A Note from DT
Jesus was crucified between two thieves which were symbolic representations of the past and the future. On one hand one thief represented the past as he was bound to his fate by previous decisions and he ridiculed the Lord. (Mark 15:32) On the other hand one represented the future as he so famously asked, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) Jesus’ response is incredible: “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
Some people will point to the fact that Jesus died and was raised three days later and would then wonder how could He could promise the guy that “today” they would be together in paradise…it’s interesting to think about. Time is a construct of this dimension and these guys were soon to be outside of it. I feel it is important to see that Jesus pointed to the reality of His heavenly Kingdom in the present tense, “today” and not the past or the future.
Past
It can be easy to get so caught up in another time that we don’t live in the present. Some people nostalgically look back to the good old days as a way of escaping where they are. Some are so full of regret or unhealed wound that they constantly live in the present as a slave to what happened to them in the past. Looking back is a trap. Many of you will remember the story of Lot’s wife in Genesis 19 who turned to look back upon Sodom as it was being destroyed and when she did she became a pillar of salt. When we allow ourselves to be pulled by regret into the past we invite what we’ve left to have access into our current life. When we look into our past what we should see is something that is brighter than a thousand suns. It is the love of God manifest in Christ which delivered us from all darkness and released the inheritance of our Father’s kingdom to us. It is here that we realize we have been brought to this very place in time to release heavy on the earth. This view allows us to be thankful for the trials and failures knowing that He has paid for it all to be redeemed.
Future
Luke 17 records when Jesus taught the Pharisees saying, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21) These religious scholars were looking for an answer about something God was going to bring about for them in the future but Jesus clearly communicated to them that what they were longing to receive had already been given to them and that it was actually up to them to realize it and to release it. In other words, “once you can realize that the Kingdom has been given to you, and it is not something you are waiting for, you will also realize your role to play in releasing it in the earth realm.” If we truly believe this, that His kingdom is actually within us, our posture of ’prayer’ should change from asking God to do something to using our faith to come into agreement with what God has done until we see it manifested. Just as Peter wrote in his epistle, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) Maybe we already have everything that we need… What if the accomplishment of Jesus on the cross has released all of Heavens resources to us in order that we would flood the earth with the knowledge of God? We don’t need to know how the future will play out but we can be assured just like David wrote in Psalm 23 was that in God’s plan for our life is that His goodness and mercy will be pursuing us all of our days and even after this life we will dwell with Him forever.
The Point? Regret from the past and fear of the future are two thieves that seek to rob us of all of the brilliant opportunities that come from abiding in the Lord in the here and now. It is so important that we live in the present moment with our eyes up (off of ourselves). The Kingdom of Heaven truly is at hand…it is here… is within you.
-DT
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