"To you it has been given to know the secrets
of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that
'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand'." (Luke
8:10 ESV)
Recently I have been up a ladder making
adjustments to my satellite dish, to see if I could get a better signal
from the receiver for the TV. The signal needs to be strong enough to
receive it and the quality good enough for the digital information to be
deciphered into a picture.
As the satellite
transmitter is hundreds of miles above the earth, very small amounts of
adjustment of the dish up or down, and side to side, make a big
difference. Reception can go from no picture to full picture in a matter
of only a degree or two of dish movement.
It made me think about
how Jesus declared the Kingdom of God spreading His message to all who
were able to receive it, understand it and see the big picture. Many did
not receive, because their focus was elsewhere. They wanted a King and
Messiah to deliver and reign on earth. They were a degree or two out, so
they did not receive the Kingdom of the suffering servant Messiah.
After Pentecost there
was no longer trouble with reception or decoding the message. The
disciples were changed, tuned in to the will of God; Jesus by the power
of the Holy Spirit continued the work of conveying the Kingdom, its
grace, peace, and love through their lives.
So it continues today:
Jesus is still transmitting the message of the Kingdom. It is just a
matter of whether are we willing to tune in to receive it, or are we not
getting the picture?
PRAYER: LORD, thank
you for not giving up on us. You continue to connect with those of us
who are willing to receive the message that You died and rose again to
bring us the message of hope and salvation, we ask that we may hear Your
word to us today, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Rod Marshall
Roderick Henry
Marshall's Christian Reflections
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