verseoftheday

Ephesians 2v17 NIV He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Maybe you are a long way from God, or sometimes it just feels that way. Jesus came and not only preached peace, (see v 14 "For he himself is our peace...") He is our peace. Jesus came to us when we were far from him. He came searching for you and me. And if you are a Christian today, there are times when we still feel turmoil in our lives, when our concerns for today, hurts of the past, or fears for the future overwhelm us, and we are not at peace. Or maybe it's not being successful in the eyes of the world, or comparing ourselves with others that robs our peace... v 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Jesus is the way...to access our heavenly Father, through his Spirit. This is the trinity right there! And the way to peace. And Jesus made the first move. He came and preached peace. He made the way. Thank him for that today, and ...

Psalm 27:12 ESV ...for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. This is what sin has done to our world. We don't love our neighbour, we are jealous of them, they are our enemy, or we just ignore them. We don't love God with our whole heart. We put creation in his place. The temorary pleasures of this world. Sin causes us to set up our own little kingdom with me as the king. And when others don't do what i want i rage against them. Sometimes the quiet rage of bitterness Sometimes the rage of angry words and condemnation Sometimes physical & violence. This is what sin does to us all. We breathe out violence... So how come there is any peace? Any cooperation? Any love? Grace. Against the backdrop of sin, grace shines. Grace that restrains, grace that blesses. Grace that has its source in God, its embodiment in Jesus, and its outworking in our lives through the Spirit. #sermonoftheday #psalm27 #shelterfromthestorm #grace