Advancing the Kingdom

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." 

Jim Elliot, Missionary and Martyr







Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. A day to honor those who have served our country sacrificially and faithfully. I give thanks for all of you.

I also give honor and thanks to the greatest veteran of all.  The One who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of all people.  Jesus, our Savior and King.  

And for every veteran of the faith, for those who have faithfully lived out and given your lives away for the kingdom of God here on earth.  I give thanks and recognition. You have run well, finished your assignment, and I thank you for the example you have been for all of us behind you.  

For every one of us who has experienced the amazing goodness and power of Jesus, and have given everything we are to follow and give to others, I share this little reminder of what your assignment is: 

"The impotence of systems is a main reason why Jesus did not send his students out to start governments or even churches as we know them today, which always strongly convey some elements of a human system. They were, instead, to establish beachheads of his person, word, and power in the midst of a failing and futile humanity. They were to bring the presence of the kingdom and its King into every corner of human life simply by fully living in the kingdom with him." Dallas Willard in his book: Renovation of the Heart

Living life fully in sync is not a system you perfect, it's a person you meet. A person who so transforms you, that His very presence spills into every corner of ordinary, human life.   

May the presence of the King through you establish beachheads for the advancement of his Kingdom of love, hope, joy, and peace in the world that surrounds you.