Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. – Romans 14:17

Earlier this year, the United Kingdom coronated a new king, Charles III, who ascended the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, their longest-reigning monarch who had served her people for over 70 years. Many changes occurred to that once-dominant empire during her leadership, most of which she neither controlled nor could stop. Charles III, already much older, will not have so long a reign, but the realm will continue to undergo changes.

There is a Kingdom over which a Monarch rules that is unchangeable. Our Sovereign, Jesus, is “the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Timothy 1:17). As subjects of earthly kings serve in their kingdoms, you are set apart for service as a member of Christ’s Kingdom. “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).

Serving the Lord may mean sacrifice or persecution by those who mock the Lord. However, according to today’s verse, serving your King Jesus brings righteousness, peace, and joy. As hymn-writer Oswald Smith penned, “There is joy in serving Jesus, the joy that triumphs over pain; fills my heart with heaven’s music, till I join the glad refrain.”

There is a role in service that the King has set forth for you—regardless of whether it is mundane or grand, it is yours to do. Seek to know and to do the Lord’s bidding for the benefit of His Kingdom today.