My main work is to clear out debris and clutter, making room for My Spirit to take full possession. Collaborate with Me in this effort by being willing to let go of anything I choose to take away. I know what you need, and I have promised to provide all of that—abundantly!

However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today: Spend quality time with Me.

Seek Me first and foremost; then the rest of your life will fall into place, piece by piece.

It is impossible for you to have a need that I cannot meet.

under the velvety fabric, as if it were made of scratchy sackcloth. I want you to trust Me enough to realize your privileged position in My kingdom. Relax in the luxuriant folds of your magnificent robe. Keep your eyes on Me as you practice

A life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered. When your focus is on My Presence, many things that once troubled you lose their power over you.

IN ORDER TO DO SOMETHING WELL, you need to feel at peace about the many other things you could be doing but are not.

A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with Me, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day. Do not let your to-do list (written or mental) become an idol directing your life.

A Christian is someone who follows Jesus by devoting his or her One. Life to the kingdom vision of Jesus.

There is no kingdom that is not about a just society, as there is no kingdom without redemption under Christ. Yet I'm convinced that both of these approaches to kingdom fall substantially short of what kingdom meant to Jesus, so we need once again to be patient enough to ponder what the Bible teaches.

If you want to know how Jesus understands the Christian life, the place to begin is with what he means by kingdom of God.

In other words, in Jesus' demand to live righteously, which runs through the Sermon, we see an Ethic from Above, from Below, and from Beyond—but it is an ethic his followers are to perform. The best way to preach the Sermon is to preach what it is: a demand on the disciple.