The City of God

God is the creator of heaven and earth, and everything in them.  When He made man, He made him in his own image.  There is no other reason needed to love man.  It is the greatest virtue to love God.  And since man is made in the image of God, it is a virtue to love man.  That is the founding principle of the city of God: love.

The city of God is the Church of Christ Jesus.  It consists of all those who have the Spirit of God in them.  And all of them are spread throughout the world.  It does not have physical boundaries.  All those who accept Christ are welcome in it, and it matters not their nationality or background.  It is a city on a hill.  It is a hill which is called heaven.  By this you should understand that its a heavenly city, which is invisible.  It is unlike any other city, because you cannot point to it on the map.  Other cities are physical; this city is spiritual and heavenly.

There is only one way to enter the city of God.  It is a narrow gate; Christ is the gate.  If you accept the words of Jesus, which are written in the Bible, then you are welcomed in the city.  But if you choose to be ignorant of those words, or you choose not to accept them, or you pretend to accept them but ignore them, or in any way reject the words of Jesus, then you have no part in the city of God.  It is essential to be a disciple of Jesus to be a citizen of God's city.  And it is essential to read, to keep and follow the words of Jesus to be a disciple of His.  And this is not hard: contained in those words are the greatest wisdom to ever be present on earth.  Contained in those words are life, and love, and peace, and joy, and many good things.  It is no burden to keep the words of Jesus, but rather an invigorating enlightenment.

Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  -Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 (HCSB)

Citizens of the city of God do not have to worry, among other things, of their wealth.  Here on earth the rich make investments, put their wealth in banks, or vaults, or hard assets.  Whatever they may do, they have to worry about protecting their wealth.  It can be stolen, or the value of investments can diminish.  A Christian does not have to worry about it.  While a Christian may be poor here on earth, it doesn't make much difference.  The follower of Christ focuses on doing the will of God, which will earn him rewards in heaven.  For one thing, those rewards cannot be stolen or lost.  And their value can never diminish.  For another, the return on investment is so much greater.  People put in so much effort to make money here on earth.  With less difficulty, and a focus on doing what pleases God, rewards of much greater value can be obtained in heaven.  This is one of many principles which lead to the prosperous soul of the saint.  Specifically what I mean in peace in the soul; a knowledge that something far greater awaits us.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.  -Jesus in Matthew 6:33 (HCSB)

It doesn't matter if a Christian loses his job.  An injury.  An ailment.  A breakup.  Hardship.  Even death.  None of that matters.  A Christian is not called to seek the things of this world: fame, fortune, happiness.  Even sorrow, to the Christian, is a blessing.  And everything, even hardships, are worked out for the good.  So we don't worry about what might happen tomorrow.  For even the worst thing that could happen is no problem for the Christian.  Whether or not it can be overcome (with the power of God anything can be overcome), it doesn't matter, because the worst that can happen to any person is death, and death is the best passing for a Christian.  So the worst that happens for a Christian is passing from this earth to heaven.  If the worst case scenario is heaven, what is there to worry about?  Citizens of the city of God leap, and fly, and giggle, for the simple fact that they have nothing to worry about.  It is a city of children.  It is as a sandbox, filled with lighthearted laughter and fun.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.  Galatians 5:22 (HCSB)

What makes the city of God heaven?  It is the fruit of the Spirit.  In every citizen there is the Spirit of God.  And that Spirit manifests Himself in good works, good character, excellent virtue.  Its a pleasant thing rubbing shoulders with people of lovely character.  Yet, where we are now, its not always the case.  There are people filled with the Spirit, and there are people lacking the Spirit.  But God gives us the strength to love even our enemies, and to overlook an offense.  It is for the Christian to take the high road.  When someone wrongs us, we turn the other cheek.  It is no weakness, but rather a strength.  To be at peace, and to shrug our shoulders, when others would be enraged and act out of anger, it is a strength.  It is the anger and rage which is weakness.

At the center of the city is Truth.  The streets are illuminated with God's word.  The foundations are laid by knowledge.  The binding of the Bible holds together Christians, as it holds together pages.  The name of the city is written: the New Jerusalem.  It is for those who love truth to enter: "I am the way and the truth and the life," said Jesus.  "No one comes to the Father except through Me."