Strings Attached?

Are there conditions or requirements one must meet to enter the Kingdom of God?

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." - Luke 12:32-40

At first hearing or reading, the message Jesus gives his disciples is that there are things they need to do in order to enter the kingdom, but if we look more closely, we might see things differently.

Jesus is excited for them.

The Father has accepted them as children, so, like Jesus, they inherit the kingdom as an heir.

Wow!

If it was a physical kingdom he was talking about, with a castle, moat, palace and grounds, the preparation to move there would be obvious.  Sell everything you have, for you won't need any of it where you are going.

While it makes sense to divest of all the stuff we won't need when we enter the kingdom, the problem we have is knowing when to do that.

Jesus says to do it now and be ready, but that means I need to change everything.  I need to find a way to live as Jesus lived, sharing everything, owning nothing, living and working together as one.

If I knew the day and the hour, I could make sure I am ready just in time.  But I don't know.

So, it is up to me.

When will I be ready to give up everything and enter the kingdom?  

I am going to need to give this more thought.  For if I truly had no doubts, I could be ready today and leave everything up to God.

So, that is what I have to work on, trusting that God will provide.

More to come...