During New Testament times, there were many people who had a naturalistic view of life that what went on in the body during one’s lifetime on earth was all there was for us to look forward to. In the context of dealing with the Saducees’ false doctrine that there was no afterlife, Jesus quoted Exodus 3:6, saying, “…have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:23-32, ESV)
Unfortunately, today, many religious persons have the opposite perspective. We think that this life is merely something we have to endure before we get to the really good stuff after we die. That heaven is where we will enjoy God’s blessings.
However, Jesus also said that He came to give us abundant life for the here and now (John 10:10). Psalm 27:13 says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living” (WEB). Psalm 142:5 say that YHWH is our refuge and portion “in the land of the living.”
Therefore, to be kingdom minded is to have an expectation of God’s goodness both here and in the hereafter. We must live for Christ in the here and now, enjoying and sharing the abundant life He’s promised. But we also need to work at bringing as many people as possible into that same life of blessings now and for all eternity.
YHWH IS the God of the living. Let’s live always for Him!