Serve In These

Romans 14:17-18 KJV
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 serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
I read the other day a quote from Benjamin Franklin where he said that he believed we best served God by being kind to our fellow man. I heard a preacher just yesterday say that we serve God by serving others. There is truth in the words of them both.

But the Bible says that when we serve Christ in
Righteousness
Peace and
Joy in the Holy Ghost

That is the service that is acceptable to God. It is not merely that we serve others in the "spirit of" righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost either. The context identifies each of these as a quality.
So we serve God in righteousness
This is the salvation that comes from trusting Jesus Christ

We serve God in peace
This is the experience of being reconciled to God through Christ. Peace with God would lead us to live peaceably with others.

We serve God in joy in the Holy Ghost
This joy is the result of knowing our sins are forgiven and that God is our Father in heaven.