The Lord's Prayer
The Second Petition.
Thy kingdom come.
What does this mean?--Answer.The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.
How is this done?--Answer.
When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here in time and yonder in eternity.
By faith alone!
The kingdom of God has come and we, by faith, in our Lord, Jesus the Christ, are residents of that kingdom, even now.
Yes, we live in this world; but, all who believe also live in the kingdom and under the gracious rule of God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is such a grievous thing when God's own beloved children focus so much on the world and the support of the world that they cannot recognize that God is with them, even now. It is such a sad state that His own children refuse to recognize that we might live in the Kingdom of God, even now.
We pray that His Kingdom would come quite often. But, is the Kingdom or the world our heart's true desire? By many a Christian's words and actions the true state of our hearts is often seen by the world. Do we truly desire to have the Kingdom come into our lives or are we clinging ever so tightly to the world and it's ways?
The heavenly kingdom is not just for a time after physical death. When that temple curtain was ripped in half at the time of Jesus' death; the doors to the kingdom were flung wide open. The kingdom comes by the work of our Lord. May God help us to live in His kingdom; to live in His presence; beginning today and for all time.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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