Thanksgiving for the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom is Not Visible – Part II
Key Verses: Luke 17:20-21
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Let’s focus on what Jesus says in the last sentence of our Key Verses: “Because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
I have been thinking a lot about God’s Kingdom being in my midst. I sense the Kingdom in so many different areas around me and in me. If you take time to think about this, you can sense the same things.
The main thing that always comes to my mind is that I see both God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of darkness in this world. I try not to be disgusted with those stuck in this dark kingdom who are so blinded that they live happily. I remind myself to feel sorry for them.
I see this in Jesus as He ate with sinners and had compassion on those caught up in the habits of the dark kingdom. The woman caught in adultery is just one example of the great compassion Jesus felt for the victims of this darkness (John 8:3-11).
Join me in feeling compassion for the people around us who are caught up in the kingdom of darkness! Let’s rejoice that we have seen the light and belong to the Kingdom of Light!
We who belong to the Kingdom of Light can see the world in the same way that God sees it, at least in part. We recognize good and righteousness as reflections of the God we serve.
When we stumble in our walk with God and do something that fits the kingdom of darkness, our inner spirits know at once that we have sinned. We can quickly repent and desire to grow into a stronger Christ-follower. We know we are people of God’s Kingdom because we no longer enjoy sins like as we used to.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT)
Be glad that you have become a new person in Christ. You now belong to His kingdom! The Kingdom of God is in your midst; praise Him for being part of it.
Father, I can see both Your Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness in this world. I am so grateful that I belong to Your Kingdom. Thank You, Jesus! It is in Your Name I pray, amen.