For the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven!

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” – Jeremiah 17:10, Matthew 24:42-44 NIV

 Since God who is our heavenly Father is watching us from the above, we have to be ready all the time. This does not mean that all of us have to become pastor or missionary to preach the gospel to everyone, although those ministry works are God’s call to some of us. It means that we have to be ready spiritually with our mindset as well as with deeds that are according to the will of God. This is why the word of God states:

… Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

The word of God urges us to have positive mind about the Lord, because our minds are belong to the Lord, for the Bible declares: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” (Proverbs 1:7) Hence, Jesus declares the greatest commandment of the Lord in Matthew 22:37-38:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

When we love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, and minds, then we realize that there is the Holy Spirit inside of us which is the Spirit of God. Our heavenly Father poured His Spirit into us to help us in the walking with the Lord, as John 14:15-17,26-27 states:

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you… The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Therefore, if we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then we must abide in the Holy Spirit to do the will of God, even if it is hard. We can see this reason in the verses of Galatians 6:8, Matthew 16:24-27, and 2 Peter 1:3-11:

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:8)

Then Jesus said… “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.” (Matthew 16:24-27)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-11)

Overall, because of the eternal kingdom of heaven that is set out for us as our eternal home (Philippians 3:20-21, 2 Corinthians 5:1)—we ought to abide the Holy Spirit with full-devotion until the end of the age, for the word of God states:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)