Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

I've been exploring and meditating on the "Kingdom of Heaven is like" statements that Jesus mentioned in the gospels. The one I feel like I'm somehow discovering for the first time is, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32

What I think I'm discovering is that Kingdom works usually begin so seemingly small and insignificant yet, are capable of growing into something beyond what we would ever think possible.

I think over the years I've planted a few "mustard seeds" and failing to recognize their potential, I never watered, never cultivated, never recognized the awesome potential. Then wondered why I never saw a harvest.

Lately, life is taking on new meaning as I walk the neighborhood, meeting new folks, learning new names, inviting people in, giving away tomatoes and chestnuts and praying silently as I walk along and ask God to open my eyes. When I see these God lead activities as planting and cultivating a crop that eventually grows into something massive, it becomes easier and easier to envision a different future. Actually, it almost becomes difficult NOT to! If one goes out into a field and plants a whole row of pine trees, he expects them to grow and he dreams of what that will one day look like. I suppose in a sense, he is seeing into the future.

I see a future neighborhood that is forever changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and marked by genuine love for one another. I see a future neighborhood where there is genuine community and where Christ is exulted and lived out in everyday life. A neighborhood where relationships are prized over possessions and where hospitality is valued over independence.

Lord, I pray your Kingdom come to this neighborhood, help us see where your Spirit is currently moving. I humbly pray that I and my family could be apart of your work here.


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