Do you ever wonder what the kingdom of God is like? Some say they can’t wait to see the streets of gold, glittery mountains, and people dressed in white robes floating around the throne of God.
Our verse of the day comes from Romans 14:17.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Let’s get the context of the passage correct. The context of this verse is not about the physical description of the kingdom of God. We need to go back to verse 13 for the start of this passage and read through to verse 18.
The Apostle Paul calls for believers to keep in mind that we should not be a stumbling block or put a stumbling block in a brother’s way. A stumbling block is something that would cause someone to strike his/her foot against something, causing him/her to stumble and fall.
We should never deliberately entice someone else into doing something sinful. In the context of the passage, the Apostle Paul is talking about clean and unclean food. If someone considers a certain food to be unclean, they can feel that way.
For example, if someone considers pork to be unclean, inviting them over for a meal with pork as the main dish would not be wise. We must respect their feelings about pork. We do not want to be a stumbling block to them.
In verse 17, the Apostle Paul takes us to a higher level, more than just speaking of eating and drinking.
His readers, all of them, are the loyal subjects of Christ in the kingdom of God. The real concerns are not externals like food and drink but spiritual realities that mold and shape conduct. Peace and joy are two of the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a believer.
We should encourage the same in others. Lead others in the right direction, toward Jesus, not away from him. Remember, the kingdom of God is about more than eating and drinking.
Blessings!
Verse Of The Day; Can’t Plead Ignorance
Bible Gateway – Scriptures
The Gospel:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
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