When The Door Slams
Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:16-19 NIV
The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility, and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We become fugitives fleeing from the presence of The One whose glory can blind us and whose justice can condemn us. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. And only than a person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.
The Apostle Paul sets forth immediate benefits-fruits of justification. In...Romans he explains what happens to us when we are justified, when we are covered by the righteousness of Christ, that is by faith: "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we are sharing in God's glory" (read Romans 5:1-2 NIV)
Peace can be experienced only when we have received divine pardon-when we have been reconciled to God and when we have harmony within, with our fellow man and especially with God....Christ has made peace with God for us and is Himself our peace. If by faith we accept Him, we are justified by God and can realize the inner serenity that can come to man through no other means.
Think about this: I know men who are searching for peace. Every time they get close to finding peace, found only in Christ, Satan leads them away. Blinds them. He throws up a smoke screen. He bluffs them. Lies to them. "They don't know how to live in peace," (read Romans 3:10-18 NIV). As we look around, we find that there is little personal peace, domestic, social, economic and no political peace anywhere. Why? Because we all have the seeds of suspicion and violence, hatred and destruction within us. But true believers of Christ have found peace forever! True Christians have found the secret of life.
Renewal: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness
Never Rest Ministries
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