The Goal of Receiving the Kingdom
Dcn. Francis Sotalbo
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Receiving Christ into your life comes with responsibility; you cannot just receive Him as you want it, on your terms. God never encourages us to just sit and wait for the blessings of His Kingdom. I tell you the truth, the kingdom of God is a never-ending work, but with it comes fulfilment of life, whether in abundance or in lack.
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Receiving Christ means the total denial of oneself, the cleansing of our heart from all unwanted behavior and characteristics. It is difficult to reject those things in our lives, but God is faithful to help deliver us from them, that we may be eligible for His service. Service to God includes many challenges, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us make a difference in this life on earth. With His help, “difficult” and “impossible” will be out of your vocabulary.
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What is embedded in our heart, whether bad or good, always overcomes and overrules our mind and self-will. We wonder why our heart governs our will. It does not think nor analyze, but mostly at the end “puso pa rin ang nasusunod”.
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But receiving Christ erases the ugly and unworthy imprints in our heart. That’s why we must surrender our heart to Christ, let His Holy Spirit dwell in it. In addition, our feelings are governed by our hearts, as all happy or sad emotions comes from the heart.
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Receiving Christ is surrendering everything you have, even materials things, and using them to help others who are in need. It means giving to the poor and contributing to the needs of the church. It also means giving time to those who are need of someone to listen to. Sharing Christ’s love and encouraging them to read the Bible is likewise a witness of Christ. Even our goals and priorities in life must be aligned to the Christian way of living. It is a life of constantly seeking God and wanting His presence; a life of contentment even you have little; joyful living in the midst of uncertainty, and a life of full energy and enthusiasm in doing the work of Christ.
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Receiving Christ is the fulfillment of the prayer “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. Rejoice and be on the alert always, because Christ is coming very soon. Thanks be to God.