Weekly Prayer Posts from Thailand

Our life in Christ places us squarely in the Kingdom of God. We become citizens of Heaven not by going through a drawn out naturalization process, but by being born into God’s Household. Being born of God is how we become children of God (John 1:13) — and this is what makes us co-heirs with Jesus (Ephesians 3:6).

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:16-17

God’s desire for us as His beloved children is that we will live close to His heart. Straddling the fence out on the borderlands of God’s country, with one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom, will not do. God wants us to gather closely around Him in His very throne room.

It is from this center of God’s presence that He sends us out into the world. As representatives of the Prince of Peace, we too join the angels in declaring, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” The extent of God’s love for us was fully displayed through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus — who was sent into our world to cleanse us from the Sin that separated us from God. The shed blood of Jesus is what has restored us to our original standing before God. It is as we believe this, accept this, and appropriate this good news — about everything that was accomplished by Christ on the cross — that we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to come into all that the Father has prepared for us, His children.

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9

God has made us to be light and salt in the world. As light, we are to illuminate whatever is darkness. As salt, we are to flavor whatever is tasteless. How are we to know what needs light and what needs salt? Whose standard are we to use in discerning these things? Everyone’s tastes differ! We can bring light to someone’s life only if we ourselves have encountered God’s light. Likewise, we can give flavor to someone’s life only if we ourselves have eaten at God’s table. We can only share what we have.

As God’s redeemed children, we are first and foremost ambassadors of reconciliation. Our assignment is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 15:16) — in order to bring everything under the Lordship of Christ. Because of this, our interaction with others should always proceed with a sincere, “Peace be with you!”

Why is paving our way with peace so important? It is important because conditions “out there” are very unpredictable. Things are seldom as they seem to be at first glance. In a broken world, even a trusted compass can become broken, and the red tipped needle can actually send us off in the wrong direction! This is why it is important for us to take our bearings off of Christ. Jesus is our only reliable landmark in this topsy-turvy world of ours — where the landscape keeps changing like shifting sand.

Living and working from within the Kingdom — which turns out to be the operational space we carve out for God deep in our hearts — means taking our orders directly from our Maker. The more space we provide God to occupy our hearts, and the more controls we turn over to Him to steer our lives, the sooner He is able to display His love through us. This is the miracle that takes place in our lives. This is not God overriding our will; rather, this is God cooperating with us in order to manifest His amazing goodness through us.

As we yield to Christ’s Lordship, we will be able to say that we have become disciples of our King. A measure of discipline will begin to settle in to help us incorporate God’s priorities. Our view of things will be enlarged so that we can take in the broad sweep of God’s revelation. Imperceptibly, we will become anchored in God’s Word, which will help us understand God’s great purpose for us!

“… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Ephesians 4:14-16

Your Partners in Christ,