Daily Bread

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’

The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same thing, and Jesus is the King of this kingdom, but what is this kingdom?

The Kingdom of Heaven is both a place and a movement that exists wherever its subjects live under its rule or way of life.

If you or I claim Jesus is King, and live under God's rule of justice, mercy, and grace, then the Kingdom of Heaven is present. This is why Jesus could say to his disciples that, "The kingdom of heaven is within you." This is also literally true as God's Spirit makes home in each of us when we ask for God to come into our lives.

The Kingdom of Heaven is also a movement in that it spreads from person to person, and as more people come to live under the banner of Christ, it increases its positive influence in the world.

When a person makes God their Sovereign over worldly sovereigns, then an inner transformation takes place that is reflected in the choices that they make.

The worldly sovereigns — gods that seek to have influence over us — are things such as pride, greed, selfishness, conceit, apathy, indifference, prejudice, and so on. The way of Christ — our Sovereign and God — is the way of humility, gentleness, generosity, kindness, restraint, and love.

Therefore, whenever we choose the latter over the former, the Kingdom of Heaven is present and God's way of salvation has come on earth as in heaven.

You and I are the people of God, living under the kingship or sovereignty of Christ, and we are bringers of heaven to earth. As the Holy Spirit lives and works through us for good, our presence matters.

At times you may feel worthless or useless, tired or Ineffectual, but you are more precious than you can possibly imagine, for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.

Holy God
May the light of your love
shine through me
to illuminate the world.
May your Holy Spirit fill me
and your holiness transform me
such that my choices
make a positive difference
for others and the environment.
May your sovereignty reign
in and through me
now and forever.