Walking with the Lord: Part Eight by Michael Podhaczky

If you were to stop and think about it, how are is your life at the moment as you walk daily with the Lord? How would you rate it on a scale of 1-10, one being very good and ten being not good at all? Do you know why this would be important to you anyway? Well, the way that we walk day by day with the Lord is being watched by those around us, whether we know it or not.

As Christ-followers, we are living as dual citizens within two kingdoms. That is the kingdom of earth and the Kingdom of God. Those who are not Christ-followers live within one kingdom, namely an earthly one. Maybe as a Christ-follower, you live a life that maintains the high mortality of this earthly culture. You may always try to do the right thing. Perhaps you are viewed to be a good person that never rocks the boat. However, why do you live this way? Where do you get your basis for a good or moral life anyway? Jesus was not interested in a good or moral life.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught regarding living the Kingdom of God-life. He covered some of the Kingdom of God’s culture and education. He compared it to those listening’s moral and good lifestyle. He had come to a world where it is all about keeping up appearances in the sight of others rather than God’s Kingdom.

Jesus taught contrary to this regarding values of Kingdom life and said that they need to be our values. These stand in stark contrast to the morality and good deeds of the polis. These values were not to get in good with anyone, not even God. Instead, they are merely the values from which someone in God’s Kingdom is to live. It is a Kingdom culture and not an obligation or even a system of works. Some of the aspects of this culture that Jesus Christ presented are in the Beatitudes. Jesus taught what and lived the Kingdom life showing those around Him what it looks like and how to live it themselves. These are in Matt 5:1-12, and He began each of these with the word ‘Blessed.’ We will be blessed if we live this way.

Jesus then stated a Kingdom aspect of the life that we need to be living as salt and light here and now, Matt 5:13-16. By living this life, those around us would,

“see our good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16 ESV).

Pause in His presence for a moment and think this over…