Do you believe that the Kingdom of God is real? This is the first question that I believe we must answer if we are to be true followers of Jesus Christ. I believe that some may not find this question simple to answer only because of the chaotic world in which we live. If our world is God’s Kingdom, how is it that there is so much evil and suffering in our world? Should not our world be much more peaceful? It is hard to believe that God reigns in our world!

Many of the spiritual fathers of the Eastern Church, confronted with these same facts, stated quite emphatically that the Kingdom of God IS WITHIN each of us. It is only within our own hearts and minds that we can make sure that God’s Kingdom is real!

Luke’s Gospel quotes Jesus saying, in response to a question put to Him by a Pharisee about when the reign of God would come: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Царство Божие внутри вас [Tsarstvo Bozhiye   vnutri vas])

Believe it or not, Leo Tolstoy wrote a non-fiction book which he entitled: The Kingdom of God is Within You. It was his philosophical treatise on non-violent resistance as a means of bringing about political change.

While the teachings of Jesus were not necessarily directed toward bringing about political change, they were about personal change and transformation.  To be a child of God we have to put on the mind of Jesus! This means that we have to embrace His attitudes about God, life, others and ourselves. It truly means developing mindfulness and not just reacting to the events of life without thoughtfulness. It means becoming a thoughtful or mindful person. It means knowing and believing that our attitudes of mind determine how we live. It means allowing God to reign in your life.

So the Kingdom of God is either within us or not within us, depending on our attitudes. We are called to develop those attitudes which Jesus had. If we do, then we will find the Kingdom of God within us – He will reign in our lives.

One of the first attitudes that Jesus stressed was being non-judgmental. We are called not to judge others, knowing that if we judge others, we will be judged. Only God is the judge.

Perhaps the greatest problem that we face in our modern society is people’s willingness to judge others. Think about this! It’s the basis of most conflicts