“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey; whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Romans 6:15-16
I saw a message recently that said “No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.” This simple statement is absolutely true without Jesus in your life there is really no peace at all. If we are slaves to the desires of this world full of distractions we are hopelessly lost and fall farther and farther from where we need to be…slaves to Jesus. I remember meeting a man at a guesthouse in Jeremie who had been a vodou priest but been snatched by the Holy Spirit and went running to the cross of Jesus and he was seemingly cloaked in a shroud of peace because he was now saved. It is hard to describe his appearance but the chains of vodou had been unlocked he was now obedient to our Triune God. May we all desire to closer to Jesus for the remainder of our days on this side of Heaven and forevermore. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Let me be Thine Forever’ that were written by Nikolaus Selnecker in 1572.
“Let me be Thine forever, Thou faithful God and Lord; let me forsake Thee never nor wander from Thy Word. Lord, do not let me waver, but give me steadfastness, and for such grace forever Thy holy name I'll bless. Lord Jesus, my Salvation, my Light, my Life divine, my only Consolation, oh, make me wholly Thine! For Thou hast dearly bought me with blood and bitter pain. Let me, since Thou hast sought me, Eternal life obtain. And Thou, O Holy Spirit, my Comforter and Guide, grant that in Jesus' merit I always may confide, Him to the end confessing Whom I have known by faith. Give me Thy constant blessing and grant a Christian death.”
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.