Flow With Righteousness, Peace And Joy
…the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. - Romans 14:17
If we are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God every day (Matthew 6:33), then we should know what the kingdom of God is in the first place. I used to think that the kingdom of God was the mission fields and that to seek it meant doing missionary work.
Then, I realized that the kingdom of God was not something outside you flowing in — “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking”, but something inside you flowing out — “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.
So to seek first God’s kingdom means to make it a priority every day to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness is not your own righteousness based on what you do. It is not good works. It is a gift from Jesus who is your righteousness. (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30) God wants you to be established in the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“Peace be with you” were the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He appeared before them after His resurrection. He also showed them His pierced hands and side. (John 20:19–20) God wants you to know that His Son’s finished work has given you peace. Your conscience can be at rest because your sin debt has been settled. You have peace with God and the peace of God.
Joy will come into your heart when you see Jesus in the scriptures, worship songs or anointed preaching. It is the same joy from the Holy Spirit which filled the disciples’ hearts when they saw Jesus, His hands and His side. (John 20:20)
So every day, make it a priority to see yourself righteous in Christ. Don’t be conscious of your sins. Instead, be conscious of your righteousness. And whether you are reading your Bible or listening to anointed preaching, see Jesus with His pierced hands and side, which speak of His finished work. See all your sins forgiven, and you will flow with peace and joy. When you do this, you are seeking the kingdom of God!
Thought For The Day:
To seek God’s kingdom is to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Forgives And Restores!
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. - Ephesians 1:7
Peter’s restoration by Jesus is one of the most touching scenes in the New Testament. The Lord not only forgave Peter, who had denied Him not once but three times to save his own skin, but also restored him and entrusted the care of the then-infant church to him.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He instructed the angel at the tomb to tell Mary to “go, tell His disciples—and Peter” (Mark 16:7). Peter wasspecially mentioned because Jesus knew that after such a heart-breaking mistake, the disciple was probably filled with guilt and sorrow.
Peter, on the other hand, thought that with his betrayal and Jesus’ death, everything was probably over for him. So he went back to his old job. And that’s where Jesus found him, fishing on the Lake of Galilee. The Bible tells us that Jesus gave Peter and the fishermen with him an abundant catch, and also made them breakfast on a fire of coals (John 21:1–18). The scene of men sitting around a fire to keep warm in the early morning must have painfully reminded Peter of what he had done just a few days earlier (John18:17–18, 25–26). What was the Lord doing? He was showing Peter that He didn’t hold that sin against him, and that Peter didn’t have to be afraid of that memory anymore!
What a compassionate Savior we have! He knows all about your failures, but doesn’t hold them against you because He has completely and righteously forgiven you through His death on the cross. Like Peter, let the Lord’s forgiveness and love for you restore you to wholeness and propel you into your God-given destiny!
JESUS UNDERSTANDS YOUR STRUGGLES
HEBREWS 4:15 - For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Imagine meeting the new politician who is to represent your district or neighborhood only to discover that he is not familiar with your neighborhood’s needs and problems. You will wonder, “Can this guy really represent us? Does he know anything about our living conditions? Is he familiar with the various challenges that families here are facing? Can he help me get my child into one of the schools here?” I am sure that you would prefer someone who truly understands your challenges to represent you!
In the same way, I am so glad that right now at the Father’s right hand, we have someone who came as a Man to redeem us, and who fully understands what man goes through. When Jesus walked on earth, He went through every human emotion so that He could identify with us in all points. Jesus is God, but He is in the Father’s presence as a Man, representing us.
My friend, you may feel that no one understands your struggles. Listen, while this may be true of man, it is not true of Jesus. He knows exactly what you are going through and He can sympathize with your weaknesses because He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”.
None of us have been tempted in all points. But God allowed Jesus to be tempted in all points so that He can understand and identify with the struggles of every single person on this earth. He can be touched by our humanity—our weaknesses, tears, disappointments, griefs...all points!
There is no trial, difficulty, challenge or temptation that you face that Jesus cannot identify with. My friend, the moment you go through it, right there and then, He feels it too. That is the kind of representative you have in Jesus! That is the love of God so that you will draw near to His throne of grace (not judgment) to find mercy and grace in time of need! (Hebrews 4:15–16)
Getting Through Together
'Two people are better off than one... If one...falls, the other can reach out and help...' Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT
Amy Simpson says: 'When our children were four and six, I discovered I was...pregnant. Two weeks later I miscarried, sending us on an emotional roller coaster... While I recuperated, my husband held up wonderfully, but as soon as I was physically well, the loss hit him... He was withdrawn...didn't want to visit family...he just wanted to be home, [whereas]...I wanted to forget...move on...be around people. When a couple faces something that affects them differently, how do you make it work? (1) Tell your spouse what you need. Sometimes emotions are so overwhelming you don't know what you need. Do you need space? Do you want to talk? Do you want to be around people or be alone? Listen to your mate's feelings. You may both have very different needs. (2) Deal with the core issue. My husband didn't want to visit his family...and as we talked we discovered the real issue was he didn't think they would be very supportive - plus he didn't have the energy for a road trip of 1100 kms! (3) Be willing to compromise. I wanted to do something fun even if it wasn't with his family. We were able to meet both our needs by getting together with family members closer to home. (4) Get help. Sometimes there's no way to compromise. One spouse wants to talk and the other can't bear to bring it up. Find a counsellor, or a Christian friend who can temporarily fill the gap. Having others pray with and you makes a huge difference. But protect the intimacy in your marriage, and don't let anything or anyone come between you and your spouse.'
…the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. - Romans 14:17
If we are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God every day (Matthew 6:33), then we should know what the kingdom of God is in the first place. I used to think that the kingdom of God was the mission fields and that to seek it meant doing missionary work.
Then, I realized that the kingdom of God was not something outside you flowing in — “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking”, but something inside you flowing out — “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.
So to seek first God’s kingdom means to make it a priority every day to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness is not your own righteousness based on what you do. It is not good works. It is a gift from Jesus who is your righteousness. (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30) God wants you to be established in the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“Peace be with you” were the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He appeared before them after His resurrection. He also showed them His pierced hands and side. (John 20:19–20) God wants you to know that His Son’s finished work has given you peace. Your conscience can be at rest because your sin debt has been settled. You have peace with God and the peace of God.
Joy will come into your heart when you see Jesus in the scriptures, worship songs or anointed preaching. It is the same joy from the Holy Spirit which filled the disciples’ hearts when they saw Jesus, His hands and His side. (John 20:20)
So every day, make it a priority to see yourself righteous in Christ. Don’t be conscious of your sins. Instead, be conscious of your righteousness. And whether you are reading your Bible or listening to anointed preaching, see Jesus with His pierced hands and side, which speak of His finished work. See all your sins forgiven, and you will flow with peace and joy. When you do this, you are seeking the kingdom of God!
Thought For The Day:
To seek God’s kingdom is to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Forgives And Restores!
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. - Ephesians 1:7
Peter’s restoration by Jesus is one of the most touching scenes in the New Testament. The Lord not only forgave Peter, who had denied Him not once but three times to save his own skin, but also restored him and entrusted the care of the then-infant church to him.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He instructed the angel at the tomb to tell Mary to “go, tell His disciples—and Peter” (Mark 16:7). Peter wasspecially mentioned because Jesus knew that after such a heart-breaking mistake, the disciple was probably filled with guilt and sorrow.
Peter, on the other hand, thought that with his betrayal and Jesus’ death, everything was probably over for him. So he went back to his old job. And that’s where Jesus found him, fishing on the Lake of Galilee. The Bible tells us that Jesus gave Peter and the fishermen with him an abundant catch, and also made them breakfast on a fire of coals (John 21:1–18). The scene of men sitting around a fire to keep warm in the early morning must have painfully reminded Peter of what he had done just a few days earlier (John18:17–18, 25–26). What was the Lord doing? He was showing Peter that He didn’t hold that sin against him, and that Peter didn’t have to be afraid of that memory anymore!
What a compassionate Savior we have! He knows all about your failures, but doesn’t hold them against you because He has completely and righteously forgiven you through His death on the cross. Like Peter, let the Lord’s forgiveness and love for you restore you to wholeness and propel you into your God-given destiny!
JESUS UNDERSTANDS YOUR STRUGGLES
HEBREWS 4:15 - For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Imagine meeting the new politician who is to represent your district or neighborhood only to discover that he is not familiar with your neighborhood’s needs and problems. You will wonder, “Can this guy really represent us? Does he know anything about our living conditions? Is he familiar with the various challenges that families here are facing? Can he help me get my child into one of the schools here?” I am sure that you would prefer someone who truly understands your challenges to represent you!
In the same way, I am so glad that right now at the Father’s right hand, we have someone who came as a Man to redeem us, and who fully understands what man goes through. When Jesus walked on earth, He went through every human emotion so that He could identify with us in all points. Jesus is God, but He is in the Father’s presence as a Man, representing us.
My friend, you may feel that no one understands your struggles. Listen, while this may be true of man, it is not true of Jesus. He knows exactly what you are going through and He can sympathize with your weaknesses because He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”.
None of us have been tempted in all points. But God allowed Jesus to be tempted in all points so that He can understand and identify with the struggles of every single person on this earth. He can be touched by our humanity—our weaknesses, tears, disappointments, griefs...all points!
There is no trial, difficulty, challenge or temptation that you face that Jesus cannot identify with. My friend, the moment you go through it, right there and then, He feels it too. That is the kind of representative you have in Jesus! That is the love of God so that you will draw near to His throne of grace (not judgment) to find mercy and grace in time of need! (Hebrews 4:15–16)
Getting Through Together
'Two people are better off than one... If one...falls, the other can reach out and help...' Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT
Amy Simpson says: 'When our children were four and six, I discovered I was...pregnant. Two weeks later I miscarried, sending us on an emotional roller coaster... While I recuperated, my husband held up wonderfully, but as soon as I was physically well, the loss hit him... He was withdrawn...didn't want to visit family...he just wanted to be home, [whereas]...I wanted to forget...move on...be around people. When a couple faces something that affects them differently, how do you make it work? (1) Tell your spouse what you need. Sometimes emotions are so overwhelming you don't know what you need. Do you need space? Do you want to talk? Do you want to be around people or be alone? Listen to your mate's feelings. You may both have very different needs. (2) Deal with the core issue. My husband didn't want to visit his family...and as we talked we discovered the real issue was he didn't think they would be very supportive - plus he didn't have the energy for a road trip of 1100 kms! (3) Be willing to compromise. I wanted to do something fun even if it wasn't with his family. We were able to meet both our needs by getting together with family members closer to home. (4) Get help. Sometimes there's no way to compromise. One spouse wants to talk and the other can't bear to bring it up. Find a counsellor, or a Christian friend who can temporarily fill the gap. Having others pray with and you makes a huge difference. But protect the intimacy in your marriage, and don't let anything or anyone come between you and your spouse.'
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