The Kingdom of God

“For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” Luke 17:21

One of the scribes asked Jesus a question, and at the end of the exchange Jesus told him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)

If only that scribe knew! He was literally, NOT FAR from the Kingdom of God! Jesus was probably just a foot and a half away from Him! How about us? Do we realize how near to us heaven could be?

In different versions of Luke 17:21, we can read that the Kingdom of God is in our midst, already among us, within us, is with us! The Aramaic Bible interestingly translates this verse “The Kingdom of God is within SOME of you." I think I prefer this translation!

Some people have the gift of bringing the presence of God with them even in the mundane, ordinary, tedious tasks of every day life. I would like to be like Brother Lawrence, a uneducated lay brother with the Discalced Carmelites, who practiced infusing his work  in the kitchen with love for God.

This from Wikipedia: For Brother Lawrence, "common business," no matter how mundane or routine, could be a medium of God's love. The sacredness or worldly status of a task mattered less than motivation behind it. “Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."

“Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving..." (Psalm 95:2) If we want more of God's power, victory and fullness in our life, we need to praise and thank Him! David praised His way into God's heart! He prayed three times a day but praised God seven times a day! And God called him a "man after my own heart." (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22)

If we want to be like Brother Lawrence or King David, and bring God’s Kingdom down to earth, I think the easiest way is to begin by praising God!!!