By Michael Jones
East Canton Church of God
I seem to lose my keys a lot, almost weekly. When you're missing something important like your keys, it makes you flustered, angry at yourself, and usually stressed. It's not fun to be looking for something important.
One day some Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied: "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." I'm sure that Jesus' response upset the Pharisees, because they had spent a lot of time looking for the kingdom of God in the things that they did, and they thought they could earn entrance into it. They thought that finding God and living in His kingdom were about how much money they gave, how much work they did, how often they were at church, and all of their great deeds.
People who are following Jesus know that His kingdom is inside of them. They don't think that they can earn entrance into it, and they know that it has nothing to do with what they do. But when the kingdom of God is inside of a person, they live differently, a new life, and they see God and the good He's doing in everything. When the kingdom of God is within you, you're not looking for God anymore, He's within you.
It's not fun to be looking for something important. Is the kingdom of God within you?
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