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If our Christian attitude in regard to submission is to be as it should be, we need the
help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our prayer, like Paul's in Acts 9: 6 should be
"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?". If we are to show a spirit of submission to the
Lord, to those who minister to us, to those around us, as well as to the powers that be, we
certainly need help. Surely we all wish to do the will of the Lord, but have we the
strength and the courage?
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure"
(Philippians 2: 12, 13).
We need the strength--and we have been promised that God works in us and gives us
the strength we need. So let us take courage.
Renew my will from day to day
Blend it with Thine, and take away
all that now makes it hard to say,
"Thy will be done".
No.11.
Peace.
pp. 106 - 109
"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts . . . . ." (Col. 3: 15).
Some years ago, the writer received a visitor from Israel and during the interview, a
telephone call came through for the visitor. Evidently, his wife was speaking to him and
at the end of the call, the visitor said "Shalom" and replaced the telephone receiver. So
even now, "Peace" is a salutation that is still in use. At the beginning and end of some of
the epistles, we find this greeting of "Peace". After the resurrection, our Lord appeared
to the disciples and said "Peace be unto you" (John 20: 19, 21, 26).
If there is to be peace, there must be a complete and mutual understanding and if any
division or difference has occurred, there must be reconciliation. Sin created a barrier
between us and God and so sin had to be dealt with, so that reconciliation could take
place. Rom. 3: quotes, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (verse 10). But although
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, we can rejoice that we are justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 4: 25 introduces resurrection. It reads:
"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
This leads on to Rom. 5: 1:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."