Jeff Reynolds One desire: Seeing the Same and Being the Same in all Circumstances?

Last Friday I had breakfast with a long time and good friend.

Good times. Celebrating all the good things God was doing over some scrambled eggs and hash browns! Oh, forgot the coffee. :)

Oh, and listening to Bruce Cockburn while I write this. Ha.
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=sAcqr3MYMmM&list=RDEMOFB6iGBbRwEPhTWsa_FY-A&index=8

So, we were talking about things and he reminded me of something I taught 20+ years ago.
First, I was totally surprised it made a difference. But also glad it did.

You said, "we should be the same person in all places and circumstances....this is Kingdom life."

Thanks Xylon!

At work.

At home.

In the grocery store.

At play.

On vacation.

Same Person. Loving Jesus and his ways. Talks the same talk about him in any company. Tells their deepest joys about him without prompting. Walking in a Kingdom that is always present, because we carry it everywhere we go.

The super and the natural are colliding everywhere we go.

This simple thought is challenging. When you let it breathe and run freely through your life, things don't go "the usual way".

It's being the same as I am at church in the bar?

The same as I am at church or in some conference meeting?
Same as I am in my home, with my friends, kids, spouse?

Wow. What a great reminder.

I need to heed my own teaching.

Same with my friends.....well?

This is definitely one of those places where we fall down or even off the Kingdom train. We go to spiritual settings and then hang in all kinds of places with people who don't share a Jesus vision for how to live. It's is a tough place to be, and in general doesn't promote love and devotion for Jesus most of the time. When it becomes more or our time than love and devotion time, we will see the slide out of passion for the Lord and his mission. It's simple math.
Maybe we are even a bit ashamed of the gospel we believe or the Lord himself? It's not that we need to be cut off from the world. In fact Jesus wants to fill the world with something remarkable....himself through his Gospel.

Also sometimes our mindsets and postures toward those who don't believing is revealing. We focus on sin rather than love and the power of God to save. Maybe because we have a wrong idea about ourselves and sin and so we put others into that bondage. Sin was defeated and nailed to the cross. Our main concern is love and obedience. If we walk in the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. We are free to put the life of Christ into motion in our lives. For freedom Christ set us free.

The Kingdom we carry is so generous, service focused, encouraging and helpful but we won't see it very clearly if all we are doing is pointing out everyone's "lost status". The Gospel is good news. It's as if we believe we came to know Jesus through condemnation. So we pour it on others. But we didn't. He forgave our sins immediately upon repentance. He'll do the same for everyone who calls on his name. There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

Work....

Oh yea. They tell us we cannot be a friend of Jesus there??? Uh? A more supernatural approach may come in handy here. Praying for your work place and being willing to step up and out as the Spirit leads can bring amazing moments of grace. Which, if handled with love and a non-religious, non-pushy attitude, is usually well received.

I think we can love people at work? Bless people? Be generous and a listening ear? Encourage people? Prophecy? Sure, if you drop the religion and just talk about hope and heart desires. We can Hope for people can't we? Believe in people? Pray all we want throughout the day or on our lunch break? So we can be like Jesus and infuse the environment with his character. The Spirit is there, and is in you and I as well. We carry the Kingdom everywhere. Just keep and eye out for opportunities set up by God to share your heart and love for the Son of God. They will happen.

But yes, there will most likely come a moment when we have to say why we believe and do as we do. If we can drop the defensiveness and simply be who we are in love and kindness, amazing things can happen.

Or when we are under the gun to chose a course of action unbecoming of Jesus, to season it with salt, gentleness and kindness. To simply follow the leadings and promptings of the Spirit to be salt and light, makes for remarkable opportunities. He's pretty good about making us shine at the right moment. Remember Daniel. Remember Shadrack and Meshack and Adbednego? Remember Jesus, shining so bright in obedience and love that the entire world past, present, and future can leave their sins behind in waves of peace and forgiveness. This is holy ground you're on. God is with you there.

Family.....

Oh uncle Ned. Always messing up the party. Or siblings bringing up the awkward and being unruly. If there is a place to bring the influence of the Kingdom, it is in the family. Serving and loving here can go a long time with no response, and so we give up or get bitter. But in family we also get to watch people grow and change. We get to see 'em handle life. When Jesus is the front and center for how you handle life, people take notice. It's more like gardening. You see things grow over time. If you run out there everyday looking for huge progress it can get discouraging. But over time you see the plants grow. You get doors and windows in a family. Opportunities to share your heart spring up at random times. Be ready. Shine in the moments that spring up. All the rest of the time we are serving and loving for real. Doing the regular in the love and anointing of his presence.

Being the same in every circumstance is really just being a follower of Jesus and letting that lead you. It doesn't mean we have to be on edge all the time or have a huge guard up. When we let the Kingdom of God be the contact point for the people all around us amazing things happen. Things like Jesus did.

Set your heart and focus on Jesus. It makes all the difference in our world.

Spend some time on the Mountain tops of his love and grace.

Following is an easy yoke.

"My yoke is easy and my burden light." Jesus