Friday, January 16, 2009
Found some interesting things from my study bible. Here goes:
Repentence: Repentance is not merely a change of mind but a radical change in one's life as a whole that especially involves forsaking sin and turning to or returning to God.
Kingdom of heaven: A phrase only found in Matthew where it occurs 33 times. Mark and Luke refer to it as Kingdom of God which Matthew only uses 4 times. It is the reign of God that He brings through Jesus Christ - i.e the establishment of God's rule in the hearts and lives of His people, the overcoming of all forces of evil, the removal from the world the consequences of sin- including death and all that diminishes life- and the creation of a new order of righteousness and peace.
Inspiration came from the reading of today's bible passage where Jesus asked His disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven and the question popped in my head. What is the kingdom of heaven then? So everyone plays harp and sings? Obviously not. It's about God in our lives and Jesus the lamb of sacrifice. I guess, the kingdom of heaven is really, God in our hearts and how we can all get close to Him because Jesus died for us. The word "consequence of sin" mademe think. So what are the consequences of sin? Gulit, shame, distance from God, dirty, sad. Well that was what appeared in my head. And when the study bible said, "removal from the world the consequences of sin" I guess what he meant was, firstly we can live in proximity to God, we can live without gulit or shame and we can live with joy in our hearts. On top of that, it is not to simply live for the sake of living but rather, live for the sake of something higher. That is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Innocence
2:46 AM
