Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:10

Text: Luke 17:20-21

Prop: book or movie of The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum or poster of a rainbow

Summary: The kingdom of God comes when you let God rule within your heart.

Have you ever watched the movie The Wizard of Oz? In that story the main characters go looking for something they think will be found someplace else, only to find that they already have it. Dorothy dreams of a place over the rainbow where all the problems of life disappear. By the time the story ends, she realizes “there’s no place like home” and that the love and understanding she is searching for is at home. She had it all along.

Jesus told many stories about the kingdom of God. In some stories he spoke of future events and in others he spoke about the present. One day the Pharisees (or teachers) asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming.

(Read Luke 17:20-21.)

Jesus was getting closer to Jerusalem. The Pharisees imagined that God would suddenly appear in the sky and come down to the city of Jerusalem to set up his kingdom on earth. They hoped that God would come soon and destroy their enemies. They were looking for an answer over the rainbow, too.

Jesus brought their eyes back down to earth. He said that God’s kingdom was not something you could see in the sky. It wasn’t a castle in the air or a rainbow. You couldn’t see it begin in a certain place. It was something that could happen right now. He told them to look within themselves. The kingdom of God is not a fort built with stones. God is waiting to rule in your heart. The kingdom of God comes when you let God live and rule in your heart.

Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior? Is Jesus your Lord and King? He will never force you to enter his Kingdom, but he wants you to come into it. I pray that you will let God rule in your heart today.

©2001 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.

Spinning Jesus Heart graphic courtesy of Upon This Rock Graphics.