Jesus challenged the dualistic nature of the religious elite and introduced the non-dualism of love fulfilling the law. He encouraged people to grow spiritually through love, non-judgment, forgiveness, and service. Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees that the kingdom of God was neither here nor there but within.(11) 

Consistent with what Jesus said, Christians can live happier and better lives as they become more conscious and connected. By being more loving, embracing God as love and the great I am, and integrating Christian spirituality with religious practice, the faith’s impact can be greatly multiplied.

Dualistic thinking works at cross purposes with Christian love. Dualism creates religious tribes, and these tribes believe that only their church knows the one true way. Jesus said in Luke 17:21, “Neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” With every breath we experience the end times and a new beginning. In Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30, Jesus said that the end times would be fulfilled in the generation of that day. He said that “Some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”(12) He reaffirmed, “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”(13) 

The kingdom of God exists in the present moment. It is the only place where love, connection, and religious service can replace legalism, judgment, and religious power. It was in this light that Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”(14)

Jesus said, “Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” This is the foundation of the kingdom within: to live life right here and right now with deep appreciation. To not live in the present moment is to cling to what we have and crave for things to be different than they are. With greater consciousness, we can live abundantly in the world of direct experience, like the wildflowers.

Often credited to Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”(16) Paul wrote a similar sentiment in the New Testament when he wrote that he had learned how to get along happily whether he had much or little.(17)

With greater consciousness, we can live in the kingdom within. With God as the great I Am, the present moment is eternal. There is a season for everything, and that season is now.

11. Luke 17:20–21
12. Luke 9:27, NIV
13. Luke 21:32, NIV
14. John 13:34, NIV
15. Luke 12:27, NIV
16. Ecc. 3:1–2,4, NIV
17. Phil. 4:11