ALREADY BUT … NOT YET… Hello weekend readers. I was listening to a podcast from Christine Caine and 5 other pastors and theologians—N.T. Wright, Rev. Katherine Sonderegger and Dr. Amy L. Peeler. It was a power-house of those who love the Lord and want to share that throughout the world.

N.T. Wright caught my ear when he said from the Apostle Mark, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near…repent and believe the Gospel!”

Rev. Katherine Sonderegger shared how living in the tension between what is and what will be. That caught my brain right away and I am still listening to her words. Actually, every one of these incredible pastors and theologians shared in a way you could understand and learn about this time—a time we live in now and a time that what will be.

When Jesus came to earth, he declared the kingdom of God was at hand and then he demonstrated it by showing what it meant:  1) He opened blind eyes 2) He healed deaf ears 3) He made the crippled walk 4) He multiplied food 5) He commanded evil forces to leave and the most unbelievable that miracle: 6) He raised the dead!

The Scripture from Mark 1:15 reminds us about time, fulfillment, and how we should be prepared from this time to the time we see the Lord in heaven! The Passion Translation says it this way:

“His message was this: At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!”

Let’s talk about living in the tension between what is and what will be…

1) We believe Jesus still heals and performs miracles today, but we’re also aware that the fullness of what will be isn’t here yet.
2) We live in a world where people still get sick, relationships fracture, and difficulties sweep through our lives.
3) The kingdom of God is already but … not yet.

When we experience the gap between what is and what will be, that’s when trust is most needed! When our prayer isn’t answered the way we hoped it would be; when we’re waiting, grieving, or lacking understanding and wondering where God is…that is when we realize the kingdom of God is already but we must take the slow time until God tells us LET’S GO!

So, here’s the question for all of us: “Do we trust God and what God says, or do we trust only in what we see and understand? If our trust in God is limited to our understanding, we’ve made a ‘god of our understanding’ and then we ceased worshipping the True One.”

In closing, remind yourself that this “in-between time” is in God’s hands, not ours. What we need to do is to trust God’s character even in the gap between what is and what will be. God knows his perfect timing will be right there for us for all eternity. Hallelujah—Amen!