In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy philosophizes to Charlie Brown: Charlie Brown, life is a lot like a deck chair. Some place it to see where they’ve been and some so they can see where they are present.” Charlie Brown sighs, “I can’t even get mine unfolded.”

So many today feel like Charlie Brown, wondering how to unfold their deck chair in order to get a right perspective on the past, present, and future.

Jesus teaches the things we must do if we want to align our lives with His priorities. These core values are a guiding rule for living successfully with others as well as the bottom line for a victorious spiritual life.

By obeying Jesus we no longer aimlessly meander about this life. Instead we are able to push aside all non-essentials.

What is the main thing in your life? What is it that pushes all non-essentials out of your way?

God is birthing a new kind of Christian- one who will be specially equipped, filled with His divine brand of power, conviction, grace and mercy. A new kind of Christians who pushes aside non-essentials to set forth a kingdom agenda!

We need to set forth an agenda that is a demonstration of the way our Creator intended every area of life to be lived. An agenda big enough and clear enough to be understood and appropriated by the average person on the street, yet flexible enough to allow for the considerable differences among peoples and societies.

In the Disciples Prayer, Jesus gave us a petition to God: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This prayer shows the priority Jesus gave to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God will come on Earth when the will of God is enacted here as it is in heaven. In the kingdom of God, everything yields to God’s authority and power. The kingdom of God is eternal. The kingdom is worship. The kingdom is His will. The kingdom is here unfolding in our midst. It is a kingdom in which we must see and learn to operate as citizens and servants of the King. Wherever there are those who honor Jesus Christ, the King, and wherever the Spirit of the King is, there is the kingdom of God.

I believe that Christianity offers not only a clear message for eternity but also a message that can hold its own against any of the humanistic world views of our day. It transcends the politics of men and offers the solutions of heaven. The Christian message can stand next to and above all other attempts to define the meaning of life, whether it be for the individual, the family, the church, or the community.

In His Service

Pastor Bob