“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.” Romans 14:17-18
The Kingdom of God begins with “righteousness.” As we make the right choices, we place ourselves on a “platform” called righteousness. Due to an accumulation of these righteous choices, we discover that there resides within us an abiding “peace.” This will also result in the approbation, or the favor of God resting upon us, and “joy” is then manifested.
Our submission to divine government will lead to our becoming a partaker with Jesus in His Throne. In this realm, our decisions do not relate only to right or wrong, but with the motives that underlie right or wrong. It is here that the final test of our union with the Lord will find its outworking.
If we truly overcome in this area of our being, in “that day” we will find ourselves seated with Jesus in His Throne.
First, we are tested concerning the choices and decisions that we make. As we progress up the spiral, we will be tested concerning the motives of our heart which provoke the things that manifest as right or wrong. It is not enough to deny only the “thing,” we must overcome the very principle that allows it to abide within us and assert itself.
Those who are satisfied with being blessed and eventually going to heaven, have their reward (streets of gold and mansions). But for those who intensely hunger for this higher level of spiritual reality, there is much more. These, in the place of pressure, will deal with the issues of their heart, so in “that day,” having become an overcomer, they will be found in the Throne, seated with Jesus.
