“Thy Kingdom Come ... on Earth”
Jesus not only preached “the truth” (John 18:37) of the Kingdom of God on earth (Matthew 9:35) and asked his disciples to do likewise (Matthew 10:7) but told his followers to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
So what was “the truth” of “the kingdom” that Jesus was so eager to spread? Most of his instructions recorded in the Gospels focus on how to become a person of genuine godly love. The very core of his teaching is embodied in his answer to the lawyer who asked him, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
And what was the point of bearing witness to the truth of how to be a person of love? To get people to believe a certain doctrine? No. Rather, to build a society of love, with God at the center, namely, the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus knew that for society to be transformed, people had to be transformed—from the inside out. So he commented, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
He wanted to preach true love to the people, harvest a huge crop of followers who would embrace his guidance about true love, and then build a new society of true love on earth (the Kingdom of God on earth) with these followers as the nucleus.
How This Helps Us Have a Real Relationship With the Real Jesus
When we understand that Jesus’ foremost goal was to build a world of true love, one person at a time, we ourselves feel a new sense of mission to do the same.
In the name of Jesus, the man of genuine love, we then seek to live love in action by genuinely, unselfishly loving ourselves, our family members, our friends, our colleagues—everyone!
Spiritual Exercise
Find a spot where you can pray undisturbed. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life like never before and help you reorient your life.
● Take some time each day to reflect on your interactions with others. Consider how you could have shown more love or compassion
● To cultivate a deeper sense of love and compassion for yourself and others, write a love letter to yourself, acknowledging your strengths, talents, and accomplishments. Then, write a love letter to someone you care about, expressing your appreciation and affection for them.
● To spread love and kindness to others in unexpected ways, perform a random act of kindness for someone you don't know. This could be as simple as holding a door open for someone, paying for someone's coffee, or leaving a positive note for a stranger.
● To practice forgiveness for yourself and others, think of someone you have hurt or who has hurt you. Spend some time reflecting on the situation and forgiving yourself or the other person. You may find it helpful to write a letter of forgiveness or to pray for the person.
● To develop a deeper understanding of the feelings and experiences of others, spend some time each day practicing empathy. This could involve listening to someone who is going through a difficult time, reading about someone from a different culture or background, or volunteering at a local charity.