Day 27 Conduct in the Kingdom of Heaven

Matt 18 gives us some insights in what our Kingdom conduct should be and he begins by using Children to do it. Children do search for meaning and relationship as they figure out what life is all about. That is just basic brain development. They are trusting, open and vulnerable and while we are to exhibit those characteristics in our lives we are also open and vulnerable to temptations. Back to trust and obey!

We are not to cause others to stumble, wander of the path and get lost, or entice one another to sin. v10 We are not to despise or "look down" on these little ones, in contrast v12 God looks for the lost, those who have wandered off.

The story of Baalam (Numbers 22)gives us a clear picture of the righteous getting lost and wandering off. Here are a few verses to get us thinking about it.
2Pet2:15 "They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness".

Jude 1 "Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion".

Rev 2:14 "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality".

Matt 18:17 This is interesting, "it is necessary that temptations come.." We all have our Garden of Eden experience, but if we are in the place of the serpent in someone's life, should we expect a lesser degree of punishment?

Forgiveness keeps Feet on Gods Path.
v15 Jesus talks about being proactive in ensuring that there is nothing to amiss in our fellowship.
v21 Nothing amiss in our obligations to one another, in this instance it's easily illustrated in financial terms of owing something to another.
Matt19:1-12 disharmony in marriage that leads to divorce is another example of a hard heart.
V 13Again the children are introduced to Jesus who eventually get to pray for them after he admonishes his disciples, which rounds off the object lesson nicely.
As the hymn goes "Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days all the days of my life" I can hear Shirley singing the rest of the verse :)!

Day 26 The Kingdom of Heaven Foundations. Matt 12&13

Matt 12v11 begins the conversation about the Seed of the Word of God and the parables about the kingdom of heaven, we are told by Jesus that "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you,...." v 16 "but blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it".
As Pet 2 says "we have all we need for life and godliness".

We see that God's word (Matt13) the knowledge of the kingdom is scattered everywhere we need to have receptive soil i.e our lives (remember we are made of dirt) and have our ears and eyes open to fully understand,and therefore obey it.

Then we have the parable of the man who sowed good seed in his field(/life) but through lack of attention, the enemy also sowed weeds. Then as both grew in the man's life, it became evident that there was both wheat and weeds in his field(/life) It is the harvesters who will discern and pluck the weeds from the wheat not others. That is just a good lesson as we the imperfections in each other! God will do His work in his own time.

However, there will be a harvest...
one will reap the wages of unrighteousness 2 Peter 2:15 (& Numbers 22) "They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness".
And the other the harvest of righteousness. Heb 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it".

The parable of the mustard seed shows us the pervasive nature of the Kingdom of God. God is always at work in people's lives. The question is, are we cultivating ground in another's life to see and hear the secrets of the kingdom of heaven?

That will lay the foundation to the next set of scriptures. How we treat one another will open up the secret of the kingdom for us and them. Siobhan