Pass the Peace

 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

Romans 5:1-11

5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace^[a] with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Yesterday we concluded our devotion on Grace and Peace with the challenge to be on the lookout for “divine opportunities” to bring God’s grace and peace into the lives of others we may meet in our day.

In our reading today the Apostle Paul begins with , “since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God.”

Again, today I want to invite us to sit with that for a minute— we have peace with God. You have peace with God. I have peace with God.

The way that we “have” this peace is through the actions of someone else, It is Jesus that has brought us into this peace so that no matter what is happening in our lives, “we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:2).

As we await the new creation of God’s Kingdom, we have been given a part to play. Sharing in God’s glory not only means we are now recipients of this glory, but this glory that is now ours we are to share with others. We are Ambassador’s of God’s glory.

We read today of Paul’s encouragement to us to rejoice when we run into problems and trials, as they help us develop endurance, eventually strengthening our “confident hope of salvation.” By the way, the trials we run into are not just our personal trials, but these trials and hard places may be the experiences of our beloved neighbors in our community, or even globally.

When we participate in the problems and trials of our neighbors and community, our mutual trials, we are told, produce endurance, develop our strength of character, and strengthen our confident hope of liberation. (redemption)

To share in God’s peace is to also share the sufferings of our neighbor.