Bible League: Living His Word From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.If you want an earthly kingdom you must violently take it. You must overcome any opposition there is in front of it, forcefully break into it, and boldly take possession of it. Since it requires some doing to take possession of a kingdom, the kingdom must be worth the effort. There must be treasure within it in order to justify the difficulties of a military campaign. In our verse for today, Jesus used the physical violence of a military campaign as a figurative image to describe spiritual entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Since the days of John the Baptist, who first proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom, until the days of Jesus, who did even more in this regard, the Kingdom had "suffered violence." That is, the Kingdom had been spiritually broken into with great force by a horde of sinful intruders that would not be denied the many treasures of salvation within. It takes a certain kind of person to take an earthly kingdom. The complacent, the passive, and the lazy won't make the effort. People like that figuratively represent the spiritually indifferent. The spiritually indifferent will not make any kind of effort to possess the Kingdom of Heaven. They refuse to overcome any opposition that may come from family or friends, refuse to forcefully break into it, and refuse to boldly take possession of its many treasures. The spiritually indifferent are foolish because they fail to realize the value of the prize. They fail to realize their desperate need for it. The physically violent, on the other hand, have what it takes to take an earthly kingdom. The physically violent figuratively represent the spiritually violent. The spiritually violent will not be denied the Kingdom of Heaven. They will overcome any opposition from family or friends, forcefully break into it, and boldly take possession of its many treasures of salvation. The spiritually violent are wise because they realize the value of the prize and are relentless in their pursuit of it. The spiritually violent take the Kingdom of Heaven by force. That is, they realize they are sinful intruders who don't really belong in the Kingdom, so they must use force. They must use the force of faith in Jesus Christ and the gospel message to break through. They must forcefully believe by faith that the many treasures of the Kingdom are theirs for the taking despite their sinful deficiencies. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 45, 46 Ezekiel 45 -- Portion of Land for the Sanctuary, the City, and for the Prince NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 46 -- Ordinances for the Prince in His Worship NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Peter 3 2 Peter 3 -- The Day of the Lord; A New Heaven and Earth NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.Insight Jesus was in great agony as he prepared to face death. Although Jesus cried out to God, asking to be delivered, he was prepared to suffer humiliation, separation from his Father, and death in order to do God's will. Challenge At times we will undergo trials, not because we want to suffer, but because we want to obey God. Let Jesus' obedience sustain and encourage you in times of trial. You will be able to face anything if you know that Jesus Christ is with you. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 107:8 O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies--common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise him, in fact, for everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts towards his chosen are forever the favorite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ--our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou be silent? Awake, awake, ye inheritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as ye cry with David, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Let the new month begin with new songs. Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.Isaiah 66:22 "For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares the LORD, "So your offspring and your name will endure. 2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Revelation 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. • And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. • And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, • and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." • And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 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