In Matthew 10:7, when Jesus sent the disciples out to preach, He sent them with these instructions:
7And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
That sounds good, but do you know what “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” means? It means there is a new authority, God. It means there is a new rule, God. It means there is a new boss, God. No wonder earthly authorities and powers fight against the message. It threatens them. No wonder, we, as individuals, resist the message. It threatens our autonomy.
And, yet, the degree to which I experience freedom from being controlled by my selfish desires is directly related to the degree to which I have submitted to Christ, the kingdom of heaven in my life. In one of the great paradoxes of life, what appears to stifle freedom, submission to Christ actually empowers freedom. I pray that the Holy Spirit would overcome my desire to run my life and empower me to submit to the “Kingdom of Heaven.” How are you doing living out this paradox between the perceived loss of freedom and the experience of true freedom?