FRESH
BREAD
The
Kingdom Series - “Righteousness, Peace and Joy”
“For the kingdom of God is not
eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”(Romans
14:17)
By
David White
The kingdom of God possesses three characteristics
where, when the opposite of each occurs, an opportunity emerges for the genuine
to be revealed. For example real freedom is experienced in the midst of what
might look like captivity to others. And genuine love proves itself when the
conditions no longer necessarily warrant such a response. True love endures all things!
The first
characteristic of the kingdom is described as righteousness.
Referring to the
last days Paul warns, “But know this, that in the last days
perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal,
despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God,” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
The message in this text
was that a time was coming when sin would be trivialized and normalized. Anything
but righteousness will become the norm. Good would be considered evil and evil
good. But Paul reminded Timothy he did not have to, “be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21). As believers, we are called to a
higher standard in our behavior, one that is the opposite of what is taking
place around us.
The original word
translated righteousness refers to one’s
character or actions. Earlier in Romans, Paul reminds us that we, “having
been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:18). Righteous
living is a characteristic of life for all those under the control of the Holy
Spirit in the kingdom of God.
It’s been said
that we do not live to eat, but rather we
eat to live. In other words, what we eat or drink is not as important as
our health, nor is it more important than our testimony before others,
especially the world. Paul wrote, “to the
weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to
all men that I might by all means save some.” And this Paul gladly did, “for
the gospel's sake” (I Corinthians 9:22-23).
Proclaiming the gospel
and seeing the kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven was at the top of the
charts for Paul. In the kingdom, our love for God and others trumps our love
for ourselves, our individual freedoms and personal wishes.
The second aspect
of the kingdom is peace.
Peace is not the
absent of conflict, but is best defined and on display in the face of war.
The kind of peace
Jesus gave every believer is best experienced when there is an absence of peace
in the world. It’s in the middle of war that peace is most needed and available
to every child of God. Jesus promised His disciples that the peace He had given
them was not of this world. Nor could the world take it away, regardless of
outward circumstances.
Third, the kingdom is joy in the Holy Spirit.
Much more than an
expression on one’s face, joy referred to in the Scriptures speaks of our
having a calm delight or cheerfulness in the midst of life’s most
difficult moments.
Living in the
kingdom where Jesus reigns is best on display when everything happening around
us is the opposite of what we had planned or signed up for. The kingdom of God
is our possessing and displaying righteousness, peace and joy while living in and
depending upon the Holy Spirit. The Spirit that is the opposite of the spirit
of the world, and far greater!
Kingdom living is
a contradiction to what seems as normal. As unrighteousness, war and dismay
grip the world, a people will emerge whose righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit will be a testimony to the King whose Kingdom is coming and will
never end.
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