Luke Chapter 17: Verse 20-21 (NLT)
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
2 Corinthians Chapter 1: Verses 21- 22 (NIV-UK)
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
I wonder if the Pharisees were looking for an easy life? If the Kingdom of God, as they imagined it, was to come, then surely all their worries would be over. God would put everything right, and they wouldn’t have to do a thing, except take their places of authority and enjoy it. But Jesus told them it wouldn’t be as they imagined it. God’s Kingdom had already come; Jesus Himself moved among them, performing signs and wonders. They had such preconceived ideas they couldn’t see or understand. To be part of God’s Kingdom they had to change and do as Jesus taught. Jesus certainly taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” but He followed that up with “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” That means we need to be obedient to what God requires of us.
Sometimes, even as Christians, we hope, and sometimes pray, for God to come in revival power and set all to rights as it should be. Then we wouldn’t have to do anything except enjoy God’s Presence among us. But as God’s children, we too need to change our preconceived ideas. God wants us to show what His Kingdom is like by being His ambassadors, by conducting ourselves as the citizens of Heaven that we are – we just don’t live there yet. In life, Ambassadors of a country usually represent their home country whilst living in another. But they reflect their country’s laws, heritage and culture wherever they live. That’s what Christians should be doing now. And we have been given the Holy Spirit as our teacher and guide. We don’t need to wait for God to come and move in power. He’s here through His Holy Spirit in us. But we need to allow Him to move through us. And when we do, and His presence is evident in our lives, He touches others too, and that allows Him to move in even more power. He will come in power in His time, but He doesn’t want us to be twiddling our thumbs while we are waiting.
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful that if we allow Your Holy Spirit His way in our lives, we will stand firm in Christ, no matter what circumstances cross our path. Help me to be obedient to the Spirit’s leading in order to be a true ambassador of Christ. I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.