Like Alice's adventures in
Looking-Glass Land, where everything she encountered was the mirror-image
opposite of what she thought to be true, the kingdom of heaven seems
upside-down and inside-out when we first enter. Learning its biosphere and how
to navigate its landscape becomes the adventure that defines our lives.
The way up is down.
The way to life is through death.
The way to greatness is through
servanthood.
Kingdom living turns all of the
world's platitudes and conventional wisdom on its head. The two are
diametrically opposed. The first exposure to kingdom-life principles is
mind-boggling. It seems it would require a mind transplant to absorb the
absurdity of it.
So, mind transplant it is. When
you are born into the kingdom, the kingdom is born into you. Your mind is
reformed and regenerated. The old operating system is replaced with a new one.
The new operating system runs all
the programs differently. Old things have passed away, and everything has
become new. You have the mind of Christ, and He can make direct deposits from
His mind into yours. He can think His thoughts through your mind. The Lord has
taken out your hard-as-rock, stubborn mind and transplanted a mind that is open
and living and receptive.
The mindset of the world tends to
value big. The bigger the better. Flashy, sparkly big. So, when you first
notice that the kingdom gives small all the value, it takes a while to absorb
it. We are so used to being oriented toward big that the reorientation toward
small feels unnatural. But small is where all the action is in the kingdom.
Small Is the New Big
Think of something big. A
mountain? A tree? Get a mental picture of something you call big. Now consider
that it is made up of tiny, tiny atoms. Atoms are made up of even tinier neutrons
and protons. Neutrons and protons are made up of elements so small, they can't
be seen with the strongest microscope.
No such thing as big. Everything
we call "big" is just a whole lot of "small."
Small upon small upon small
finally equals big. There is no big without lots and lots of small.
Nature as God created it is the
image of the invisible kingdom of heaven. His creation illustrates the
principles of His kingdom. In kingdom living, small matters. Small is the key
to big. Choice by choice, act by act, decision by decision, obedience by
obedience-a large life is made up of a whole lot of small.
Nanotechnology is all the
rage-the technology of the future, some say. The possibilities are endless, and
the power comes from the size of the nanoparticle. It is tiny. The nanoparticle
is so small that it can pass through the skin and through the outer layers of
organs. Medicine can be delivered by nanoparticles. Skin treatments can be
delivered by nanoparticles. Because the delivery system is so small that it can
pass through barriers like skin or organs, it can deliver medicines or
chemotherapy or vitamins deeper and more efficiently. The power of small in
action.
The Word of God, delivered by the
Holy Spirit, is-like a nanoparticle-transdermal. It is more than skin deep. The
Spirit carries the power of the living Word deep into the heart and life and
transforms from the inside out. "Spiritual nanotechnology" means that
the healing and renewal that might otherwise sit on the surface can be absorbed
in the deep and hidden places. It takes the power of small to bring big
results.
Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Price: $16.99
Sale! $11.69