A Great Death
1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds, you are healed.
We sometimes think about death and the regret of the possibility of leaving friends, and family, and living our lives here on earth. But there is A Great Death that far exceeds the negative thoughts of death, and that is a death to sin. In other words, sin no longer has control in our lives and we are free! With this freedom comes ultimate peace and freedom and that freedom and peace are beyond compare. Paul writes about this peace in Philippians 4:7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Peace sets up shop in our hearts and mind and what controlled us before no longer controls us. It's hard to understand, as Paul wrote, but it is real and lasting because it guards our hearts and minds to protect it. Why protect it? Ultimate peace is a rare commodity in any life, and the death of Jesus on the cross was the payment for that peace and that payment had the ultimate value. There is a way to understand this peace and it is through continued growth in the Word of God. When we read God's Word it fills our understanding of everything and peace is first on the list, as far as I am concerned.
Jesus personally carried our sins in His body to make this peace happen, so don't resurrect the sins in your life and let them once again have precedence. It is finished, are the Words used by Jesus on the cross, which means done, over with, and completed. Peter wrote it this way in 1 Peter 3:18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. Never discount what Jesus did by allowing sin to rule in your life again. Let Jesus be your peace and let that peace guard your heart and mind as you live your life.
Charles Wesley wrote I rest beneath the Almighty's shade, My griefs expire, my troubles cease; Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed, Wilt keep me still in perfect peace. I would say Charles had "peace like a river."
The Pilgrimage Continues.
David Warren