I am blogging for Lent. Pouring in not taking out by sending excerpts from my new book,

THE TOV HEART: God's Design for a Life Rooted in What Matters Most

If you are intrigued, you can order it from Amazon here THE TOV HEART

Whether you get your own copy of the book or not, it is my hope and prayer that you will be blessed and challenged to look for more with God - Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. No matter how much you think you have, there is always MORE! Godspeed!

“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”

– 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT

Jesus makes it clear that the way of the Kingdom is different. He wants us to make a shift. To shift our gazes and our hearts from this world to the Kingdom of God.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:25-26

He also provided us with a stern warning about focusing on the things of the world. The things in and of the world upon which we have grounded our happiness and our hope.

“Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” – Luke 17:32-33

You cannot find tov and the abundant life if you are on the defensive. If you worry and strive. It is impossible. You must learn to live differently. To live Alive! Full! Free!

Alive – To live in anticipation. To engage life in the fullness of creation. To live in the expectancy of what is possible and the goodness to come regardless of current circumstances.

Full –  To embrace the glory God has created in you. The glory you were meant to impact the world with, and which has been assaulted. To allow everyone you encounter to feel the weight of your glory with integrity and truth.

Free – To engage others squarely centered in both your glory and God’s love, no matter how they may be opposed. To boldly answer God’s question, “Is your fear greater than my love?” with a resounding “NO!”

The Apostle Paul put it this way:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Romans 12:2

This doesn’t mean we give up and move to complacency or ambivalence. We must still act, live, and move within the physical world we live in. The difference is in how we live. How we act, react, move, and, most importantly, who leads the charge.

In the movie Kingdom of Heaven[i], as Balian’s father is dying, he gives Balian an oath to live by. A new way of living beyond himself and in a story much larger than his own.

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright, that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath."

You are called to live open and free. Not protecting what you have but giving it all away, including the most important thing you own - yourself. Who you were, who you are, and who you are becoming.

It is in and through your story and gifting that you become the man God intended you to be. The man who is not ashamed or afraid of who he was. The man who knows and leans into his gifting for good. The man who has given up everything to keep his eyes on Jesus. The man who lives and loves in the context of God’s love flowing out of the abundance of his union with God. A man, as Morgan Snyder puts it, with nothing to hide, nothing to fear, and nothing to prove.

This is God Math.

[i] Scott, Ridley, dir. 2005. The Kingdom of Heaven. 20th Century Studios.

Excerpt From THE TOV HEART: God's Design for a Life Rooted in What Matters Most

Copyright © 2025 Ray Schmidt