16 ~ Chosen and appointed by Jesus to go and bear fruit, and our fruit is to remain. 

The greater one within enables us to do the greater works. 

How Big Is Your God. #2

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell….” Col. 1:19

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have fitted in Him…” Col 2:9

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:16 

Helps Word Studies on ‘fullness,’ 4138 plḗrōma – "sum total, fulness, even (super) abundance,”

How does indwelling fullness even work?

We live in constant tension between the legal truth found in Christ and the vital aspects of daily living. Legally, we have the position of ‘fullness’ in Christ.  Vitally, we live in the reality of what we personally know and believe.  

 We have been writing about the Greater One living in us.  Living and moving in Him increasingly becomes our goal in life; to be vitally united with Him in all things, at all times.  Living a life conscious of His presence is essential to express His fullness.

Growing up into Him, in all things, is to allow His fullness to permeate every fibre of our being.  This is why we are told to love God ‘fully’.  All of our heart, all of our mind, all of our body, and all of our strength are to be engaged in and with Him.

Recently, I wrote about boundaries, and I will remind you that while we have our boundaries set and determined by God, we inevitably create our limitations by what we know and believe.  What we know and believe ultimately affects our ability to express Him fully. 

Legally, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, we find His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his glory and excellence. His glory and excellence have granted us precious and very great promises.  Through these promises, we may become partakers of His divine nature. This is the legal truth.

Vitally, our first-hand knowledge of Him and His promises creates greater confidence. Growth is a necessity for the manifestation of fullness.  Jesus grew in the wisdom and stature of God, and we must too.  

The tension between legal and vital is resolved in more of Him, less of me.  

How Big is Your God?

“…Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” 
1 John 4:4

This verse from John reminds us that the power of God within us far surpasses any challenges or adversities we may face in the world. This leads us to a fundamental question: Who is God to me? How do I know Him? Knowing and serving are necessities for eternal life, that quality of life that exists now and forever.  Who and how we know Him and serve (worship) Him, form the flow of His eternal life.  

Elijah, in 1 Kings 18:21, challenged Israel, “If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!"  Moses set before Israel a choice, Deut. 30:19 .  Jesus gives us the way, John 14:6, but then lets us know which path leads to life and which leads to death, Matthew 7:13-14.  

1 Cor. 6:19; demands consideration of the question,  who is my God and how I will serve Him?

“You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don't own yourselves.”  

Our Scripture verse today from 1 John reads;  “You are of God little children and have overcome them.. (every spirit that is Anti-Christ which is now at work in the world) ..because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  

In the Old Testament, Israel carried the presence of God in the Ark of the Covenant. When the Ark was among them, the power of God was with them. As New Testament believers, born again by the Spirit of God, we experience His presence within us. We have become the “Ark of God.” As carriers of His presence, our understanding of Him shapes what we can bring forth from within.  He’s always the same but we are the ones encouraged to grow up. 

Ephesians chapter four urges us to grow up INTO HIM in all things, emphasizing that knowing God is a lifelong journey. How can we comprehend an infinite God unless He reveals Himself to us? Thankfully, He does. According to 1 Corinthians 2, the Spirit Himself knows, understands, and reveals all that the Father is.

Our pursuit of knowing and growing in Him should define our lives. The more we know Him, the more we yield and obey.  It is our obedience that works out our salvation and produces growth with Godly character. 

God doesn’t just provide information; He gives revelation. When we obey that revelation, it leads to transformation and transformation ultimately displays the glory of God.  Christ in us, manifested rightly, is the hope of glory. 

May we continually seek the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, striving to be His people, strong and doing great exploits in His name, because we know the greater one who lives in us. 

John 5:19-20

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can  do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that ⁱyou may marvel.

John 5:19-20 ESV

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand

John 3:35

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. John 10:17

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

John  14:12

Sometimes, we forget the destiny we have been created for.  From the very beginning, the garden scene shows us the very heart and intent of our Father; dominion and  fruitful increase through union with Him.  Jesus chose 12 men, that they might be with Him, then sent from Him to carry on the work He had been given.  Our place of doing begins with being, being one with the Father as His child, son or daughter, and walking with Him.

Because of our love for him, we understand, just like Jesus, a body was prepared for us (his workmanship - Ephesians 2:10) to freely yield and present to Him in service.  It in in this space that we begin this divine working out of being filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Pauls prayer from Ephesians chapter one is that we would understand the inheritance the Father has in the Saints.  Created by Him, for Him that He might rule and reign through us begins with the knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing.  Jesus iterates this to his disciples in John chapter fifteen.  And, because we know the love the Father has for us, we know He will show us all things that He is doing.  It’s His desire that we be filled with the knowledge of His will with a walk that is worthy of Him, fully pleasing Him, fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of our Father, Colossians 1: 10-11.

We get busy with daily life, school, work, home, marriage, children, friends, even church and can forget that each day we are to be about impacting lives with Jesus. No matter where we are daily, we are surrounded with people that we are designed to impact with the life that only God can give.

Jesus said, John 5:17 the Father is working and He must work,  John 9:4, the day comes when there is no further opportunity,

The intimacy that is created in this relationship with the Father that Jesus reveals is to be our daily norm.  We were created for this.  Not just to know we are the beloved but to abide in His love and live in this relationship where we can do all and nothing more than what we see the Father doing.

Out of the Wreck

The following is Oswald Chambers' Daily Devotion from May 18, 2025, which I found to be so, so good.  The weekend had already found me thinking on the exact same passage in Romans chapter eight.  I could not express this any better, and I am sure we can all relate, so please, as you read, find that wonderful place of God’s grace flowing to you and strengthening you as only His love can. 

    Out Of The Wreck I Rise
By Oswald Chambers 
My Utmost for His Highest Daily Devotion

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? — Romans 8:35

“God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says, "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. 

We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in.

 I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.

"Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may - exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. 

Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.

"Shall anguish . . . ?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

"Shall famine . . . ?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

"Out of the wreck I rise" every time.”

Boundaries

You spoke and at the sound of your shout the water collected into its vast ocean bed and mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed.  And then you set a boundary for the seas….” 

Ps. 104:7-9 Living Bible Translation 

The remarkable thing about today’s verse is that God’s spoken word brought a response from earthly things, and then he set a boundary.   We’ve referenced Acts 17:26 lately, which reminds us that God sets every individual in a place, at a time, thus within boundaries.  This is so we would be able seek and hopefully find him.  

        *NIV ~ having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their             dwelling place

        *NASB ~ determined their appointed times and the boundaries of                 where they live.

        *NKJV ~ determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of             their dwellings,

There is a sense of security, believing that God has divinely ordained you into a place. Conversely, without that conviction, a person’s unique identity and sense of purpose will be continually challenged. 

Being fitted, placed, and having boundaries, though, doesn’t mean change will never take place. As we move through life and grow, we come to understand, as the writer of Proverbs wrote, that change is the way of life.  We learn that time, place, and boundaries must be honoured and respected. That we can never take this intimate working of God for granted, without risking the deepest aspects of our relationship with Him and those we share the space with.

From God's perspective, we have been fitted for the Master's use. God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.  His workmanship doesn’t change, but it does increase and develop.  As we seek Him in the seasons and the times we are given, we learn the limitations of our boundaries, even as we occasionally see them move and shift. 

Understanding this, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:13 ~ 

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” -

The apostle Paul did not go beyond his given metron.  Paul was mindful of his specific sphere of influence and authority, as delegated by God, and did not overstep those boundaries. Paul recognized that he was not an apostle to all, but rather had a particular area of service entrusted to him. This concept of metron or sphere of influence emphasizes humility and a sober understanding of one's role and limitations within God's plan. Paul also understood that being faithful within his boundaries carried the benefit of increasing others' faith, thus opening new doors of opportunity as he continued writing in 2 Corinthians 10:16 ~

    We will be able to preach the Good News to other cities that are far beyond you, where no one else is working; then there will be no question about being in someone else’s field.

Again, seen in Paul's life in Acts 16:6-7, we learn limitations, as Paul is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia Minor. 

We can’t live in another time frame, but we can live fully in the one we have been given, resting in our assigned places, doing our assigned tasks.