Romans 14
Focus on What Matters Most!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 11.
How do you remain focused on what is most important in life? Do you get caught up with things that at the end of the day miss the mark on what matters to God?
In Romans 14:17-19, Paul continues to teach us about how we are to live as citizens of Heaven on the earth, teaching, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
It is so easy to focus on what is important to man and miss what matters to God! Paul teaches us that what matters to God are righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit!
First, the kingdom of God is from the inside out. The righteousness of God has been imputed on you! It is the work of the Holy Spirit to transform our lives through faith, not by works! Faith is a gift that must be received with humility.
Second, the kingdom of God is one that reconciles relationships, first vertically with God and then horizontally with one another. Peace is the presence of God in a broken world, through us: we have been called to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Third, the kingdom of God exhibits the glory of God through joy; we are called to be joyful messengers. Jesus wants your life to be marked by the fullness of His joy (John 15:11). This is a true abiding joy that is anchored in us through the sealing and anointing work of the Holy Spirit.
Seize the moment and walk in God’s sovereign grace: You are a citizen of Heaven so learn the difference between what is important to God and what is important to man; then choose wisely how you shall live. What defines your identity determines how you will live!