Friday, July 19, 2013

The Kingdom of God


The Kingdom of God is within every authentic Believer through Christ who dwells in us (Luke 17:21). As we seek His Kingdom first in the course of our day, He provides everything we need to live a Godly and spiritually successful life (Matthew 6:33). His Kingdom reaches far beyond our carnal vision and human wisdom to the eternal realm. 

In His Kingdom, we live in sweet delight with God’s presence within us. We permanently remain in this spiritual state of being, regardless of our circumstances, because Jesus gave His life to provide us with His abundant life both now and in eternity (John 10:10).

God’s Word is referred to as a seed (Luke 8:11). When we sow His truth into our spirit, we reap His good fruit in our body and soul – our mind, choices and emotions – as well.  When God waters the seed, we gain the increase (Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s laws are based on the idea of sowing and reaping. 

If we sow carnality, we reap destruction. If we sow righteousness, we reap God’s blessings (Mark 4:26-28). The idea of falling back into the realm of the temporal flesh is repugnant and distasteful to us. Therefore, we run to His fountain of life, which is constantly supplying all of our needs.

Other religions imitate a facsimile of the transcendental state we achieve by God’s Spirit, but theirs comes by reprogramming the human soul, rather than a rebirth of one’s spirit. Their spirit is still dead in sin (Romans 8:6)

Even the noblest, most generous person without Christ still lacks Jesus, the essential ingredient to possess eternal life. Their rituals create an emotional and mental cocoon, which makes them feel as if they are fully alive. They use the practice of meditation to still the turmoil of their soul. However, these humanistic methods only provide partial freedom from the cares of this life.

Only Christ in us can completely overcome sin’s temptation and its results in our life, in order to provide us with eternal life. The Kingdom of God is Christ in us. His presence surrounds both our spirit and our soul (Luke 17:20-21)

Through Him, our soul is raptured into His Kingdom and we transcend the cares and issues of the human sphere and dwell instead in Christ’s divine life within us. Our soul is no longer plagued by worldly cares. God transports us by His Spirit into His eternal rest (Hebrews 4:3). This results in deep quietude and abiding satisfaction, which is full of the joy of the Lord.

Prayer:
Father God, there is no economic summit, council of world peace or humanistic effort that can bring equality to everyone and meet all of our human and spiritual needs. Our only hope is to see You usher in the fulfillment of Your Kingdom on the earth. We thank You for providing the fullness of Your Kingdom in our hearts now. We look forward to the day when Your Kingdom rules all the kingdoms and nations of this world.

Thought for the Day:
Every human being hungers for the Kingdom of God to take root within them, even if they have no idea what it is or what to call it.