Day 9 : That your reign come around of me

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut up the kingdom of heaven to men, and you do not enter into it yourself, and you do not let in those who want to enter" (Matthew 23:13).

In this verse, Jesus emphasizes that these religious prevented the coming of the reign of God in the lives of those who rubbed shoulders with them. Insofar as God's reign over our lives is a reality, our desire, our prayer, is that those who have not yet entered can enter. If we want the lost to enter the kingdom, we must pray and act in ways that will facilitate their access to the kingdom.

Jesus remarked to the Pharisees that they prevent those who follow them from entering the kingdom. How do they deal with the coming of the reign of God in the lives of the people who are with them ? To answer this question we might cite several reasons mentioned in chapter twenty-three of the Gospel of Matthew. Let us remember all these reasons, the one that summarizes them : "They say and do not" (Matthew 23: 3). They do not set a good example.

If we want the reign of God to come around us, it is essential that our prayers be accompanied by a way of life that gives envy to those outside to want to enter this kingdom.

The prayer that calls for his reign to come must be accompanied by personal attitudes and behavior, which bear witness that it is worthwhile for God to reign. To pray for his reign to come is to love the lost to the point of giving our lives for them. Here are some prayers from those who truly wanted his kingdom to come:

D.L. Moody : "When I see these thousands of young people on the path of eternal death, I fall at Jesus' feet, praying with tears, I want to save them."

John Knox, while his wife urged him to rest a little, answered : "How can I sleep while my country perishes ?" And he persevered in prayer all night telling God : "Give me Scotland or I die !"

John Wesley said : "Give me a hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and want nothing but God ; For it is they alone who can make the gates of hell tremble and build the kingdom of God on earth."

Whitefeld prayed : "Oh Lord, give me souls or take my life !"

My prayer on this day :

Lord, I want to pray with passion that your kingdom may come into the lives of those around me. May my life make them want to accept that you reign over their lives. Amen !

Paul Calzada