Peace With God

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2
           
Life without peace is a life in chaos. A life in chaos ruins us and is not the life God created us to live. Are you living the life God created you for or are you living in insecurity, fear, and conflict? Are you living in chaos?

Living life in constant conflict, with a lack of confidence, uncertainty, and lack of security is exhausting. In fact when we live in any of those for an extended period of time it dramatically impacts how we live, how we respond to various situations in life, and the quality of life we have. If you live with a lack of confidence you may never make a decision or live the life you want because you never take a step forward. If you are always looking over your shoulder afraid someone is going to take advantage of you, attack you, or steal from you, then you will always live in fear and always be defensive. Conflict destroys your relationships, your attitude, and your trust in others. Living like this will make you do some pretty crazy things after a while – maybe even desperate things – in an attempt to find peace, find some confidence, or security. In an attempt to survive the only way we know how.

Paul reminds us that in Christ there is a different way – a better way. In this life, even in the worst moments of this life we can have peace with God. With that peace comes access to the very powerful and protective grace of God. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus He heals our relationship with God the Father (and with others when we let Him) giving us peace. But, He doesn’t stop there, we are given access to a place of safety – the presence of God – God’s grace. Think of this as a safe harbor ships find in the midst of a storm.  God is that very harbor for us.

Paul also tells us we have a new foundation and security in which we can stand. This peace and this grace give us confidence and peace of mind. We aren’t standing on the life we create or the safety we attempt to find. We are standing on God’s grace – a certain strength, a certain help, a certain guide, and certain confidence. No matter what happens in life, we can always stand on Him. 

If you find yourself in chaos today (and even if you aren’t). I encourage you to find your peace, safety, and stability in Jesus. He is the only one that can guarantee it – even in the midst of the storms. 
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Pastor Matt