The Kingdom of God Is Near

 

“Near” is a relative term for me. When I’m coming back from an errand, near is when I turn into our neighborhood. When I’m coming from out of town, near means downtown Fort Worth, about 15 miles from home. If I’m flying back from overseas, near is about 300 miles, or an hour, away.

 

Jesus began His ministry saying, “The time has come…the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) (other translations read “at hand” instead of “near”). When Jesus was born, His Father’s plan of salvation began its earthly fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is present today in the hearts of believers who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It will reach its fullness when Jesus returns to reign over all in the final days.

 

Today’s question is not how near the Kingdom of God is to you, it’s how near you are to the Kingdom of God. Is it near enough that it affects everything you say and do, or is it just a comfortable 300 miles away, not having any impact on today but close enough to hopefully get there someday?

 

In a recent post, I talked about how the call to repentance leads us to times of refreshing from the Lord. It also draws us nearer to Jesus and to the fullness of life that He desires to give us. The nearer we are to Jesus, the more we will live in His light, a light that dispels the darkness in our lives and illuminates our path forward.

 

Let’s heed James’ exhortation, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).