Christ’s kingdom is one of love. And even now, he’s calling us, he’s working in us, he’s changing us – so that the love of his kingdom would be in us.
Our king came down to serve his peasants. The master of heaven came to give us the most precious thing he had. He came to give us himself – to give up his dying breath, so that we could be filled with His Spirit of life.
Self-denial and suffering aren’t the ultimate goal. Following Jesus is the goal.
We need our great king, to make a judicial pronouncement – that our sins have been dealt with at the cross, and that our souls have been dressed with his righteousness.
When we trust in our great King – when we believe in Jesus – he saves us, not because of any virtue or strength in us, but because of the virtue and strength that’s in him.