By Caro January 27, 2023
We are so easily distracted. We have a project to finish, but we get lost in the short videos our social media offers us. No wonder that we also lose sight of the Kingdom of God around us.
We can’t blame social media. Even in nature, without electricity, we could be distracted during our hike by birds or flowers, and get lost. And if we can lose sight of our destination in the physical world, it is even easier to lose sight of the spiritual dimension of our world. Jesus tried in several ways to remind us not to just look with our physical eyes. There is another world that exists at the same time as this world in which we walk. “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” (Luke 17:20-21 NLT).
The kingdom of God is in our midst: do we realize it? When was the last time we took the time to consider the spiritual world in which we live? “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV). Our thoughts and reasoning lead us [to logical conclusions][1]. But the spiritual world is not subject to this logic, and we must not let our eyes distract us from this other dimension.
When Jesus was talking about sight in Luke 11, He was talking about our spiritual eyes. “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness” (verse 34 NKJV). If we read this verse again adding the spiritual ingredient (as some versions translate it), this verse becomes: “The lamp of the body is the spiritual eye”. As we read the rest of the passage, we see our world in a whole new way. “Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light” (Luke 11:35-36 NKJV).
As a child of God, we must take the time to consider our physical challenges from a spiritual perspective. Our problems will sometimes be much less worrisome when [we remember who we are][2] in the Spirit. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV). That is how we should view the challenges of our dating time. We are sometimes afraid of decisions, whether we made the right choice of partner. But when we remember that we are not alone in this choice, God is there to give us confirmation. Our stress decreases enormously. Our little deviations in behavior, the temptations of the flesh, do not seem so bad to indulge in. But when we compare them to our eternal destiny, their importance changes greatly.
Let’s take the time today to remember that the Kingdom of God is here around us. Let us open our spiritual eyes, as Jesus taught, and we will see real life, our true identity, and our destiny.