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 In Romans 5:1-5, St. Paul states the astounding:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

To have peace, shalom, with God means that you are invincible. There is nothing in your life, past, present or future that can separate you from the Love of God in Jesus Christ. Your life can be, and is being transformed by the Power of Jesus’ resurrection now work within you. Sealed by the Holy Spirit, you are eternally secure. God’s love for you is never at risk. His compassion never wanes.

Paul states that we have direct “access into this grace in which we now stand.” That means that the grace you need for today is to simply be received from God. You already stand IN IT. It’s as if you were living knee-deep in gold coins and any financial concern you might encounter would be instantly swallowed up by what you have direct access to. God’s grace is more than “knee-deep” to the follower of Jesus Christ; it is eternal, without limit, ever-present, with your name already imprinted on it. Those nail prints in Jesus’ hands have your name on them!

That grace we NOW live in gives us hope, not wistful thinking, that our lives will be changed, healed, delivered, restored  and transformed by Him to share in the glory of God, and even now to reflect that glory.

That peace with God, that eternal grace you have direct access to right now, even enables you to walk through all manner of human suffering and persevere. It is what He has already done; it’s not your striving that effects what God has promised. The Holy Spirit enables you to persevere. He forges in you the character of Jesus and the hope that flows from that will never be extinguished. Why not? Because God’s pure, eternal, absolute and almighty Love is being moment by moment poured out into your heart, like an artesian spring by the Holy Spirit.

Amazing truth! Amazing grace!



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