Read
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.”
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)

Reflect
Have you ever had the struggle of trying to explain what we mean when we say, “Jesus lives in my heart.” or “Christ is within me?” Sometimes it gets a little hard to define exactly how that works and what it looks like.

Matthew 3:2 records Jesus saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In our text today we read that the kingdom has moved from being near to actually being in our midst.

What does Jesus mean when he says, “The kingdom of God is in your midst?”

What do you see? Is it here? Within you? Among us?

What does the kingdom of heaven look like here and now?

Maybe what you might be thinking is not much different from what Jesus said: “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.” Jesus in our lives is not tangible like something that we hold or taste or smell. Yet it is so very real and a concrete reality in our lives when we call out to him.

By staying connected to Jesus in prayer and by reading the word of God each of us can engage in kingdom living. As we travel through life, the kingdom of God is very important – even crucial – in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Stay connected! Don’t allow distractions to pull you away from Jesus. The kingdom of God is within YOU! Live in his presence and know the beauty of the Saviour.

Pray
Our Father in heaven, holy is your name! “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In Jesus, Amen.