Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8.

The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29.

I started reading yesterday, The Good and Beautiful Life Putting on the Character of Christ by James Bryan Smith. Even the first page of the introduction is beautiful…”The great preacher and founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley (1703-1791), was once approached by a man who came to him in the grip of unbelief. “All is dark; my thoughts are lost,” the man said to Wesley, “but I hear that you preach to a great number of people every night and morning. Pray, what would you do with them? Whither would you lead them? What religion do you preach? What is it good for?” Wesley gave this answer to those questions: You ask, what would I do with them? I would make them virtuous and happy, easy in themselves, and useful to others. Whither would I lead them? To heaven, to God the judge, the lover of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant. What religion do I preach? The religion of love. The law of kindness brought to light by the gospel. What is this good for? To make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves, to make them like God, lovers of all, contented in their lives, and crying out at their death, in calm assurance, “O grave where is thy victory! thanks be to God, who giveth me victory, through my Lord Jesus Christ.” Smith went further in the text…”And what is the religion Wesley prescribes? Not a religion of laws or ceremonies or mystical knowledge, but of love and kindness. Our world is badly in need of people who love, and it is hungering for people who demonstrate genuine kindness. We are so deprived of it that we are astonished when we encounter it. And what is the point of this religion? To get us to heaven? No, to get heaven into us. To help us discover a relationship with God wherein we enjoy God and are easy in ourselves. If we can discover such a life, Wesley believed, we can even face death with calm assurance and the certainty of a joyful eternity.”

Jesus talked about the kingdom of God being near and He is the kingdom and when He left to return to the Father, He gave His Spirit that where He is, in us, so is the kingdom. Does that make us perfect? No! But by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we begin to grasp the most important thing…to learn from and with Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit – to love Him and to love one another. That is our true strength and it is in Him!

How can we love God and turn away from Him for help? That is what God asks in this chapter and throughout Scripture. Isaiah 31 – Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord…But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. v. 1, 3. Do we ever consider how very patient our God is? Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. v. 6. And the nation they were so afraid of? “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem. v. 8-9.

The fullness of the kingdom of God will be when Jesus returns. And we can experience that now in our relationship with God who teaches us to love Him and to love one another. Impossible in this world? No. God is personal. He speaks to hearts turned to Him. We can’t understand without God’s help. That’s why He asks us to return to Him, and return to Him again and every time we turn away, distracted by the chaos in this world. The chaos is distracting and empty of understanding. Just like the idols of old. And God is here in the midst of it, loving us. Always. He knows the plans He has for us and it is Good. His Will will be done and we can participate with Him now. We can be willing to be taught and led by Him to understanding that is real and in that understanding have peace because we know Who is Sovereign and it is not us! Thank You, Lord!