You’re reading this which means that you’re probably a Christian and you’re also eagerly waiting the coming of Messiah.
After all, what could be better than heaven on Earth? The answer: Nothing!
But – and get ready for this – what if we ALREADY have heaven on Earth and we just can’t see it yet? Take a look at what the Gospel of Luke has to say …
Luke 17:20–21: "Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he (Jesus) answered them, “The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Other translations of the Bible say it this way, “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
The kingdom of God is right here? Within our midst? Within us? Jewish rabbis and scholars of the Jewish wisdom known as Kabbalah would agree 100% that the kingdom (The Light) of God is HERE … right now. Then, why don’t we see it? Why can’t we experience its joy and its victory?
Those same scholars of Kabbalah would say it’s because we have put up curtains to block out the light of God. Those curtains are selfishness, greed, our previous misdeeds. By taking down those curtains … by loving our fellow human beings, caring about other people’s needs, by proactively controlling our negative reactions, doing acts of kindness … we can tear down those curtains and let in God’s light. The more curtains we rip down, the more light we get … the more of God’s kingdom we let in.
With this in mind, let’s look at what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians …
Philippians 2:3–4: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Considering what Jesus said about the kingdom of God ALREADY being here and the Kabbalistic insight of tearing down curtains to let in God’s light … we can see the Philippians 2:3-4 isn’t just saying that it’s nice to be nice. It’s giving us a secret into revealing more of God’s light … of experiencing heaven on earth.
Is this the ultimate paradox – that the best way to bring more blessings into our lives is to stop selfishly trying to receive for ourselves alone and by being a source of blessing to others?
So, let’s put our faith into what Luke 17:20-21 has revealed and let’s get more connected to the kingdom of God that is WITHIN us. Let’s be kind and caring. And let’s …
… TEAR DOWN THOSE CURTAINS!
