The Kingdom

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:31-32‬ ‭NLT‬‬
God wants so much more for us than we have ever realized. He created this world just for us. (see Genesis chapter 1). He meticulously ordered everything and blessed it with His stamp of approval.
“Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:31‬ ‭NLT
He placed man in the garden of paradise (Eden) and made him the overseer of it.
“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
God has always wanted us to enjoy the bliss of all that He has made. The problem with our current world is the curse of sin  has corrupted everything! In Genesis 3:1-7 we read the story of man's sin as Adam disobeyed the command that God gave.
“But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬
In Genesis 3 we see the fall of mankind. Ever since, sin has dominated our existence. Creation has groaned in desperation, waiting for deliverance.
“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:20-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Do you ever long for life without Satan, sin, sickness, sorrow, and suffering? I'm sure we all do! This is where Jesus steps into the middle of it all and lives the only sinless life that has ever been lived. As God in human flesh (see Colossians 2:9) the Creator stepped into creation as a man. The first "Adam" (Hebrew word means "man") sinned, resulting in our tragic state.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The second "Adam" (Jesus) became one of us to redeem us from our corrupt and condemned life.
“The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:45-49‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus never sinned!!!
“He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Because of Jesus Christ, we are given the opportunity to be restored to the Kingdom of God! When we repent of our sins, trust fully in His finished, atoning sacrifice (body and blood on the cross), confess His triumphant resurrection from death, and receive Him as Lord, we are saved from the curse and we are reinstated to the Kingdom of God (see Romans 10:8-10).
One day we will receive our full rights as His children! The inheritance awaits!!
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:23-25‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Let the children of God say Amen!!

Curtis R. Norris