Peace-Day 6

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1 NIV)

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

We will never know true peace unless we make peace with ourselves and our past. As a pastor over many years, I have been privileged to hear many people’s stories and I know that shame, embarrassment and guilt about things that have happened in our past are incredibly commonplace.

The Bible says that ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us’ (Psalm 103:12) and ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow…’ (Isaiah 1:18).

There are things in my own life of which I’m deeply ashamed and I greatly regret. But I am convinced that as I trust in Jesus, my old self has gone and I am new. I love the song that says, ‘I am a child of God’ - and knowing that gives me peace. I can’t change the past but I can live with it – not proudly but peacefully because there is nothing in all creation that can separate me from the God who loves me.

Question//
Are there things in your past that trouble or haunt you? Do you believe that through the completed work of Jesus Christ these things have been dealt with? If not, why not? What can you do about that?