7. Jesus’ life, teaching, death on the cross, and resurrection eliminated anything that might keep me from participating in His Kingdom.

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

When you think about what you think is required to enjoy life with God, how many of the obstacles you face are put there by God and how many have you put there yourself?

What is the biggest obstacle that might keep you from experiencing the abundance of the Kingdom today?

Are there obstacles that you believe God has put in place to keep you from experiencing His Kingdom? If so, what are they?

What “excuses” do you sometimes use for not living in the Kingdom?

What obstacle did Jesus’ death on the cross remove in your beliefs, in your experience?

How do Jesus’ teachings address obstacles that might keep us from enjoying the fullness of life that He says is available to us?

As wonderful, abundant, and available as this life with God in His Kingdom is for us, and as much as God desires that we join Him in His Kingdom, there are obstacles that can keep us from His present Kingdom. The good news is that in and through Jesus, all these obstacles can be removed. One common obstacle is not feeling worthy of life with God.

We know ourselves and can’t imagine that God would want us in His Kingdom. But Jesus’ death on the cross eliminates this obstacle. Jesus made the way for our sinfulness to be forgiven—but we must also allow God’s Spirit to change our feelings of unworthiness—otherwise our guilt and shame may keep us from enjoying the Kingdom. Another common obstacle is an image of God that makes Him seem unreachable, unavailable, or unwilling to personally connect with us. We counter this thought by remembering that in Jesus,

God pursued us; He came to earth to meet us, and His love and desire for us was made clear in the incarnation of Jesus. Another obstacle that cannot be ignored is that our enemy, Satan, wants to deprive us of life in God’s Kingdom and sometimes tries to convince us that he, Satan, has power over us. But the truth is that when He rose from the dead, Jesus broke Satan’s power and claim over us. A final obstacle to consider is that

in our broken and flawed condition we are not very suited to live in God’s Kingdom. Again, Jesus helps us overcome this obstacle by teaching us how to live well in God’s Kingdom and even modeling it for us. Furthermore, Jesus, as He was leaving this earth, gave us a Helper, His Spirit, to guide us in our transformation. This is an important point that we sometime overlook.

Most people struggle to love their neighbors, much less their enemies. It is hard at times not to judge others, not get angry, or to forgive. All of these things and more Jesus taught us to do and also showed us how to do. But knowing what to do, and even seeing how Jesus did it, does not automatically change us.

We must actually train to do these things. This training is an essential part of living in God’s Kingdom. Our training is not about earning the right to live in the Kingdom; Jesus’ death and resurrection did that. But, with the help of God’s Spirit, training changes us, repairs our brokenness, and heals us so that we can function well in the Kingdom.

God knows our human condition; He understands what might keep us from experiencing life with Him in His Kingdom, and He has provided solutions to all these obstacles. We have no excuse.