“I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be— Three against two, and two against three;… Luke 12:49-51 The Message
Jesus is making sure His disciples know His real purpose on earth is exactly the opposite of what they have assumed. They thought He came to establish and earthly kingdom, which if you think about it would mean God would come down to us to live forever. Not so, Jesus came to prepare us to go the Father and live with Him forever. Therefore, Jesus must disrupt and confront us with His true mission so we will not be upset when we see these things happen. Could we find a more perfect description of where we are now?
When I read this I realized that instead of fretting and being discouraged and depressed, even angry over where we are and what’s happening today, we need to realize we area absolutely smack dab in the middle of God’s will and plan for this earth! No one section of scripture could better describe what we are living through. Everything is turned upside down, so much division even in families over how to respond to today’s circumstances. I know I need to seek the Lord to fully understand all this means and what my response should be. I am not to worry about tomorrow or act like one who is devastated by the events of today, or complain as a hopeless victim of these circumstances. I am to concentrate on preparing to live in my Father’s house by being pure in heart, steadfast in hope and actively sharing His truth with others.
Father, my spirit is screaming within me today to stop trying to convince everyone how right I am and start showing that even in times like these, rather than gloating or parading my views, I need to be loving others and parading God’s love and forgiveness. I need to cooperate with God’s plan and not be so full of my own version of the future. Oh, Jesus, just about the time I think I have a pretty good handle on love and righteousness, I realize every time I boast of my view and not Yours, I fall prey to Satan’s lies and tactics. It’s not about what I think, it’s about what YOU think and the truth about You!!!! Forgive me, Father, and help me to stay close to You to hear Your whisper of reminder and correction. I love You and so desire to live in the Father’s kingdom with You!
Journey with Joyce 