The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. This daily devotional looks at how godliness in His kingdom leads to righteousness, peace, and joy.
Nuggets
- The kingdom of God is a soul kingdom so that God can control our character.
- We are to have the right qualities to serve Christ.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Transformed to Perfection series
As Sovereign God, He has a kingdom. It isn’t a kind of kingdom with which we are familiar.
Instead, it is a spiritual kingdom. Paul described it in Romans 14: 17. He notes that those who enter it are equipped for service.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
The State of Being in the Kingdom
“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14: 17 CSB)
The kingdom of God is a soul kingdom so that God can control our character.
The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, founded on the unequivocal difference between right and wrong, that describes His sovereign reign. We are told in Matthew 6: 33 to “… seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness …” (KJV).
When we seek first the kingdom of God, that means we submit our whole hearts and lives to God. Submitting means committing to live a sin-free life.
We think the kingdom of God will be in Heaven, presumably after judgment day, but what if it was now? Morison described it as “Christ’s spiritual kingdom established here on earth … This is a kingdom totally diverse from all others — one not in word or mere outward form, but in soul-subduing, life-transforming power, one that ultimately brings every thought into harmony with Christ’s holy mind and will.”
Resource
God’s kingdom is found in our soul. Beecher wrote, “… since a man’s disposition is the fountain from which all his enjoyments that are worth having spring in this world, the condition of the soul becomes a kingdom in the sense that it represents to men the idea of felicity.”
Resource
Okay, Dictionary Chick. Felicity means, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “the state of being happy.” It is the appropriate expression of our thoughts.
Resource
Beecher noted, more importantly, God’s kingdom controls our character. That is what we have been saying.
God wants to control our character — our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
We touched on the eating and drinking in a previous devotion. Morison, too, equated that to ritualistic observances that will no longer be present in God’s kingdom.
Griffiths made a great point. He wrote, “Godliness is at a low ebb when great importance is attached to external rites.”
Resource
Sometimes, we use the outward ceremony to mask the inward desolate condition of our hearts. We don’t realize God has 20-20 vision in our hearts.
Yeah, God is interested in the outward appearance. He is way more interested in the inward condition.
We definitely don’t see this verse as giving us license to eat and drink anything we want any more than we see believing in God giving us liberty to committing any sin we want. We must live the way in which God wants us to and follow His laws and commandments.
If we take the eating thing a step farther, we will no longer need the Lord’s Supper to remind us of Christ’s death and resurrection. That was the whole purpose of the ordinance — our remembering. In Heaven there will be no forgetting what Christ has done for us.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
It is all about what God has done for us. Paul said don’t worry about what we think we are going to have to give up.
We are going to get righteousness. Righteousness is the indwelling goodness that is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of conscientious obedience to God’s laws and commandments and from which all virtues flow.
We think that is what God transforms us into in the end. Along the way, He gives us peace and joy. Peace is a fruit of righteousness manifested in an inward tranquility resulting from a balanced life with spiritual order, equity, and truth that implies cooperation, humility, integrity, communication, and cohesiveness.
Ooo. Robinson got me thinking in pictures. I immediately hooked it to our nornal picture of perfection.
Resource
Righteousness is all about God. It is our relationship with Him. We are justified and freed from sin to follow God’s moral laws.
The peace is for us, too, but that is what we extend to others. Buddicom wrote, “Peace hath been made by the blood of the Cross. This is one of the most gracious, as it is one of the most blessed, fruits of the Spirit.”
Resource
Having joy in all circumstances designates us a child of God. We get the joy from Him as part of our adoption.
Ooo, baby. Griffiths just shot a zinger in that. He said righteousness is the foundation with peace in the middle and joy as the crowning state. Hmmm.
Resource
And here I was just thinking I had peace and joy backwards.
But I don’t think so. The joy has to come before the peace. The unbridled happiness that produces the tranquility, not the other way around.
Do we want the peace before the joy because that means we are doing it instead of God?
Lyth gave a good description about what the kingdom of God isn’t all about. It isn’t just about abstinence. On the flip slide, it isn’t just about becoming by doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts while observing all of the appropriate rituals. And loving doing it!
Resource
What God is looking for is a life change. It is built on faith. He wants us to be at peace with both Him and others.
The State of Serving in the Kingdom
“Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval” (Rom. 14: 18 CSB)
We are to have the right qualities to serve Christ.
We have to remember what we are talking about: whoever serves Christ is righteous, peaceful, and joyous. We serve Him in the spiritual exercises.
Thomas described what it means to serve Christ. He wrote, “To serve Christ is the grand end of being; to serve Christ is to serve in the highest sense your own interests, the good of the universe, and the will of God.”
Resource
We must possess these three qualities to serve Christ. If we don’t, we don’t really serve Him. We are just going through the motions.
Well, think about it. We have to be righteous. That is, we have to be right with God.
If we aren’t right with God, there is no need to serve. If we don’t have the peace or the joy, we aren’t going to want to serve.
How Do We Apply This?
Limont wrote, “God, as the rightful sovereign of all men everywhere, commands them to return to their allegiance.” We need to obey that command.
Resource
We do that by ABCDing.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
We just had a devotion that looked at a verse that said every knee will bow to Him.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
God calls us to love Him, praise Him, and serve Him. We will find peace and joy when we do.
Father God. You created us knowing we would disobey You — and You created us anyway. You sent Your only Son to die to restore us to You — and You allow us to choose whether or not we will accept that restoration. You ask us to praise You and serve You. We give You all the praise and honor we can. It isn’t enough, but You accept it when it is genuine. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: A Prayer of Hope – Seeking God with Elaine