The NIV 365 Day Devotional
The Transformation
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”Mark 1:15
As the Hero and his Beloved people walk together, loving each other and spreading his love, an invisible but very real transformation takes place. Mysteriously, unexplainably, his kingdom comes—heaven comes—to earth.
Read.
When Jesus was on earth, he proclaimed, “The time has come . . . The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). God’s Rescuer had come to earth and brought his kingdom with him. But after he returned to heaven, he gave his Beloved a mission: Continue what he started. With him in us, we are to make the world look more like God’s kingdom.
Think.
Since the Garden of Eden, the souls of all people have been enslaved by the curse of sin and death. Then Jesus came. He broke the curse of death and offered eternal life to everyone who would accept it. God wants us to continue, with him, to help people see the life he offers them (see Matthew 28:19–20). That’s part of spreading his kingdom.
God’s kingdom is any place or person under the authority, reign and dominion of the King. God’s kingdom is a place where his love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are evident (see Galatians 5:22–23). And even though his kingdom isn’t visible, every time we live like citizens of his kingdom, we make the world look more like God’s kingdom.
Right now, a lot of the world follows the ways of God’s enemy. “The whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). But with God’s leadership, we can help change that. When we follow his ways, and when we choose not to follow the ways of the archnemesis, God’s attributes are revealed. His kingdom is come.
Live.
From now until we see the Hero face to face, we are to follow his leading and make the world more like his kingdom.
What are some ways you can make your world look more like God’s kingdom?
Taken from Read. Think. Live.