The Kingdom of God. part 1

1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit (2 Cor 5:1-5 NLT).

I don't know about you, but I long for eternity. I long to finally be able to see God face to face (Rev 22:3-4). Sometimes, I can get so bogged down with this life that I forget that the Holy Spirit is, not only a guarantee of what's to come, but through Him I actually have a piece of eternity that dwells in me all the time. He is included as part of our inheritance in Christ (Eph 1:14). We must never forget that the life of the Spirit is eternal life. The Spirit of the living God knows no other way to live, but eternally. How much of your everyday are you actually living the life of Heaven?

If you're like me, than the answer to that question is pretty obvious. "Not as much as I would like." But, could there be any other answer? Probably not. Now the more I think about it, the more I think we need a different question, one that gets more to the heart of the original question which is in essence, How much of the Kingdom of God are you experiencing in your everyday life?

Yes, it is true, that the fullness of life that Jesus promises us (John 10:10) that believers experience is only in part (1 Cor 13:12) because it is only at Jesus' Second Coming will the Kingdom of God be fully realized where, as Paul says, we will put on our "heavenly bodies." But, believers must never forget that we can and do experience eternity in the here and now. Though it is but a taste, it is still a taste of God's Kingdom (Heb 6:4-5). Remember, we as believers actually carry around the Kingdom of God within us because the Spirit of God is of the Kingdom. So maybe the better question is: How much time are you spending with the Holy Spirit throughout your day? Because it is through Him that we experience the eternal Kingdom of God. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17 NIV)."