It's Your Father's Good Pleasure to Give You the Kingom

It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, for no other reason than it simply pleases Him to do so. It’s not because of what we’ve done or really, what we are but simply because it pleases Him. I suppose one of Luke’s messages in our Gospel Luke 12:32-40 is that when we completely trust in God’s unconditional love we can be ourselves and be free of all anxiety, guilt and unworthiness.

It is beautiful to be loved just for who we are, isn’t it? However, Jesus’ message as Luke continues to narrate Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, is that God’s unconditional love does not give us “license” to live recklessly but it is for us to be prepared…“The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” So, we are asked to travel light; to free ourselves from those attachments that get in the way of our being God centered as opposed to our being self-centered. Living fully human does not mean living for our selves, as did the rich farmer who had to have more of those things that were as finite as his fragile life was. Living in the Kingdom of God is less about any actual time and place and more about living Jesus’ Word today. Passively living and just going through life as if we were waiting for instructions are not really what Jesus means by “being prepared.” Actively living the love we share with one another as Jesus did, is a state of being that enables us to celebrate the joy of God’s kingdom in the present moment and in the hereafter.

We live in a world that wants us to treasure acquiring more and more stuff. Jesus wants us to find the pleasure in letting go and giving “stuff” away. What happens if we too started giving things away just for the pleasure of it as God does for us?