Phil Rowlands

Hello, my friends!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the high standards of Christian living? Perhaps you've read through the Sermon on the Mount and thought to yourself, “How on earth am I supposed to live up to all of this?” Well, you're not alone! Today, let's chat about how we can navigate the seemingly impossible expectations of Kingdom living and find the grace we need to thrive.

Jesus has just finished His teaching about life in the Kingdom, and He's left His disciples (and us) with some pretty lofty ideals. He started by describing the character of those in the Kingdom – you know, the Beatitudes. But He wasn't saying, “Try to be like this.” No, He was saying, “This is who you are in the Kingdom.” Isn't that liberating? It's not about striving; it's about being who we already are in Christ!

Think about it. When Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” He's not giving us a to-do list. He's describing the natural desires of those who are in the Kingdom. If you find yourself longing for righteousness, rejoice! That's a sign you're in the Kingdom. The same goes for being merciful, being a peacemaker, or having a pure heart. These aren't goals to achieve; they're characteristics to recognise and celebrate in ourselves as we grow in Christ.

Then Jesus cranked it up a notch. He said our righteousness needs to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Now, if you're anything like me, you might be thinking, “Exceed the Pharisees? They were the religious superstars of their day!” But here's the deal – Jesus wasn't talking about following more rules. He was talking about a heart transformation that goes way beyond external behaviour.

Remember how Jesus said that being angry is like committing murder in your heart? Or that looking with lust is like committing adultery? He was getting to the root of the issue – our hearts. And let's be honest, trying to control our thoughts and emotions can feel like an uphill battle sometimes, can't it?

Jesus didn't stop there. He tackled issues like divorce, oaths, revenge, and even loving our enemies. He said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” That's a tall order, isn't it? It goes against every natural instinct we have.

And then, as if all that wasn't challenging enough, Jesus talked about doing our good deeds in secret, not storing up treasures on earth, and not being anxious about the future. He even said, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Perfect? Really, Jesus? How is that even possible?

Friends, at this point, we might be feeling a bit discouraged. We might be thinking, “I can't live up to all this. It's impossible!” And you know what? You're right. On our own, it is impossible. But here's where it gets really interesting. After laying out all these seemingly impossible standards, Jesus brings us back to a simple, yet profound truth: You can't, but He can!

This is where we need to pay close attention. Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Now, before you start thinking this is some kind of cosmic vending machine where you can ask for anything you want, let's look at the context.

Jesus is talking about asking for the grace and strength to live the Kingdom life. He's inviting us into a relationship of constant dependence on Him. It's not about getting everything we want; it's about receiving everything we need to live the life He's called us to.

You know, I love what Augustine prayed: “Give what you command, then command what you will.” In other words, “God, I can't do what you're asking of me unless you give me the power to do it.” That's the heart of Christian living, my friends. It's not about religious striving; it's about receiving the life of Christ and letting that life work through us.

So, how do we do this practically? Well, Jesus gives us three action steps: ask, seek, and knock.

First, ask. We're told in Hebrews 4:16 to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Don't be shy about asking God for help! He delights in giving good gifts to His children. And the best gift? His Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live the Kingdom life.

This asking is about living in a state of constant dependency on God. It's recognising that in ourselves, we have nothing good to offer. But we know that the Holy Spirit lives in us, ready to manifest the wonderful life of Christ through us. Every day, we need fresh grace, just like the Israelites needed fresh manna each morning in the wilderness.

Secondly, seek. This is about aligning ourselves with God's purposes. It's not enough to just ask for things; we need to seek God's will and His ways. Remember Moses? He wasn't content with just seeing God's acts; he wanted to know God's ways. He said, “Show me now Your way, that I may know You” (Exodus 33:13). That's the heart of a true disciple – someone who wants to learn from the Lord and know His heart.

Seeking God goes beyond just asking for things. It's about developing an intimate relationship with Him. Jesus said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15). This is the essence of discipleship – learning the ways of God, not just witnessing His acts.

Finally, knock. This speaks of persistence and patience. Sometimes, we need to wait on God's timing. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25-26). Don't give up if you don't see results immediately. Keep knocking, keep waiting expectantly.

This reminds me of Elijah on Mount Carmel. After years of drought, he prayed for rain. He sent his servant to look for signs of rain, but the servant saw nothing. Elijah didn't give up. He kept praying, kept knocking, so to speak. It wasn't until the seventh time that the servant reported seeing a cloud the size of a man's hand. You could say, in a way, Elijah's persistence paid off. But Elijah didn't nag God into providing; instead, Elijah believed in the spirit that this was what God was going to provide, and Elijah joined Him in that by being prayerful about it. We do nothing independently from God, we are joining Him in His glorious work, whatever that is.

Now, here's a crucial point we need to understand. When Jesus says, “Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:8), He's not giving us a blank cheque to ask for anything we want. He's talking specifically about our need for grace to live the Kingdom life.

In fact, Jesus goes on to illustrate this with a beautiful analogy. He asks, “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?” (Matthew 7:9-10). The point is clear – our Heavenly Father knows what we need, and He gives good gifts to His children.

Friends, sometimes what we think we want isn't actually what's best for us. Under the Old Covenant, God sometimes gave people what they asked for, even when it wasn't good for them. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness? They got tired of the manna God was providing and asked for meat instead. Psalm 106:15 tells us, “And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

But under the New Covenant, we have a promise that God gives good gifts to His children. He gives us what we need, not necessarily what we want. And what we need, more than anything else, is His presence, His grace, and His Holy Spirit.

This reminds me of the Apostle Paul's experience with his “thorn in the flesh.” He asked God three times to take it away, thinking he could be more effective without it. But God's response was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes, what we perceive as a hindrance is actually the very thing keeping us dependent on God's grace.

So, what does all this mean for us as we are graced to live the Kingdom life? It means we need to live in a state of constant dependence on God. We need to ask for His grace daily, just as the Israelites gathered fresh manna each morning. We need to seek His ways, not just His acts, developing an intimate relationship with Him. And we need to knock persistently, waiting patiently for His timing.

It's not about striving in our own strength to reach an impossible standard. It's about allowing Christ to live His life through us. As Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

This is the difference between religion and relationship. Religion says, “Do these things and you'll be accepted.” Relationship says, “You're accepted, so now live out of that acceptance.” It's not about trying to earn God's favour; it's about living from a place of already having His favour.

Remember, the Christian life is not meant to be lived in our own strength. Jesus never said we could do it on our own. But He did say that with God, all things are possible. So don't get discouraged when you fall short. Instead, ask for more grace. Seek His face. Knock persistently.

And here's a wonderful promise to hold onto: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). Keep believing, my friends. Keep asking, seeking, and knocking. The life Jesus has called us to in the Kingdom of God is a supernatural life. We can't do it, but He can, and He will do it through us as we depend on Him.

Be blessed today, my brothers and sisters. May you experience the sufficiency of God's grace in every area of your life. May you know the joy of living not by your own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit within you. And may you see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, as you ask, seek, and knock in faithful dependence on Him.

Phil