Our good deeds expand God’s kingdom!

Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God, but never tells where it is.  Instead, Jesus simply tells us where to look. Jesus might say today: “Look over there, where Thelma is calling her brother Ralph, the brother she has separated herself from for far too long. They haven’t spoken all year because of some family money issue. Today, Thelma is inviting Ralph to lunch to talk for old time's sake.” 

 Ralph accepted the invitation and during the luncheon and after much discussion where many tears and buried hurts shared, they ended their long and upsetting separation.  All they had to do was reconcile past grievances to see God’s Kingdom right in that restaurant.  Jesus would say: “The Kingdom right there!”

 We can do the exact same thing any minute, hour, or day when we decide “to bury the hatchet” and start loving again.  Jesus points us towards the correct way, and He says: “Look over there, Paul knows that Regis, his neighbor, lives alone. Paul hasn’t seen him sitting in his yard for a few days, so he decides to ring his doorbell and say hello.  Regis answers the door and lights up with wide grin when he sees its Paul. Regis explains that his twin brother died, and he was grieving with no one to share it with.  He and Paul talked about it for a while. As Paul was leaving, Regis admitted he was feeling much better.” Paul’s kindness in visiting Regis and Regis' healing from his grief through this neighborly visit was again, as Jesus would note: “a Kingdom moment happening.”

 Scripture states that the Kingdom of God is life flashes of lightening seen appearing here and there.  Paul and Thelma are those flashes of lightening.  They took the time to mend something broken to bring the Kingdom near. And around them the lightening of the Kingdom flashed because they did what needed to be done.

 We can all be Thelma and Paul, for we have a barrel of good deeds to give away in our lifetime.  All we have to do is reach into our barrel and share its contents where needed.

 Our acts can be a phone call or a tap on a neighbor’s door. With each deed accomplished, darkness and fear disappear leaving hope shining in its wake as God’s Kingdom grows  larger and larger. To begin simply reach into your barrels and watch God’s kingdom grow!