“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.” – Thomas Merton

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Listen to my song “There Is Three” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

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Matthew 10:7

“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

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This was Jesus’ instruction to his selected followers as he sent them forth to nearby towns.

Clearly the meaning wasn’t that the listeners were close to going to heaven.

It wasn’t a message that they were about to die!

Jesus also said that we should pray that God’s kingdom would come “on earth as in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

He also said that “the kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21).

This is sometimes translated as “the kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus was talking about the present, not some distant reward at the time of death.

So, how would we proclaim this kingdom?

Jesus’ way of life and his teachings would certainly show us.

He was always going out to those in need and to those who were marginalized.

Jesus wanted all people restored to wholeness whether spiritually, physically, or communally.

His top priority was to love God and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).

I would suggest to you that when you are present to others, in relationship with them in their need, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven is more than words or simply a final destination.

It’s love and compassion in action.

As Catherine of Siena stated in the 1300’s: “All the way to heaven is heaven.”

Perhaps a good question for each of us to ask ourselves is: Do others experience the kingdom of heaven as being at hand…when they encounter us?

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Listen to the song of the day “There Is Three” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!