kingdom talk

Sunday August 17^th, Isaiah 56: 1 This is what the LORD says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.  Maintain Justice and do what is right.  These are Great God words to live by, as individuals and as a nation.  All too often however they are used only on the other among us, or the other apart from, us.   They are seldom used for introspection.  Any good therapists will remind you that one can only control one’s own actions, not the actions of the other.  The words do not pertain to the other, but always pertain to the self, whether that self be individual or corporate.  It is not a call for someone else to maintain justice, it is a call for us to announce, proclaim, show, demonstrate and live in such a way that others see that the kingdom is near and that salvation is close at hand.  We are not saved by what we do, but not doing what we should be doing, like practicing justice in our lives, sure can lead us down the wrong path.  Each and every day, ask yourself, how am I showing that the Kingdom is near?  Each and every week ask your church, how are we showing that the Kingdom of God is near?  Every Sunday in the Lord prayer we call upon our Lord; God in Heaven, Holy is your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done here and now as it is in Heaven.   What we call for when we call for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven is for God’s justice to be done on earth, through us, as it is in Heaven.   We have called for the kingdom to be near, now we are called to be the kingdom in action through the children of God.