Kingdom Culture
“…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
God created us to be like Him – to share His values, to embrace His purpose, to move in His power, and to display His glory. If it wasn’t for the fall of mankind, God would want us to only know His life and His love. He would govern all of us according to His principles, which are based on His righteousness, peace, and joy.
Righteousness: There would be integrity and justice, never knowing what was wrong or harmful, only what was right and beneficial. There would be no pain, heartache, disease, or dysfunction. No one would intentionally or unintentionally harm one another, take away from one another, push down another, or end another. We would be holy.
Peace: There would be no struggle for control; there would be no striving to power over other people, no manipulation or deception, no abuse, no conflict, no opposition, no stress. There would be no evil. There would be harmony, unity, a sense of being one community under God. We would all be whole, or complete.
Joy: Our joy would be full, nothing ever depleting the state of perfect love and acceptance. We never would have experienced shame, guilt, or fear -only joy. We never would wrestle with unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, or revenge – only joy. There never would have been strife, fighting, or war – only joy. Can you imagine?
However, this description of God’s kingdom is not the description of the current world we live in, is it? In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we read that Satan is the ruling power over this world, and it is his values, his purpose, and his control at work under his system of authority. Satan has a kingdom, and we see it in the world’s system. The principles of this system are opposite of God’s system. Satan will govern from darkness, but our God will operates from a kingdom of light where there is righteousness, peace, and joy!
In this series on God’s kingdom, we look at the wonderful life we can have when we live according to God’s governing principles, even while traveling through this world. God’s ways are the better ways!
Application: There is a deception that someone can live their own life without being either under God or under Satan. When this short time on Earth is done, it will be more evident, and our eternal existence will extend either with God in heaven or apart from God in hell. If you have not chosen for Jesus to be your savior and lord, please do so today.