Daily Bread

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.'

Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!"

Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes.

There is this connection between 'knowing God' and doing the 'will of God' and that connection is called 'relationship'. God is not interested in us simply doing good works, even in the name of Christianity, but is interested in knowing us and being known by us.

To do the will of God is to know the mind of God, and you can only know the mind of someone if you spend time in their presence, get to know them, and interact with them. In human relationships such as marriage, it is no use saying, "Did I not get the car serviced in the name of our marriage? And, in the name of our marriage, did I not, on many occasions, expertly load the dishwasher?" for deeds without actual relationship are worth nothing, or at best, reduces what is meant to be a beautiful, deep, intimate, togetherness into a set of contactual obligations. No, not everyone who cries out 'Lord, lord!' will enter the the kingdom of heaven.

And this kingdom of heaven that Jesus is talking about is not 'heaven when you die' but the new world order that he came to inaugurate and of which we are members. The kingdom of heaven is not just a place but a way of life — a way of living in connection and relationship with God. So how do we do this?

The answer is pretty straight forward — by spending time in God's presence, listening, sensing, praying, and waiting. Jesus, in the preceding verses says ask, and in Luke's gospel this asking is for the Holy Spirit of God to come and make home in us. Our job is to recognise and listen to the Holy Spirit both in us and in each other — to connect with the very mind and will of God. And once we have heard, we are to be obedient to the Spirit's leading. Jesus told his disciples that if we did this then we would be like someone building their house on a solid foundation and, as Paul wrote, "nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus."

Holy God
May I never take you for granted
or turn my religion into
a set of contractual obligations.
As I allow you to know me,
help me to know you more deeply,
that I may know your mind
and be obedient to your will.
Now and forever.