Advance the Kingdom

Luke 1:26-33- "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women!' But when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced to her that she was to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah even though she was a virgin. I was thinking about this passage last night as I was praying and the Lord highlighted one specific phrase to me: "...and of His kingdom there will be no end." The Lord then used this to encourage me and remind me that Jesus is Lord and wants to use His people to advance His kingdom. In this week's blog I would like to share with you what the Lord spoke to me with the prayer that all who read it will be encouraged and inspired just as I was.

Luke 2:8-11- "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.' "

Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, and when the angel announced the birth of the Son of God, he referred to Jesus as, "...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." If the enemy seems to be coming against you from every direction remember that Jesus came as both Savior and Lord, and realizing this can help us to find comfort in challenging situations. Jesus is Lord and will always be Lord regardless of what attacks the enemy may send your way. John Wesley, while describing how he was able to keep from worrying, said, "I see God sitting upon His throne ruling all things well." When I experience trials and I don't understand what's happening or what to do next I find great comfort in the fact that Jesus is still on the throne and that He has placed all enemies under my feet. 1John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Are you burdened with depression, sickness, anger, condemnation, or worry? Those are all works of the devil that Jesus came to destroy. Not only can Jesus destroy those works and give you joy, peace, healing, forgiveness, and everything else that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), but He can use you to bring those things to others! In Daniel 2:31-45 we read of a dream that king Nebuchadnezzar had of a statue that represented the kingdoms of the world being destroyed by a stone that represented God's kingdom. In the dream the stone struck the statue, broke it in pieces, and completely destroyed it, and became a great mountain that filled the whole earth. When Daniel interpreted the dream he made this statement about the kingdom: "...it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdom [the world kingdoms], and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:44) While the dream actually referred to the end times when the kingdom of God will be established as a physical kingdom on earth, there is a spiritual lesson to be learned as well. The Lord wants His kingdom (His rule, His influence in our lives) to replace the world's influence and bring His will to every area of our lives.

The Lord wants to use you and me to bring His kingdom into the lives of those we meet. So as you go about last minute Christmas shopping or spend time with family this Christmas, why don't you ask the Lord to open your eyes to see opportunities to bring His kingdom into the lives of those around you?