This morning, when God permitted me to wake up to another day, the Governor (Holy Spirit) gave me this subject. I woke up with an assignment. I have mentioned in conversation, over the years, that dying is easy, but have never felt lead to write about it until today. Recently, while posting some articles on the web, I came across a notification, posted by one of my distant cousins. It stated that his aunt, my maternal first cousin, had died. Immediately a Constitutional scripture came to mind. When Jesus saw the crowd around him, He instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.
Then one of the teachers of religious law said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”
Another of His disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” Living in this three-dimensional world while living a Kingdom life is not without its challenges. That is why it is vital to have our priorities set in our minds before a crisis comes.
My next thought about my cousin's passing, was whether she knew Jesus the Christ as King, through a religious system, or not at all? Living life in the Kingdom and for the King will take courage; courage to separate yourself and do what you know is right and true in the sight of the King. Yes, dying is easy and an inevitable part of life in this world, but claiming Jesus as Lord and embracing His commands and principles while living in this world can be challenging. You may be surrounded by people who live according to this world system, even those who claim to know God or Jesus. They live according to the world's standards and not by the Lord God's Constitution.
Many of us put our families before the King and His Kingdom. That is the key reason so many fall apart when a loved one dies. We don't have a solid foundation in the Kingdom. We mourn, we miss them, but we stand on that firm foundation of trust in our King, our Lord. When God said, “You shall have no other gods before Me." (NKJV), that includes people and even our dearest family. No one and no thing should ever be held in higher esteem than God. When that is out of order and our loved one dies, we are devastated and struggle to recover. Many are afraid of death, but that is because they don't truly know the King or His Kingdom. It all comes down to having total trust in Him. His ways are not our ways, but we trust Him in all things. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." What keeps me going is His promises. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” Those are the promises of our King Jesus while He was here on earth. He was speaking to His Father God concerning citizens of His Kingdom, believers and followers of our Lord Jesus the Christ. His people with His purpose for their lives will stay in line with the purpose and assignment that He has for them. His purpose for your life will always glorify Him and not your selfish desires.
Remember what ambassador Paul stated: You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. Your life should reflect the Lord Jesus' purpose for your life. You were born with a mission. The tragedy in life is not dying, but dying without fulfilling God's purpose for being here!
Again, always remember that your faith in the King's Word is what operates in the Kingdom and is your greatest asset in this world.
Matthew 8:18-22 John:20-26 Exodus 20:3
Isaiah 55:8-9 I Corinthians 10:23-24 All NLT, except where noted.
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Then one of the teachers of religious law said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”
Another of His disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” Living in this three-dimensional world while living a Kingdom life is not without its challenges. That is why it is vital to have our priorities set in our minds before a crisis comes.
My next thought about my cousin's passing, was whether she knew Jesus the Christ as King, through a religious system, or not at all? Living life in the Kingdom and for the King will take courage; courage to separate yourself and do what you know is right and true in the sight of the King. Yes, dying is easy and an inevitable part of life in this world, but claiming Jesus as Lord and embracing His commands and principles while living in this world can be challenging. You may be surrounded by people who live according to this world system, even those who claim to know God or Jesus. They live according to the world's standards and not by the Lord God's Constitution.
Many of us put our families before the King and His Kingdom. That is the key reason so many fall apart when a loved one dies. We don't have a solid foundation in the Kingdom. We mourn, we miss them, but we stand on that firm foundation of trust in our King, our Lord. When God said, “You shall have no other gods before Me." (NKJV), that includes people and even our dearest family. No one and no thing should ever be held in higher esteem than God. When that is out of order and our loved one dies, we are devastated and struggle to recover. Many are afraid of death, but that is because they don't truly know the King or His Kingdom. It all comes down to having total trust in Him. His ways are not our ways, but we trust Him in all things. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." What keeps me going is His promises. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” Those are the promises of our King Jesus while He was here on earth. He was speaking to His Father God concerning citizens of His Kingdom, believers and followers of our Lord Jesus the Christ. His people with His purpose for their lives will stay in line with the purpose and assignment that He has for them. His purpose for your life will always glorify Him and not your selfish desires.
Remember what ambassador Paul stated: You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. Your life should reflect the Lord Jesus' purpose for your life. You were born with a mission. The tragedy in life is not dying, but dying without fulfilling God's purpose for being here!
Again, always remember that your faith in the King's Word is what operates in the Kingdom and is your greatest asset in this world.
Matthew 8:18-22 John:20-26 Exodus 20:3
Isaiah 55:8-9 I Corinthians 10:23-24 All NLT, except where noted.
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
