OUT of the BOX

A box of any size is confining to the contents. 

It is when the contents are taken out of the box that there is potential of its purpose. 

Normally, the argument is that a box will keep the contents safe…safe yes, if the only thing one intends to do is put it in storage. (“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;" Matthew 6:19) 

To me, just the word “box” implies entrapment, captivity, lost hope, a dead end or a dying inside… The system of religion imposed by man is one of those boxes.    (There are many boxes that take different forms; fear, shame, unforgiveness, the right to be right, knowledge for knowledge sake, worldly wisdom, just to name a few. But for this comparison, we are looking at the box of religious systems.)     It is a box made up of agendas and traditions of men that lulls people to sleep in the confines of it’s stagnant comfort. It is a system that operates independently of a holy, loving God, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the life and power of Holy Spirit. 

This structure not only keeps people out of the Kingdom of God, but also keeps the Kingdom of God out of people. (Matthew 23:13)

Relationship on the other hand...

We were created for relationship.   This is Father’s perfect design and how His Kingdom and His government operates. 

It requires more to invest in relationship than it does to live in a box,

 but relationship is where the life is! 

Frankly, nothing else will matter in light of eternity. Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor (anyone on planet earth) as yourself…how about, more than we love ourselves?

There is a place where there are no walls that imprison, no confines of religious tradition that makes the Word of God of no effect (Mark 7:6-13), where possibilities are limitless, and man is free from his own striving (in other words, pride!) 

This place of freedom, life, rest, and empowerment of grace is found in relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. He fills us with the glory of His light, and we live fully awake in His love...our supernaturally natural place of being! (Acts 17:28-29)(Ephesians 5:8-16) This was purchased for us by His very own Blood. 

He gave everything to secure this place for us in Him. 

And our part? We must count the cost, take up our cross, and follow Him.

There will be only one thing that matters at the end of the Day…

 “Do you KNOW Him?” 

To know Him is to love Him. 

                  To love Him is to follow Him. 

                                         Talk is cheap. It’s the living that counts.


"And so the Lord says, “These people say they are Mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote."  (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8) 

What will our lives be known for? How successful we’ve been according to the world, what status we’ve achieved, what titles were added to our names, how many possessions we’ve acquired, how we grew our ministries, churches, or organizations?

OR

Will our lives be known for…Love? 

Are we seeing through eyes that are eternally focused, 

or is our vision nearsighted and impaired by the temporal?

Eternity is not some day, it is NOW.

If we have chosen to belong to Father God through the precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we are an entirely NEW (Kainos – “not found exactly like this before”) creation, a citizen of Heaven, and part of the household of God…this is our home NOW. 

Our sights and hearts are set on things above, not on things on the earth. ("but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal". Matthew 6:20)  (Colossians 3:2)

We are seated with Christ Jesus in Heavenly places where we have His perspective, His view. (Ephesians 2:6) 

When we are seeing as He sees, we see through the eyes of Love, and the choice is then ours to let the heart of Father be expressed through us. His heart, His love, compels us. The action point of our faith. By our lives it will be evident what kingdom we are from.

We live from Heaven to earth, not from earth to Heaven.

Is this what our lives look like, or are we still in a box of man’s doing where the eternal purpose we were created for is not being realized?

My prayer is that our lives on earth are a true reflection of Him, an exact representation of who He is. That we will live as children dearly loved by our Father. 

Because there will be only one thing that matters at the end of that Day... 

“Did my life point the way to Him?" 

"Did they encounter the Love of the Father

 and the Life of the Son, Jesus Christ, through me? 

Was Jesus seen, was Father made known?”

To know His love is Heaven on earth for us…

to give His love, is Heaven on earth for someone else. 

(Yes, I can hear what you’re thinking, and I agree!

Both to know and to give is Heaven on earth for us!)

His Love is, He is, Heaven on earth through a surrendered people that belong to Him. Let us be that people.

“Abba Father, it is because You loved us first, gave everything for us, and fill our hearts with Your Love, that we are able to love. That we would choose to live in the Way of Love, keeping in step with Your Spirit… to be Yours… Your mature sons and daughters that bring Heaven on earth while it is called Today.”

    His,

~ Tammy ~