The Kingdom of Heaven: a reflection by Chris Bedsole
During our bible study a couple of weeks ago, the
question was asked; "How would you describe the Kingdom of God to non
believers?". My thoughts turned to the main thing that forged mine and
Justin's unbreakable bond; the great outdoors.
Although we never had the chance to experience the
western mountains together, we both had an opportunity to visit the
mountains of Colorado on separate occassions. As my preparations are
finalized for another trip to the incredible vista that is the Western
Frontier, my hope is that my idea of The Kingdom of God will strike a
positive chord with someone that may not know what His world is all
about.
The Kingdom of God is like a crisp, fall morning in
the Rocky Mountains an hour before sunrise.
There is a chill in the air and a heavy dew on the
ground. As the first rays of the sun begin streaking across the dark
morning sky, you start to anticipate what the day has in store. The
higher the sun gets on the eastern horizon, the closer to God I feel.
When the temperature begins to rise, the dew will begin to evaporate and
literally rise like a ghost from the ground. The more prominent the sun
becomes, the faster the dew turns to vapor and disappears. When the sun
reaches its full morning glory, all of the dew from the night before is
gone. God takes care of the sin in our lives in much the same way. Sin
is like the chilled dew on the ground covering everything, and the
morning darkness is our soul. Just like the darkest part of the night is
right before dawn, this is the time when Christ can do the most. The
more prominent the Son becomes in your life, the more sin begins to
evaporate, much like dew drying in the sun. As the Son becomes full in
your life, the sin is drawn away like a vapor on the wind. This is new
hope everyday and allows us to anticipate what the world holds in store
for us.