The kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21.

The kingdom of God refers both to the sovereign rule of God that is yet to be established in the earth and also to the rule of Christ in our personal lives. The first speaks of the time when Christ's kingdom shall break in pieces all the kingdoms of the world.

God's purpose is to establish His kingdom, first in our hearts and then throughout the world. By His kingly rule in our lives He gives us a kingly nature. By God's grace and power we are to seek a kingly heart and mind, to accept from Christ a royal spirit, to live as sons and daughters of the King of kings.

We may set a diamond in lead, in copper, brass, silver, or gold. It is a diamond in any setting. We may put a Christian in almost any setting. He may be a common laborer or a prince. He may live in a south-land villa or on the wrong side of the tracks. The kind of house we own is not as important as whether Christ lives in it. The King of kings resides in us as Christians. When Jesus is King, all the forces of our mind, soul, and body become His royal domain.

What constitutes the ruling devotion at the center of our lives? To develop a religious veneer is not enough. To be considered religious is not enough. We would not undervaluate these attributes, but they do not go deep enough. The kingdom of God within is opposed to a life that is simply a surface existence. There is no reason why we should be sad about legitimate activities and pleasures. But they are destructive without intelligence, thought, and high values. Much of the entertainment and pleasure of the world reveals the extreme frivolousness of the multitudes.

Jesus did not become incarnate in the interest of the superficial and the unreal. He did not die on the cross in the interest of make-believe. In His life and death and teachings He set beyond all doubt the worth of human nature and human destiny.

We should surely avoid a frothy mind and a sterile life. We ought to be grateful for anything that captures our lives for eternity, that drives us inward and upward to Christ.