Prodigo, you have just looked into the heart and soul of God for the gospel of the kingdom reveals who God is and what He is like. We hear a lot of things about God from all sorts of places but here in these few words of Jesus we see the substance of God’s heart, His nephesh and one thing is very clear – He certainly wants to restore you to the person you are supposed to be.

There is most likely a swarm of questions swirling around in your head, Prodigo, if you have understood what Jesus said on that hill in Galilee. I have felt those same emotions you are feeling and I have wrestled with many of those same questions. Everyone who is a born again Christian has taken the same steps you are taking at this moment in your life. It is a narrow but grand pathway you are on and it leads to the kingdom rule of God.

Don’t let this moment pass you by, Prodigo. Do whatever is necessary to make the decision to surrender to God’s way of fixing your transgression, sin and iniquity and restoring peace between yourself and God. Wrestle with the truth Jesus preached until you understand its details. There will be many things that will try to pull you away from your pursuit of this, but do not let them. Stand firm and respond to God as He continues to draw you to Himself. You will sense His gentle tug for it is impossible not to notice. Because of your transgression though, it will be easy to ignore.

So where do you go from here Prodigo? The first thing you need to do is go back through how Jesus said you should respond to the gospel of the kingdom. I suggest you again work through what Jesus said in each of the blessed promises He made. Now that you have an idea of what they mean you should think about each one individually. Ask yourself these questions:

       Do I understand each of these promises Jesus made?

Is there a particular promise that is hard for me to understand? If so what part of it am I struggling with?

       Is there a promise I am having trouble accepting? If so what is holding me back?

Can I respond the way Jesus says I should to each of these promises? If I cannot then why can’t I?

 These are just a few of the questions that you need to consider Prodigo, but the point I am trying to make is do not just let these or any other questions you may have get casually tossed by the wayside. Wrestle with them until you have an answer. Go back and reread the chapter that deals with the promises that you struggle with the most. If you know someone who is a Christian, do not be afraid to talk with them about your concerns.

How you respond to the gospel of the kingdom will determine where you spend eternity and what kind of life you will have from this point forward. This is serious business, Prodigo, and it needs to consume your life, so put your whole heart and soul and mind into deciding where you stand with God. He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to tell you the way to be saved and restore you to the makarios life; then He went to the cross and was brutally sacrificed to make this possible.

Prodigo, there is no greater challenge for you than this: what are you going to do with all the love God has shown you? Will you walk away from the cross, the makarios life, and the perfect, righteous kingdom where God promises to lavish grace and kindness on you forever? Will you turn your back on the only hope there is of fixing the problem within your soul?

The second thing you need to do is talk to God about how you are feeling and what you are thinking. God is not afraid of anything you have to say Prodigo, nor will He strike you down for saying something wrong. God welcomes every conversation you would like to have with Him and He will respond to you if your heart is sincere. That is the secret to talking with God – be sincere.

The third thing you need to do, Prodigo, is to be alert for God to reveal Himself to you. He will do this in many ways but mostly it will be in ways that will catch your attention. Others may not notice God responding to you, but that’s OK. He will respond to you in ways that will catch your attention. When you notice God doing this, don’t ignore Him.

The fourth thing you must do is put your faith into action by responding to God’s overtures. There is no relationship without response. You know plenty of facts about your spouse but facts do not make a relationship. It is when you respond to the person they are that makes a relationship. This is how you believe the promises Jesus made to you. If you don’t respond to His promises they simply remain as facts. You must respond to them accordingly in order to begin to relate to God as He would like you to.

Jesus offers you the kingdom, Prodigo, which is His sovereign, righteous rule. This is a definition consisting of facts. You cannot have a relationship with facts. If you believe what Jesus said, then you must respond to His sovereign, righteous rule by surrendering your will and desire to His rule.

This is how you begin a relationship with God. Remember though, you cannot establish your relationship with Him on your own terms. You must surrender to His way of saving and restoring you. After all, He is the sovereign, righteous king and God who created everything. This is why you must understand each of the promises Jesus gave. You cannot respond the way Jesus wants you to Prodigo, if you do not understand what He said and what he wants from you. This is the way of all relationships.

The gospel of the kingdom lets you see into the heart of God, what He is like and how He wants you to relate to Him. This is how you develop a relationship with Jesus, and remember Prodigo, it is only those who have an intimate relationship with Him who are allowed to enter into His kingdom.

Those alive at the time of Jesus had this same issue to deal with. Jesus did many miraculous things and said many great truths. Some believed the miraculous things He did that proved He was from God while others were not so convinced. Many walked away from what Jesus said on that hill in Galilee acknowledging that what they heard was amazing but they weren’t ready to surrender to His way of doing things. The real challenge started the moment they finished listening to Jesus. Now began the battle of how they would respond to what Jesus said. Did they believe it enough to surrender their life to God and follow Jesus, or were they not completely convinced yet?

Prodigo, this is the same challenge for you. Do you believe what Jesus said? Do you believe God is reaching out to you? Do you believe God is trying to get your attention? If you believe all this then the real challenge is this: are you going to acceptHis way of salvation and restoration? This is the fifth thing you must do. Accept God’s ways of dealing with the transgression, sin and iniquity so you can have a relationship with God and join Him in His eternally righteous kingdom.

This is where most people stop in their pursuit of God. They want God to accept them on their own terms but it doesn’t work that way, Prodigo. This is why surrendering to God is such an integral part of the gospel of the kingdom. God created you, designed the world you live in, prepared the way for you to be restored and justified, and created the new heaven and new earth for you to live where He will lavishes you with grace and mercy forever. He is the one who determines who will go to hell or who inherits His kingdom. The only choice you have in all this, Prodigo, is whether or not you want to surrender to God and His way or maintain control of your life and live it however you want to just as you always have.

This is a difficult decision because your transgression will push you to keep doing things your way and not surrender your life to Jesus! But the voice of God calling you to Him can be heard loud and clear over the sound of your transgression if you are listening for it. God will not force you to listen to Him or surrender to Him. He allows you the freedom to make your own choice in this matter.

Here is how you surrender to God’s rule and way, Prodigo. Your nephesh needs to bow down in honor and respect to God and what He has done for you, surrendering with this heartfelt expression, “As you wish my Lord and Savior. Let Your will be done in my life just as it is in heaven.” This is the response you must have in order for God to declare you justified. This response must not be only words but it needs to be the expression of all you are – your nephesh. It must be the response of your mind, your passions, your desires, your appetites and your emotions as the result of your believing that the gospel of the kingdom is right and true.

This is the way to make peace with God in a turbulent world. Remember, sincerity is the way to relate and talk with God. He looks deep within your heart and mind and knows what you are thinking and feeling so don’t try to fool Him or play games with Him. Just surrender to Jesus the king and love Him with all your heart, soul and mind by responding to the gospel of the kingdom the way He said you should.

Prodigo, this is how you have a proper relationship with Jesus. You must understand the details of how you should respond to the gospel of the kingdom. Then you can decide if you are going to respond appropriately to each of the promises He made. You must believe God will declare you as righteous as Jesus is and show it through your responses to Him. You must believe God will then send the Holy Spirit to seal you in that miraculous state of justification that only God can give. You must believe, Prodigo, that your transgression, sin and iniquity are propitiated by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Now you must respond to this amazing good news with all that is within you.

From that moment on, Prodigo, Jesus offers you the makarios life. Live it to the fullest. Don’t settle for just being a part of the common herd. Walk the narrow road that leads to the kingdom life, for that is the only way you can be one of God’s favored ones. Prodigo, there is nothing better you can ever do for yourself, your spouse and your children than to respond to the gospel of the kingdom the way Jesus said you should.

This is the only way to experience the makarios life and guarantee you will hear Jesus say, “Well done, Prodigo. Come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for you are one of My Father’s favored ones.”

 

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