What is your perspective on the Kingdom?  A sermon from our pastor addressed this issue.  One of his quotes really got me thinking and pondering.

"The visible things will pass away, but the invisible is eternal."

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

The "visible" that he refers to is the mindless and useless things that we consume ourselves with.  It's those things that shove God out of the way and put US in control.  The "invisible" those things that we do or think on, that bring us in alignment with God and His commandments.   God commands us to invest in souls to build up the community, the Kingdom of Christ.  But what does that look like in our lives and how do we carry it out?

Let us start in our homes where we spend the majority of our time.  First and foremost I need to invest my time in my husband and my children.  I'm reminded to lift them up in prayer, and in my words and actions, never speaking to them harshly or in haste, to encourage them, to push them farther than they would push themselves, to assist them and to love them.   As a help meet and mother I could write forever on the daily tasks that I complete for each of them.  But in each thing that I do for them I MUST remember to do them with "JOY" in my heart. If I don't do them with joy then I'm just another "Martha" and I'd rather be a "Mary."  We teach our children "Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last - JOY.

Each day I want to tell my girls how much I love them, how precious they are to me and how much God loves them.  I attempt to be a support to my husband who does such a wonderful job for our family.  He is a strong leader in our family.  While I try with 100% effort, I always seem to fail - never believe that you can be perfect.  Just pick yourself up, repent and move forward.

I'm reminded to "train my children in the ways of the Lord and they will not depart from them."   Training takes consistency and when I lack in my consistency, I'm forgetting to invest in the souls of my children.  We only get our children on a temporary loan from God.  I want to make sure that every minute with them counts.  "Never put off till tomorrow what you should do today," was written by Thomas Jefferson.  If I lack in my training today, then my children will show the signs of that laziness later in their lives.

We also need to invest in our friends and neighbors lives, so that their souls are part of the community.  How wonderful it will be to be surrounded in heaven by all of our brothers and sisters in Christ!  I'm not one to be out and about openly preaching salvation to those around me.  I tend to take a quieter approach.  Perhaps it looks like this, bringing a meal to a neighbor who is ill or just had a baby, or sharing our family values with another family who is starting on their journey with Christ. 

There are numerous other ways to invest in souls to build up the Kingdom.  I must always remember that I am just a tool in this process.  God commands me to be active in this search for souls, but in the greater scheme of life, only the Holy Spirit can lead a person to the cross.  What are you doing to invest in souls?  Share your thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . .

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