• Translation

    by  • August 30, 2020 • GraceThoughts, LifeStuff • 0 Comments

    I was revisiting the beginning of the Beatitudes today, and as I read in R. T. Kendall’s commentary on the subject, he offered this definition of the kingdom of heaven:

    The kingdom of heaven is “the rule of the un-grieved spirit in the believer”.

    This was a strong reminder for me that in the life of the Christian disciple, there is a “translation” of perspective with an acceptance of Jesus’ gospel message. This translation is a consequence of one’s voluntary attachment to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and it is regularly counter to the impulses of our old nature.

    The following stanzas were my response to reflections on Matthew 5:3, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, and topics related to it in that commentary.

    —

    Translation

    The kingdom of heaven
    Is life in the Spirit,
    A rebirth from self-centered
    To Spirit-driven,
    From my will to thy will,
    But only in these new clothes,
    through these new eyes,
    through this new heart.

    The kingdom of God
    Is life in the Spirit,
    His dominion over my thoughts,
    My accomplishments, my sins.
    In joy he aids me,
    In power he strengthens me,
    In patience he forgives me,
    In glory he remakes me.

    The kingdom of heaven
    Is life in the Spirit,
    My autonomy surrendered,
    My vision altered,
    My focus externalized,
    My nature reshaped
    By my dependence on him,
    By my pursuit of his will.

    The kingdom of God
    Is life in the Spirit,
    That intimacy uninterrupted,
    The old nature rejected
    In light of the new arrangement:
    He is my light, he is my love,
    He is my restoration, he is my power,
    He is my heart and my hands.

    About

    A web programmer by day, I somehow still spend a lot of time thinking about relationships, God, and the significance of grace and love in daily events. I am old school in the sense that I believe in the reality of sin, and in the need of each human heart for deliverance to the Divine. I am one of those who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that you can find most answers to life's pressing issues in Him and His Word, the Bible. I ain't perfect, and a lot of the time I ain't good, but by God's grace and kindness, I am forgiven and free.

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