The Kingdom of God Devotional Guide - Tuesday, January 18

Scripture Reading: John 14:18-24

Review and Explanation: The promised kingdom of Christ has not yet been fully established here on the earth. We are not yet living in the Kingdom age. So the promised blessings of the Kingdom, in their fullest expression, are yet to be poured out on the earth. Since they require the physical presence of Jesus, they will not be poured out on the earth until He returns.

In the meantime, it is possible for us to experience foretastes of Kingdom life. These are experiences of spiritual power over the reign of unbelief, sin, and death, experiences that come our way through the present work and ministry of our exalted Lord. These experience include answers to prayer, physical healing, someone becoming a Christian, people overcoming adversity and persevering through trials, and Christians sharing their faith and practicing kingdom values. All of these blessings and more come our way now through the Lord Jesus, the King. In other words, Jesus still comes into our world spiritually for now, even though he is absent physically. Someday He will return and be with us once again physically. But for now it is just as He promised in John 14:18-24.

All of this shows why it is so important to include verbal proclamations of the Gospel as we practice Kingdom values such as compassion and justice. We do not want anyone to think that these practices originate somehow in our own innate goodness. That would be misleading to say the least. We want our King, the Lord Jesus, to receive the credit and glory for the blessings associated with His Kingdom, even though, for now, they are only foretastes of what it to come. So when we share verbally, we are giving a clear witness to the reality of Christ's coming Kingdom and to the present reality of His power and spiritual presence among here and now.

Reflection Questions: How are you now giving a clear witness to the reality of Christ's coming Kingdom and to the present reality of His power and spiritual presence among us here and now? To whom do you give the credit for your acts of compassion, along with other practices associated with Kingdom values? How might you make your witness for Christ more clear?