17. God’s Kingdom, though spiritual, will have a profound effect on the material world around me and the body that I live in.

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

Can you think of a situation when your sense of God, His gifts to you, or His presence affected how you felt, how your body acted or reacted?

Stress is a spiritual thing but it has significant consequences to our bodies. Peace, the opposite of stress, is also spiritual and affects our bodies. What are some of the spiritual things in your life that affect your body? What effect do they have?

Is there something good in your community that exists because individuals were following God?

Jesus invited us to “love our neighbor.” Although love itself cannot be seen, its effects are usually visible. Reflect on some of the visible evidence of your love for your neighbor.

Is there something tangible or physical that you sense God inviting you to become part of, help, assist, or contribute to? Talk to Jesus about this.

God’s Kingdom is a spiritual reality, but we also live in a material world with physical bodies. Though the Kingdom is spiritual, it affects and is affected by the material world. There is a dynamic and God-ordained relationship between the spiritual and the physical. A significant emphasis in Scripture is guidance for how to live well in this spiritual-material tension. A few examples may help.

Love is a spiritual feature of our lives, but it shows itself in material ways. James 2:16 teaches us that it is not enough to tell someone who has physical needs that we will pray for them. We must also care for them physically. Jesus says that when we give someone a cup of water it can be a spiritual act also. When people collectively choose to manifest their Kingdom life in our physical world, this happens on a large scale. As a result, it can shape communities and culture in beautiful and healing ways.

The Kingdom movement that Jesus started resulted in communities that, in time, re-shaped their entire culture. The Kingdom of God is spiritual but the individuals who live in that Kingdom shape their material world in positive ways, bringing the goodness of the Kingdom to the material lives of those around them. As a person lives more and more in the spiritual Kingdom, their physical bodies will also be affected.

Our bodies are God’s gift to us and, though physical, are an essential part of our Kingdom existence. The fruit of Kingdom living—peace, joy, patience, self-control, etc.—will be evident in our bodies. Peace, that is the absence of stress, has a significant effect on our physical health. Self-control, moderation, or temperance in what we eat and drink will be evident in our bodies. Here’s the point:

though the Kingdom is spiritual, we must give great attention to learn how our spiritual Kingdom life with God shapes our physical bodies, possessions, and communities and to integrate our relationship with Jesus into our physical existence.