| Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” |
Whenever we see the word ‘therefore,’ we should look back a few verses to see what it is ‘there for.’ The final verse of chapter 4 states “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” We are justified before God because of the sacrifice and death of Jesus. It is not through anything we can do on our own – not by attending church, memorizing scripture, doing good works, or giving large sums of money. It doesn’t matter who our parents are or if our ancestors were founding members of the church.
Our peace with God comes only by believing in God’s love for us and personally accepting him as our savior in faith. But once we do, he gives us peace during difficult times: health issues, job loss, financial stresses, or in the midst of our unsettled world. We are not promised a life without challenges, but he does promise to stay with us and give us his comfort and peace.
Are you taking full advantage of this peace, or are you struggling alone, trying to do things on your own? Do we feel that you are doing ‘good works’ and that is all that is required? Call out to him today, asking him to give you his peace . God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for your sacrifice and providing for me a way of salvation. I cannot do anything on my own that would merit your favor. Help me to share this story of reconciliation and peace with others. Amen.
-Betty Gossell
