July 22 – Kingdom Living in Two Worlds
The Kingdom is not a place to go after death; it is a way to live before death. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God is at hand, yet we also see a world marked by suffering, injustice, and brokenness. Living in this tension means we don’t escape the world, but neither are we bound by it. We are invited to see with Kingdom eyes, to notice where God’s reign is already present, even in small ways.
I think about this each time I watch the sun set behind the mountains. The world is full of beauty, yet also shadow. Both are real. Kingdom living is about holding that paradox—being honest about the shadows, yet anchoring ourselves in the light. It means bringing hope where there is despair, compassion where there is indifference, and faith where there is fear.
To live in two worlds is to live with awareness: rooted in the present realities of our communities, while embodying the values of a Kingdom that transcends them. We are citizens of both, but our true allegiance is to God’s reign. That allegiance transforms how we work, love, and serve.
Scripture
My Kingdom is not of this world.
John 18:36
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
Ancient Quotes
In the world, yet not of the world.
Tertullian, On Idolatry
The Christian is in the world as the soul is in the body.
Letter to Diognetus, Chapter 6
Modern Quotes
The Kingdom is not a place to go after death; it is a way to live before death.
Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance, p. 129
We live in the now and the not yet. The Kingdom has come, and it is still coming. Our lives are lived in this holy tension.
N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope
The Kingdom of God is a reality to be lived, not simply a hope to be awaited.
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 88
Journaling Prompts
- Where do you see signs of the Kingdom breaking into your daily life?
- How do you hold the tension between the brokenness of the world and the hope of God’s reign?
- What practices help you embody Kingdom values in your community today?
The Kingdom of God is not a distant dream or a future reward—it is the divine life quietly breaking into our ordinary days. We live in the tension of “now and not yet,” glimpsing moments of grace even as we long for their fullness. It teaches us to trust the slow work of God, to notice the light even while shadows remain. Our calling is not to escape the world, but to reveal the presence of God within it—through love, mercy, and steadfast hope.
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 29 Reflection: Kingdom of God/Now and Not Yet