Jesus is the Locus

UV 801/10,000 Jesus is the Locus ““Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) Luke 17 v 21 We should not look for God or happiness here and there for our pursuit will be vain. We are literally barking up the wrong tree. In fact, the history of the world is the story of most men striving to climb the wrong tree-the tree of power, knowledge and wealth. Instead, the King says, “ Grow the tree of life eternal inside you.” For the kingdom of God is within us and amongst us. This uni-verse should be read along with Mathew 6 v 33 that exhorts us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness and promises that all things will be added unto us. We need to first seek the reign and active rule of God in our hearts and minds and spirits. He must direct our thoughts and emotions. He should inspire our spirits and ignite our passion and imagination. When we give priority to the things of God, He will give priority to the things we need and lead us into green pastures and beside still waters. He will satisfy our inner hunger and our spiritual thirst. He will both reward us and give us rest. All of our physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, financial, familial and social need will be met in sufficient measure. The locus of control lies within us and not without. We need to focus on the locus, Jesus. He is the very locus of the universe. All else is locust that eats away our peace, fruitfulness and joy. The Kingdom of God is not about enjoyment, pleasure, power, riches, fame, consumption or lifestyle but about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We need to focus on obtaining more and more of such as these. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with more righteousness, peace and joy. Righteousness, peace and joy is fuelled by the hope we have in Christ of eternal and abundant life. This is the life of spiritual abundance that the Lord has called us into. It needs to be reflected in all our circles of influence, at home, office or workplace and wherever we go. Abundance means we have so much of it that we can keep giving away to others more and more. When we receive Christ into our hearts by faith or as we see Him with our inner eye, we are laying the foundation of the Kingdom of God in us. He is hereafter the locus, the cornerstone and the rock foundation. When we treasure the Word of God in us and obey its commands and precepts, we are establishing and growing the Kingdom of God in us. When we reflect the love, grace and power of God in our relationships, we are being brand ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is being established not only inside us but in our relationships. The two planks of the cross act as the axes of the kingdom of God: the vertical log is the Kingdom of God inside us and the horizontal log is the axis of the Kingdom amidst us. Prateep V Philip