John 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

We live in the world and yet our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God because we are born in the Spirit by faith in the effectual works of the Cross of Christ. We struggle in the world trying to make a living, raise children, staying safe and being responsible citizens according to the laws of man,

What does Kingdom living look like? Is it a struggle like living in the world? Can we live in both worlds without neglecting one or the other?

Romans 12:2 English Standard Version (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Is it like this, that we can change our minds and that is sufficient for Kingdom living?

Philippians 3:21 English Standard Version (ESV) who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Or is it something that happens to us which is beyond our control?

The key seems to be subjection. Who rules over us? Christ or the world? How can it be both?

Matthew 22:19-21 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Paul tells us in Romans 8:29 that we are being conformed into the image of Christ. Caesar caused his imaged to be impressed on his money. God impresses the image of His Son on His children.

God wants us in the world expressing His Son so that the lost might know Him. That is rendering to God what is His.

Proverbs 21:2 English Standard Version (ESV) Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

When a dear friend told me that not everyone is introspective I was shocked. I thought we all were introspective. Not everyone is like me. Wow, really? I guess I was right in my own eyes. I never thought of it in any other way. Or did I?

I had little to learn from the definition of introspective so I looked at the introspective antonym, it is extrovert.  I had never been one of those but I knew people like that. I just never thought of them as being extroverts, only that they chose to be outgoing as a result of being introspective. I was wrong.

Perhaps it is a matter of not understanding the differences between the mind and the heart. God weighs the heart. To some that holds no meaning because they do not understand the issues of the heart as being the seat of choice. For the extrovert it has always been a matter of the mental aspects of decision making.

How can an introvert relate to the extrovert in terms of God’s view of the heart? Does the heart for an extrovert only mean emotional feelings that does not have the ability to make decisions? Do they only feel and in those terms become helpless to control those emotions? Do they rationalize how to deal with emotions in order to not become a victim to their emotions? I don’t know for sure because I am introspective.

I recognize that I was helpless to change my heart. I needed God to do that for me. That is a surrender of self to a higher power. Perhaps that is a difficult thing to do for an extrovert. Those are control issues. Turning over control to anyone for an extrovert has to be a rational decision of the mind. It is the extrovert that enlist in the military and accepts that rank has it place and seeks advancement up the chain of command in order to be in charge.

Not so in God’s Kingdom.