Life Under One Kingdom
Life in Jesus means living under one kingdom where all of life is embraced and redeemed under His rule.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones reflects on the truth that being in Christ is the same as being in the kingdom of Christ. Paul writes that no one who lives in immorality, impurity, or idolatry has any inheritance in this kingdom, for the kingdom of Jesus is holy and whole. What Jones stresses is that our union with Christ is not just a private matter tucked away in the hidden places of our hearts. To be in Him means to be brought into a kingdom that is corporate, relational, and all-encompassing.
He warns against a privatized form of religion that keeps faith compartmentalized, applying it only to personal preferences or grievances. Faith in Jesus is not unsocial or detached, but rather social in its very essence. To belong to Christ is to belong to His kingdom, which touches every relationship and every sphere of life. There is no room for dividing life into sacred and secular compartments. In Him, all is under one rule, the kingdom of God.
Jones also points out that entering this kingdom is both deeply personal and utterly transforming. It begins with a new birth, but immediately brings us into a universal order where Jesus reigns as Lord. The kingdom of God is an all-redeeming order. It does not redeem some and leave others, it does not bring harmony to parts of life while ignoring the rest. If it does not redeem all, it redeems none.
The invitation is clear. In Jesus, we are not only forgiven and made new, but brought into the fullness of His kingdom where He reigns in every part of life. This kingdom is marked by total obedience, not as a burden but as freedom. In yielding to Jesus, every compartment of life is gathered into one wholeness under His redeeming rule.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, when I brought you into union with My Son, I did not call you into isolation but into My kingdom. To be in Him is to be in the order where all things are united under His headship. You are no longer divided, no longer compartmentalized, but made whole in Him.
Do not keep your faith as a private matter, shut away for personal use. I have placed you in a kingdom that embraces all of life. Every relationship, every decision, every word, and every action belongs under the reign of Jesus. My kingdom is not partial but total. It redeems every part of you, and it touches the world around you.
You have been transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of My beloved Son. Here you walk in newness of life, no longer enslaved to sin, but free to live under the reign of grace. Yield to Him in every part of your life, for His lordship is not harsh but life-giving. This is the wholeness of life in the kingdom, where Jesus is all and in all.
Scripture References: Ephesians 5:5, Ephesians 1:18-23, Colossians 1:13-18, Colossians 3:11, Romans 6:4-14, Galatians 2:20, Romans 14:17, John 3:3, Philippians 2:9-11.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine a closet filled with boxes, each labeled with different parts of life: work, family, finances, friendships, leisure. In a compartmentalized life, each box is kept separate, and Jesus is only placed in one of them, perhaps the “church” or “spiritual” box. But in the kingdom of God, all the boxes are opened and emptied into one space under His rule. Nothing is left untouched, for His presence fills all.
Today, if I am tempted to keep certain areas of my life separate from Jesus, I can yield them and say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this moment.” His kingdom does not divide life, it unites it under His loving reign.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that in Jesus I have been brought into Your kingdom. My life is no longer divided into compartments, but made whole under His lordship. I rejoice that Your kingdom embraces all of life and redeems every part of me. I rest today in the freedom of total obedience, knowing that Your rule is my peace and Your reign is my joy.