When today, your children are running circles of elation round a garden perfumed with citrus blossoms, who stops, within that blissful moment, to think about how desperately the Kingdom of Heaven is needed?

However, if while tarring a bit from Eden, you stoop to read a real world story of how Asian children, as young as five, are chained to work stations to labor away at ten hour days, your consuming, convulsing, thoughts can only be, "Thy Kingdom come!"

I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts to share on how to prevent the softening from the blessings of abundance, as well as the callusing from abundant evil, distract you from keeping your focus centered on the Kingdom?

4/20/2010 7:31:52 PM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

This is a conflict for me. Because I am so aware of the great ugliness and evil that exist the world over, in every society and at every level. Is it naive to want to dwell in a reality of your own making and block out the cries of the hungry, oppressed and downtrodden? Most people are content to 'know' that these things are happening, elsewhere, to other people and keep their eyes closed ...

My eyes are open and it is to me a testament of the times that we find ourselves in. That such terrible things are occurring and yet society at large has become content ... self absorbed ... that they can and will shrug off the ugliness of reality in favour of not looking.

When I speak to people of the things that I see, feel, understand and comprehend, I am met with impatience, chided for being negative, reading too much, thinking too much, feeling too much and instructed to direct my energies and making better use of my time in creating a facsimile of utopia within the boundary of my own life.

I can see their point. But I cant stop seeing. Or feeling. Or thinking. Or searching.

The world has become as Nero. We all 'fiddle' while Rome, the World, burns.

4/21/2010 1:58:13 AM by susan63, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/21/2010

The Church needs to wake up and pray....we see and hear so much on this kind of thing feel such sadness and horror, then we get busy with day to day life and forget till we see or hear again, we give money so someone can help...the one thing we can do is pray and fast, stand in the gap for them, God answers pray He hears our cries.

4/26/2010 9:23:43 PM by kaye clark, Member of Delve into Jesus since 2/26/2010

Hi Ryan..

It's been a pretty long time since I've been here on Delve..We've had some reeealy good convo's in the past..

Now to your posted question/comment.

If others are like me, and I suspect they are, we watch the news, read the newspapers and see with our own eyes the world our children are living in, in total chaos and become overwhelmed with it all.

Our first response is usually "Oh, it's too big for me" or "I'm only one person..what could I do even if I wanted too?"..or the like..and we nestle back down into complacency.

Not because we don't care, but because we feel overwhelmed.

So how do we break that cycle?...How about one small step at a time?

I may not be able to do anything about "Asian children, as young as five, are chained to work stations to labor away at ten hour days...but I can do something right here..right now.

About 8 months ago, my church started what we call our "Care MInistry" Our mandate is to allow our passion for God and our desire to help those around us into our ordinary lives and let God do EXTRAordinary things through us.

Within it are those who are led to be Prayer Warriors, others visit those in the Hospital, others do Home visits, even small simple things like sending a Sympathy card, Get Well card can be powerful in that one life.

We no longer feel overwhelmed by the big picture, but step in to do what we "can" do..one situation at a time...one person a time.

The Kingdom resides within every believer, so when we come the Kingdom comes.

We just need to wake up everyday expecting those opportunities to be placed before us and "Just do it!"

5/19/2010 6:19:25 AM by Lapanache, Member of Delve into Jesus since 6/29/2009

Thanks for all the responses - I benefit from seeing how others express themselves on this topic!

Lapanache - I'm glad to see you're back; how's the book progressing? I enjoyed your line:

The Kingdom resides within every believer, so when we come the Kingdom comes.

5/24/2010 8:43:21 AM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

Ryan,

All that happens on earth happens because believers allow it to happen. The Word of God says clearly, " If any two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." Matthew18:19

5/24/2010 9:04:57 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Thank you Ryan,

I am both surprised and flattered that you would remember me, (course you can cheat by looking back at old posts..)HeeHee..

The book is still coming along..I may not even publish it until I'm old and grey or it may simply be something I leave behind as a legacy to the next generation if the Lord taries.

Not really sure, it's not my book anyway it's His..so He'll let me know when, where and how to use it.

Actually I already use the subjects within it to teach others, so it's really not just wasted thoughts on a page laying on a shelf somewhere.

Yeah..that Kingdom Come thing was cool huh? Musta been a God thing.

Be blessed.

5/24/2010 12:34:42 PM by Lapanache, Member of Delve into Jesus since 6/29/2009

This topic came to mind when I read the following quote from Elisabeth Elliot:

Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted
here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the
next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing
us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will
certainly find what we so keenly long for.

11/29/2010 1:45:13 AM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007