5 Minute Meditation - The Kingdom Moves Through Obedience, Not Power

Into the Brambles: March 24, 2026

Scripture of the Day

But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:11-17

Reflection for the Coming Day

If I am anything these days, I am tired. Aren’t you?

I’m tired of the constant state of alert. I’m tired of being manipulated to feel outrage toward events and issues that don’t matter much to me in reality, and in contrast, I’m utterly exasperated at the things that should be causing outrage barely being talked about.

In times when the fog is the thickest, our response should not be to turn on the brightest settings of our headlights. The answer is to turn on the much dimmer fog lights that show us the edges of the road.

Our fog lights should always be our pursuit of righteousness and the type of justice that shows this world what the next world — the Kingdom of God — will be like.

Our conversations and news feeds are filled with language and ideas that are meant to divide us. And make no mistake of it, it is intentional.

Just like the church at Colossae that Paul is talking to, we would do well to remember that our primary citizenship and loyalties are not to one country or another. Once we put on the mantle of the Kingdom, we change the primary filter of our lives to something that blends the age to come with the age we currently live in.

And that starts with how we view (and treat) one another, particularly those who have the least.