Kingdom of God 2

Philippians 3:10-11

I recently purchased the best seller The Man from Beijing. An excerpt from the book led me to believe it would be an interesting thriller, a story of intrigue, espionage and murder. But I was sadly disappointed in the book. It left several questions unanswered and led me through a story that wandered far and wide away from what I was expecting.

I think life can be that way. We expect great things. We anticipate some thrills and fascinating revelations. Yet life can take us far from what we expected, and in the end we can find ourselves left with many unanswered questions.

In his letter to the Philippians Paul makes a powerful statement about his desires. What does he desire? What does he hope to attain?

I believe life is something that is a tremendous gift from God. I believe that it is something we should enjoy, something filled with wonderful delights that God has provided. Yet we can often feel that there must be more to existence than the brief years we live on earth. What more is there?

I believe Paul has a special perspective on the Kingdom of God, that faith and godly living we are called to. If we have the Kingdom of God within us, if we are able to have strong faith and to live a life that imitates Jesus, then we will know and understand the power that is Christ. We will be in fellowship with Jesus, sharing in his suffering but also sharing in the resurrection that is sure to come.

What more is there? There is the promise of eternal life through the salvation and grace of Jesus. As we move forward in our lives, as we approach that day when we will be gathered up to God, we must live with the Kingdom of God firmly rooted in our hearts and souls. We must live with a strong faith that trusts in the love and mercy of God, and a faith that knows – is aware of and is in constant communion with – the eternal presence of the Lord.

We can anticipate the glorious reward God has in store for us. And as we wait, as we move through life, we can delight in the constant presence of God, His comfort, His strength, His compassion. And having this awareness, having the Kingdom of God inside us, can make life so much more full and rewarding.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can remind you of the fellowship of Christ which is part of your life today?