GOD’S WORD FOR AUGUST 2 ~ ~ John 1:14 ~ ~  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Matthew 18:3

“and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

John Piper, in his book, “The Pleasures of God”

Let’s look at the phrase, “Your Father.” “Fear not, little flock, it is YOUR FATHER’S pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Jesus does not say, “It is your employer’s pleasure to give you your salary.” He does not say, “It is your slave master’s pleasure to give you your lodging.” He does not even say….which we would have expected him to say…”It is your King’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

When you were saved, you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of SONSHIP. When we cry, “ABBA, FATHER.” it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are “CHILDREN OF GOD and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ… Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the SONS OF GOD…If God is for us, who can be against us?”

(Romans 8:15-17, 19, 31)

This man and many others have discovered that it is possible to learn what it really means to have a Father in heaven who loves to give the kingdom to his children.

Jesus said, “he who has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9). the gospel of John is radiant with the wonderful relationship between Jesus and his Father in heaven. Again and again in John’s letters he calls his church, “my children.” It was he who opened the fatherly heart of Jesus most fully on the night of his betrayal. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

When Jesus says that it is our FATHER’S pleasure to give us the kingdom, he means that his whole heart is in it. It is not merely a matter of justice or obligation. It is the desire of his heart. He is our Father, and if we who are evil know how to give good things to our children, how MUCH MORE will our Father in heaven give the kingdom to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:11)

Now let’s consider the word “give.” “It is the Father’s pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom.” Jesus does not say SELL you the kingdom, or TRADE you the kingdom. He says it is the Father’s pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom.

We have seen it again and again in these chapters…….and OH, how I pray it sinks in……….that God is a mountain spring and not a watering trough. He delights to overflow…to give and give and give!! Therefore, the gospel is the bad news that God does not need a bucket brigade: he wants people who will DRINK! The qualification for receiving his kingdom is not strength but thirst!! it is our Father’s pleasure to give us the kingdom, freely. It cannot be bought or bartered, earned in any way. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not RECEIVE the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

God is not stingy. He is not a Scrooge. He is not miserly or tight-fisted. He is liberal, generous, and bountiful. It is his pleasure to GIVE US THE KINGDOM (see Luke 8:10)

Jesus said that we can only enter the kingdom one way—when we become like little children and receive it as a child. This is with humbleness and not paying a price for it. We don’t need to work for it. It is free. “come as you are and God will make you better”

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