Without and Within

“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“The kingdom of God comes not with observation…Behold the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

Lack. It plagues us. We cannot seem to overcome it.

Desires. We have many which we cannot seem to quench. Rarely will we admit that we lack desire, unless it is as a response to take an action we don’t wish to pursue.

What do these two terms have to do with the kingdom of God you might be wondering. Many people are living without simply because they don’t know what they have within. Even those who know what they have within cannot access it properly, and hence, live without simply because they fail to repent.

Okay, that last thing is a big hang up and red flag for most people. Religious tradition has butchered the true meaning of the term so you cannot even mention it without sending people into a frenzy of moralistic whining. So, I’m not going to play that game with you; I’m simply going to explain what the term means within the context of this writing. (It is valid everywhere too, but that is for another day.)

When I was young, I abhorred liver. The very thought of it not only sent shivers down my spine but caused me to gag uncontrollably. A few years ago, I changed my mind about it. Today, I love it! I discovered how it was prepared when I was a child was the reason for my reactions to it. Yet, today, with a many new alternatives in preparing it, I can enjoy what most of you probably still distaste. My tastes for it evolved and changed.

Repent means to change your mind, the way you think and see things, how they taste and nourish you with a more developed and refined palate. We often get stuck in the bland traditions which fill our heads. Jesus tells us to rethink what true food is all about – it is within your grasp.

The kingdom of God is not some far off event which will happen when the world folds up like a cheap rag. It is a very present reality, right now, all around you. Even better, it is within you. You don’t have to grasp for it as much as reach within to allow it to pour it out. “Out your belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Notice how Jesus claims that the kingdom of God does not come by observation. You can’t look around and see it with your natural eyes. We’ve been trained to rely on our sight to distinguish the environment we occupy to be favorably or not. This feeds into our sense of lack and produces within us the emotional cocktail which nourishes the perception of lack.

But there isn’t any lack, anywhere, ever! We only think there is. We have conditioned our mind to perceive it as so simply because we don’t “see” the kingdom of God around us. It isn’t around us; it is within us.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Notice the progression. Something must come from within in order to project an outward appearance. You have to develop a new taste for something in order to see, create or revise a thought, or perceived consciousness. Jesus tells us that only God is good. This means that everything which we have categorized as “good” is a misperception because we haven’t “tasted” it properly. We boldly claim to have a discriminating palate for all the things we see, regardless of people, places and circumstances. Truly, we have only developed an appetite for junk food rather than the meat of the kingdom.

So how do we change our desire for a diet of lack? “Be still and know that I am God.” Stillness. Stop looking out for what you desire, look within. Now, recognize this very act will offend many, if not most of you. It is impossible in this day and age to stop everything and be still, right? There are so many things which must be done or pursued, right? Bills to pay; school to finish; work to rush to; family to address; friends to…you get the picture, right? Are you kinda fed up here?

You are living without simply because you refuse to look within. There is a kingdom within you that you carry everywhere you go 24/7. It is the fullness of who sits on the throne of this kingdom that is your source. When was the last time you considered how you are a transporter, a vehicle, a vessel of the living God who is all power, all knowing, all present, all creation, all love, and all peace? The banquet table of this kingdom is always overflowing within, yet we fail to stop, become still, and taste of the goodness within.

Is it time to change your mind, your thoughts, your consciousness about how you see the kingdom of God? Are you fed up with always seeking after things which don’t soothe the hunger burning within you? Have you ever considered your lack as a diet employed to make you look within? What if the kingdom of God IS the desire of your heart that your head just can’t seem to grasp simply because stillness is so counter-intuitive?

There will always be lack without the kingdom of God. It is still entirely within your grasp to manifest the kingdom’s abundance not by what is seen about you but rather by what swirls and boils within you. There is a greatness within you which you know not of. Stillness is the path within.