Meditation today: the Kingdom of God is upon us

But if it is with God's finger that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. Luke 11:20

The Kingdom of God it can come upon us in many ways. Today's gospel sentence above is found in the middle of a story of Jesus casting out a demon from a man who was mute. Once the demon was cast out, the dumb man began to speak and everyone was amazed. And although some were amazed and consequently grew in faith, others turned their amazement into irrationality.

The irrationality of some was that they saw what Jesus was doing but did not want to accept that his power was divine. Therefore, some of them said, "With the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, cast out demons." They could not deny that Jesus cast out a demon, as they saw it happen with their own eyes. But they were unwilling to accept the divinity of Jesus, so they jumped to the irrational conclusion that the act of Jesus was performed by the power of the "prince of demons".

This irrational position of some people is one of the most dangerous positions one can take. It is the position of a stubborn heart. They received the incredible testimony of God's power at work, but they refused to respond in faith to what they witnessed. For those who are stubborn, when the Kingdom of God comes upon them, as Jesus stated above, the effect is that they react violently, angry and irrationally. This form of reaction is exceptionally prevalent in the secular world today. Many in the media, for example, constantly react violently and irrationally to everything that is part of God's Kingdom. Consequently, the evil one easily misleads many, causing confusion and chaos.

For those who have eyes to see clearly, this violent and irrational rejection of the Kingdom of God is very clear. And for those who have faith and an open heart, the pure gospel message is like water to a dry, parched soul. They absorb it and find excellent refreshment. For them, when the Kingdom of God comes upon them, they are full of energy, inspired and driven by a holy passion to promote the Kingdom of God. Irrationality disappears and the pure Truth of God prevails.

Reflect on your heart today. Are you stubborn in any way? Are there teachings from Christ and His church that you are tempted to reject? Is there any truth you need to hear in your personal life that you find difficult to be open to? Pray that the Kingdom of God will come upon you today and every day and, as it happens, that you will be a powerful instrument of its foundation in this world.

My glorious King of all, You are omnipotent and have full authority over all things. Please come and exercise your authority over my life. Come and establish your kingdom. I pray that my heart will always be open to you and the direction you give. Jesus I believe in you.