Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
TUESDAY, January 11
Mark 1:14-28. Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.”
The gospel (good news) of God is that the kingdom of God is “near.” It is here for everyone who will receive it, but what does Jesus mean, precisely, by the kingdom of God? It is easy to miss its divine depth and breadth by taking only part of Jesus’ meaning and saying, “This is it!” As Coleridge said, “Make any truth too definite and you make it too small.”
Essentially, the kingdom of God is the rule of God. Where God’s will, rather than ours, is done, there is the kingdom. And the glory of the kingdom is that wherever it is found there we find health, wholeness of life, joy, and peace.
Why must we still pray, “Thy kingdom come?” Because, as Aldous Huxley puts it, too few of us have learned to pray, “My kingdom go.” Our self-will, our determination to have things our way rather than God’s way, is the only reason why God’s kingdom is not the only kingdom we see and experience on earth. But the good news is that the kingdom is near. It is in fact right here. If we want it. (1965)
PRAY for the Diocese of Lexington (Province IV, USA)
Ps 5, 6 * 10, 11; Isaiah 40:25-31; Ephesians 1:15-23
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