25. There is no pretending in the Kingdom of God.
(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.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD THINKS ABOUT US WHEN WE PRETEND?
HOW DO YOU IMAGINE PRETENDING AFFECTS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
HOW DO YOU THINK PRETENDING SHAPES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS?
Before God created Adam and Eve, He first created a place where He could be together with them. In Genesis this is portrayed as a garden. The garden is described as a wonderful and delightful place to live. We see Adam and Eve enjoying the garden where it seems that God visited them regularly, “in the cool of the evening.” As the story of God’s relationship with humanity unfolds,
there is always a space, a place that God is working to create so that He and His human creation can gather and connect with each other. In the Old Testament, God guides His people into a land of “flowing with milk and honey,” away from the urban culture of their day. Eventually, against God’s wishes, Israel forms a political organization, a kingdom. At one point this Kingdom of Israel collapses and ceases to be a political organization, yet there remained among the Jewish people a dream of the renewal of this kingdom of Israel.
When Jesus comes, He redefines the space where God desires to meet us by referring to it as a spiritual reality that is available to us at any time. Jesus calls this the kingdom, but perhaps only because He knew that it would get the attention of his audience. He often describes the kingdom as a wonderful place to be, a banquet or party, in which God has invited us to join Him.
God loves for us to join Him in His kingdom today, but there are certain requirements. For example, we are not allowed to judge others in God’s kingdom. Only God can judge. We are not allowed to envy others when we are in God’s kingdom. Telling the truth is required for us to live in God’s kingdom. It is not that God is mean or unkind--He really wants us to join Him in his Kingdom--it’s just that His kingdom requires a certain type of behavior and attitude. It’s like a sports match, say a basketball game.
There are rules to how one plays the game. If we don’t follow those rules, we receive a penalty and eventually, if we continue to break the rules, will be invited to watch the game from the bench. It is to our benefit to follow the rules of the game. In our journey of self-awareness, we find that pretending is not part of God’s Kingdom.
When we pretend, we take ourselves out of the game. It’s not that we are hurting God or that He is punishing us, we simply are not playing the game as it is intended to be played.
Pretending is not allowed in God’s kingdom and when we pretend, we find ourselves looking into the kingdom but not enjoying it.