Thoughts for another day

Oct. 12, 2007

Today's verse: 1 Cor. 4:20. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Jesus Christ in sending us on His Mission, says, Behold, I send you like lambs among wolves.’ Therefore, we may feel that we are asked to be gentle and timid and of course yielding. Anything else would contradict Kingdom values isn’t it?

But that would be a wrong understanding of His message. What Paul tells us in our verse for today, is clear and powerful. He says the Kingdom of God is POWER. When we proclaim this Kingdom, His power is displayed. The power witnessed by us - to split rocks, to calm the sea, to raise the dead to life and in today's context, to crush cancers, to bring financial windfalls, to harness peace where there is strife; and so on.

Jesus asks us to be personally humble and meek. But, when we speak of His Kingdom, He needs us to be transformed for then we bring Him into the picture and He is powerful. In His life here on earth, He was meek and mild; but when it came to the Kingdom, He suddenly changed. From a calm and patient person, He became the aggressor; powerful and charged. For e.g. He spoke powerfully while calming the sea and He was upset with His disciples as they were timid and terrified. Even when He rid the temple of the traders and moneychangers, He was extremely aggressive.

His aggression came of His being zealous for the King and His Kingdom. The Kingdom tolerates no nonsense, particularly towards the weak. It harbors not falsehood speaking, the truth in confidence. There is power in the Kingdom. Diseases are flung away. Poverty is banished. Weakness is transformed into strength and sorrow is morphed into joy. The Kingdom has no partiality and serves everybody equally and being citizens of the Kingdom, we are all asked to worship one King, one Lord and one God. By the way, the Kingdom is here and now and it is easy to be a part of it: Just believe Him. So, would you partake of the Power; would you be a part of the Kingdom?