Mark 12:34 ( And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question)

Do you know that many might not be far from the kingdom of God but may decide not to enter?

These scribes came to inquire from Jesus himself, to tell him which is the first commandment?

Then Jesus told him that love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your might. The second one is like that: love your neighbour as yourself.

To which the man agreed, Jesus then answered him that he was not far from the kingdom, but was he able to enter? That is what we did not know.

The other man came as one of the ruler in the Synagogue, who want to justify himself by saying he has been keeping all the law since when he was young, he never erred in his life, but Jesus loved him and told him what he need to do for him to enter, as he didn’t tell the first man what he need to do to enter the kingdom, he want him to discover that himself.

The man, who was told the criteria needed by God refused because he loved his riches more than doing God’s will.

How many of us Christians are like these two personalities who thought they could enter the kingdom with their own righteousness apart from the righteousness of God?

Knowledge of God or his word wouldn’t qualify anyone to enter, it’s the wisdom of God applied by putting whatever you learnt into practice that will qualify you.

The word of God is like two edges sword, speaking to the listeners and the speaker.

Like many bible scholars these days who know all the written words of the bible in letters, but are not led by the spirit of God, thinking that it’s by teaching others what they know that will qualify them, but are they themselves practising what they are teaching others?

That kind of righteousness is that of the Pharisees who know the law but are not doing it, they’re not far from the kingdom, they are even standing at the entrance preventing others from entering, when they themselves won’t enter.

The violence needed is what most of us are lacking, violence to resist the devil and his temptations, violence to say no when you’re expected to say yes.

Violence to love that wouldn’t make sense to a reprobate mind, when you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you and wish good for your haters.

Violence to do God’s will even if it’s at your own peril, violence to face where the world opposes, and violence to choose right when the world is choosing wrong, violence to be on the lord’s side when they see it as rebellion and foolishness.

Violence to lose things that matter and let Christ alone and his kingdom be sufficient.

If you can’t exercise that kind of violence, how will you behave like Job, when his wife told him to curse God and die? Violence to say like Queen Esther that if I perish, I perish.

Many who are struggling to enter the kingdom love to remain halfway to the top, prefer to stay at mediocrity, not trying to move further to the place of victory where they’ll trample their feet on top of the serpent’s head.

They are not pressing further as they want to remain at the back of their leaders who they think supposedly know the way more than them.

This means that if the leaders are not ready to enter, it also blocks them from accessing the glorious presence of their father in heaven.

Jesus says, for you to enter the kingdom, you must follow him at his back, not your pastor or your leader, because he not only knows the way, He is the WAY himself.

The leader in the Synagogue refuses to follow him, can’t go with him with all the load of his riches, he needs to dump it at the feet of the poor of his society which he couldn’t comply with, he hates the poor why must he give his riches to them?

But this is all he must do to follow Jesus to avoid distractions that complicate riches and make him look back to end up like Lot’s wife.

Many are not far from the kingdom by doing God’s work as criteria to enter his kingdom but not doing his will, they are serving God under his wrath, why will they enter his kingdom in such a condition?

It’s only those who operate under his mercy that’ll see his face, not those who use their works to bribe their way through, they will end up like a man who enter wedding hall without a wedding garment, which shall be thrown out into outer darkness, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Prayer: Father lord, by fire and by your blood, press me further to enter your kingdom, in Jesus name amen