“…the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Lu 17:21
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Mt 6:10
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Mt 6:33
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Co 1:13-14
Most of us are more distracted by the world than we can even admit. We calibrate, curate, and strive all day long without a single acknowledgment of God’s Kingdom. We cannot stop scrolling, eyes locked down instead of up. Never looking up to the heavens watching for Christ’s return.
The Kingdom of God is here now; it’s in our midst. It is also coming. Do we see it? Are we living in it?
The King is dwelling inside of us now. He is also coming in the clouds with angels to catch us up with Him for judgment, to rule, to reign, to set up His Kingdom for all eternity. Are we seeking first the Kingdom? First means first.
Often we find ourselves living on the edge of the Kingdom.
We are not living in reality. We are living in our own dream of what we want things to be. We only think about the Kingdom for brief moments, now and then. We are not seeking it first. We struggle because honestly, we love the world’s kingdom. We want to live right smack in the middle of it. We do not live in the hope of His return, a hope that should inspire us to serve and engage in ushering in His Kingdom. We forget the Kingdom is here now. Reality rarely hits our radar.
The renewal of this truth must be done daily. Moment by moment. We do not need more time. We need to make more space. We make space in our hearts by stopping and remembering. The King and His Kingdom are within us.
Starting and remembering is where our spiritual practice begins. We must meditate and contemplate on this mystery every moment. He is in us and we are in Him. Our living awareness of the here and coming Kingdom will grow like a mustard seed (Mt 13:31; 17:20). The Kingdom within us and our awareness of it will take root and grow.
We must decide to do this work. To choose to embrace and meditate on the Kingdom.
We will never be free to live in the Kingdom if we are in love with slavery. If we seek the Kingdom second.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:3
The Next Question.
– What are you seeking first everyday?
– What keeps you from turning back to seeking the Kingdom first?
– Did you just wake up to the reality that you love slavery? If so, drill in. What brother are you going to reach out to who can handle your slavery?