Grace, mercy, forgiveness – and peace — are just a moment away
Peace is a fragile thing. It took only a single thought with a simple action to exile Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and God’s presence. So even when we have some [WORD MISSING?] to trust Christ for our salvation, peace remains only in the presence of our obedience and submission. How easy it is to tolerate a “minor” sin or rebellion, and yet lose the peace we have. I have found that my sin causes a distance and deafness (or maybe it is deadness) to my prayers. I heard the following story long ago. (I have no idea who deserves the credit for it.)
We cannot come to God in honest prayer when we have not forgiven one another’s transgressions or when we walk in unconfessed known sin. A young boy saw a pack of cigarettes on the ground and decided to try them, though his father had forbidden him to smoke. He went to a field near his home and after several fumbling attempts, got one to light up. It didn’t taste good; indeed, it burned his throat and made him cough. But it made him feel very grown up. Then he saw his father coming. Quickly he put the cigarette behind his back and tried to be casual. Desperate to divert his father’s attention. The young boy pointed to a nearby billboard advertising the circus. “Can we go, Dad? Please, let’s go when it comes to town.” The father quietly but firmly replied, “Son, never make a petition while at the same time trying to hide a smoldering disobedience.”
Is your peace, and your prayers, being disrupted due to a “smoldering disobedience”? I John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess (agree with God) our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” While peace is fragile, God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness are a moment away if we will confess. Then peace will flow freely like the old song says: “I’ve got peace like a river.” May peace flow just like that in your life today and each day forward.
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
