The kingdom of God is all about loving each other.

People are important to God, so they should be important to you. Yes, the greatest commandment is to love God above all else, but the second one is to love other people. (Mark 12:29-31)

It’s not good enough that we’re nice to people at church or at work. We need to be connected in community. Everyone should know who they can call in an emergency, when they’re lonely, or when they need someone to celebrate with.

We are family — brothers and sisters with the same Father. Not the dysfunctional family you may have grown-up in, but a healthy, lively, growing family. That means that we forgive each other easily. We help when we’re needed. We celebrate victories we’ve been waiting for ourselves.

It takes effort to be in community. You have to open yourself up to other people and let them in. But that’s what the kingdom of God is all about. It’s a kind, loving place where we love each other and celebrate God.

If you are not connected with other believers, then you need to work on that. Go out of your way and learn names. Say hello. Find out what’s going on with people. Share some food and make friends. The kingdom is a friendly place. Don’t be left out.