Off The Cuff Christian

I want you to think about what keys are on your key chain. Most likely you have a key to your home. Probably one for your car. Some may have keys for your workplace. Bottom line is, if you have a key to it, then you have access to it.

That’s a fairly big responsibility. You are responsible for the things your keys access. Since you can access your home, you need to pay rent. Your car must be insured and gassed up. If you own a key to it, then you have to take care of it.

It is a big responsibility, but it is also a great to have access to something that no one else does. No one can enter your home without you opening the door. Someone can’t just hop in your car and drive off. You are the owner and the one that has access to all the benefits from owning those keys.

What’s great is that Jesus gave us keys. He gave us keys to the kingdom. In Matthew 16:19 he says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” That should give you a great feeling. You have access and ownership over the kingdom of heaven. It is kind of like your parents giving you the keys to the car. It is a big deal and we should celebrate, but also be responsible for those keys.

THE PARENTS’ CAR

I remember when my parents gave me keys to car. It was great because I had freedom that I didn’t have before, but I was also responsible for the car. This is the case with Christ, too. We are blessed with freedom because we have keys to the kingdom of heaven. We do not have to live in bondage anymore, but many people still act like they do. They are like a kid that got the keys to the car, but decided to stay inside and play video games.

So, don’t miss this opportunity to be free. Don’t sit back and play it safe. There was always a risk when I took out the car as a teenager. I was an inexperienced driver and could have wrecked the car. My friends could have spilled a drink on the seats. My parents would have been disappointed, but they would have forgiven me.

The same goes with Christ, he did not hand over these keys so we could live in fear and not take risks. These keys give us victory over death and sin. They contain truth and then according to John 8:32, “…the truth will set you free.” Personally I’d rather be free that live in fear and bondage.

THE KINGDOM

The comparison doesn’t really do it justice, though. Your parents’ car isn’t even close to being given access to an entire kingdom. Being owners of the kingdom doesn’t seem fully comprehensible. I think many people just assume that those keys only reach us when we die. In other words, we won’t have access to that kingdom until the next life.

That makes sense and is correct in some ways, but doesn’t line up with the joyful life that Christ wants us to live. God wants us to be excited about the fact that these keys have set us free. We no longer live in the bondage from the sin of the flesh. We are free from the devil’s lies. The kingdom is here and now. If you’re waiting for the kingdom, then you are missing boat. The kingdom came with Christ’s sacrifice.

The truth is that there is a lot of responsibility with the keys to the kingdom. We are now responsibility for knowing what is lawful and unlawful in Christ’s eyes. Our lives need to line up with what is lawful. If we still live in bondage and sin then we are not treating the kingdom well. It is like throwing a frat party inside the kingdom. We must make sure our lives line up with scripture so we can be proper caretakers of the kingdom.

STUCK OUTSIDE

As a kid I would return from school before my parents get home and needed a key to the house. We had a hiding place outside for our key and I would go get it to open the door. I think many homes have a similar system. Some leave it under their door mat. Some buy that fake plastic rock and hide it in that, but our key was hidden in a small hole that was in our camper.

One time I came home and realized I never put the key back. It was only 2:30 in the afternoon and I couldn’t get inside. This was before cellphones, so I couldn’t call anyone and no one was coming home until after 7:00. It was one of those moments where I could have had a fit or blown up, but for some reason I just remained calm.

I started to walk around my yard, looking around at the ground. After about twenty minutes I saw a shiny copper object in the grass. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up. It was one of our old house keys that was missing. I opened the door and walked right inside afterwards. I know it was a small miracle that God had me find that key. Maybe he didn’t want me hanging outside for hours or maybe he just wanted me to know he was there.

No matter what I look back at the moment a lot. I think God has given us the keys to anything we need. Sometimes we just need to stop and look around to see where they may be. Sometimes we go through long waiting, suffering, bad situations, but you still have the keys to the kingdom. Those haven’t gone away. Maybe they are on the ground outside, but they are still there.

I wonder if I threw a big temper tantrum if I would have still found that key in the grass. For some reason I don’t think I would have. So, I think in our spiritual lives when we just stay calm and know that God is good, we find the keys we need to unlock the doors God has in store for us. We are owners of the keys to the kingdom and should act accordingly so we can have access to God’s blessings for our lives.