Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Enough...?

I hear Christians talk about the "kingdom of God" a lot, and in so doing they often land on healings as their evidence. Not that those aren't! I just wish we could open the powder keg of all that "kingdom" means...the evidence of such. Broadening our definition of "miracle" can only infuse life with more joy, hope, peace...

Having more than a duty-bound relationship with God is the HUGEST miracle evidencing the "kingdom"...at least in my opinion. ;) We only have to look at Jesus for that. He came to show us what a man "rightly related to God" could look like. That reality...living as a son/daughter of a good Father...is absolutely available to any. The ones that choose that intimacy???...now there's a miracle (and a miraculous way of life)!

From there I think Jesus' own words in Luke 4 indicate a much bigger picture of what bringing the "kingdom of God" can be. Oh how miraculous ALL of this really is...

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

'Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

There are so, so, so many ways that the miracles of life with God can be revealed...and I think they all should be celebrated as equally amazing.

And to be honest???...I think it would take the pressure off those that aren't experiencing an instantaneous physical healing. Some of those that are going "through" are experiencing countless other miracles that are just as valid. Rather than re-write our theology to deal with the uncomfortable questions of whether God is causing this or why He is allowing that, we can embrace a mysterious and bigger picture of living. The truth is that He sometimes invites us to bring the "kingdom" to the suffering we are walking "through", and that is an amazing expression of kingdom life.

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