KINGDOM LIVING - COMPLETE DEVOTION

Dear One,
    In His teachings Jesus was sometimes clear, precise and easily understood but sometimes He used parables with which to teach the people.  Using parables where He compared something in their daily lives to something in My kingdom was common practice so that My children would more easily understand His teachings which were rich in truth. His teaching about the widow and her offerings was clear, precise and easily understood, it seemed to the natural mind. However, there were truths couched in the teaching which later were revealed.
    Jesus observed people taking their offerings of gifts to the treasury. (Luke 1-4) He saw many rich people placing their offerings into the coffer and He also observed a widow casting in her two pennies.  He was very impressed by the offering of the widow, knowing that her gift was all that she had.  He was less impressed by the offerings of the rich men.  He had earlier taught about how hard it is for a rich person to enter into My kingdom living because of their devotion and trust being in their money instead of Me. (Luke 18:25-27)  The experience of observing the rich men casting in a small percentage of their wealth and the widow casting in all that she had was indicative of the percentage of their devotion and trust in Me.  He said that the rich men had given out of their abundance but that the widow had given all that she had.  It wasn't the money that impressed Jesus.  It was the degree of devotion that her two pennies represented.  The rich men were holding onto their wealth in case there was no more wealth in their future.  The widow gave all that she had, being devoted to me and trusting that I would take care of her needs.
    Then Jesus commented about the temple and its adornments of jewels and gifts of gold and silver. (Luke 21:5-6)  He called attention to the lavish riches in the temple and told them that every stone in the temple would be thrown down and there would not be any left.  His example was amplifying the earlier teaching that people should not put their trust and faith in earthly things but they should seek My kingdom and My righteousness, and if they did that everything will be added to them.  The widow's penny was indicative of her heart, that she was giving all that she had to further My Kingdom in the earth.
    Jesus began to prophesy the event of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and His return to earth to show Himself to them and continue for a short time in His ministry before His return to heaven to live with Me.  He told them that when they hear of wars and commotions that they should not be afraid because those things must come to pass before the end of His earthly ministry was over. (Luke 21:7-8)
    There was great consternation among the people that Jesus would no longer be with them, so He was encouraging them to not be fearful but instead to be elated because what was promised by Me was about to come to earth, that My dwelling place in the earth would be in people instead of in the temples made with rocks, stones and decorated with precious jewels.
    The thought that I would come and make My dwelling place in the earth in the poor, the disadvantaged and the unclean was more than the people could grasp because of their religious traditions and their proclivity to being fleshly minded, thinking that I would build My eternal kingdom in the earth of brick and mortar.  Plus,  they were nationalist minded.  They thought that just because I had chosen the fleshly blood line of Abraham through which to allow My Son to enter into the world, the thought that the possibility that their own God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would choose to live in the Gentiles was minimal.  They deemed the Gentiles to be unclean and unworthy to receive My kingdom in the earth and in heaven.  They forgot that the people to whom Jesus had ministered were always the poor, the sick and the demon possessed.  He had also previously said when I cast a demon out of a person that My kingdom came upon the person. (Luke 11:20)
   Shortly thereafter, upon Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, every stone of the earthly temples and churches fell in their power and influence over My children when My Holy Spirit entered the earth and began to live in My children who welcomed Him into their lives.  Those children of Mine were persecuted for My righteousness which began to be evident in their lives.  The unclean Gentiles received My Holy Spirit more quickly than the religiously programmed Jews because the children of the old covenant were religiously blind to My plans to live in people who were empowered by My Holy Spirit. That is why I chose Paul and made Him into My messenger to the Gentiles.  Even though he had previously persecuted the Jews, he became My messenger to the rest of the world after his being born of My Spirit and baptized in My Spirit.  Paul became My messenger of light after He separated himself from the powerless teachings that came out of the temples and He separated himself from the people who were rich in religious traditions who were disciples of mine.  He was like the widow who gave all that she had.  He went to the desert for tree years and only listened one-on-one to My Spirit's teachings and revelations.  Paul even became persecuted for righteousness sake by My previous disciples because he would not incorporate the old religious, powerless laws into his newly found freedom. He told his followers that there were spies sent to spy on their freedom from religious laws.  He persisted in the truth that whom My Son sets free is free indeed. ( John 8:36)
     Devotion and complete trust in Me were evidenced in the widow's gift of two pennies.  Devotion and complete trust in Me were evidenced in Paul's retreat into the desert to commune with Me and be infused with My truth.
     Devotion to My Holy Spirit and His ability to make you free will result in your being free, indeed, from the guilt and condemnation of the devil that comes from religious laws.
     Peter eventually became more and more free from religious laws.  He wrote that by My divine power of the Holy Spirit, I have given EVERYTHING necessary for the abundant life and godliness.  (II Peter 1:3-4)
     Devotion to Me can come immediately, like with Paul, or it can come in degrees, like with Peter.   Your degree of devotion to My revelation truth will determine your degree of kingdom living, whether it is 30, 60 or 100 percent.  I am offering you 100 percent kingdom living while in the earth when you are led by My Spirit of love and pray in My Spirit of power.
     Your Gift Giving Father