A pastor was sent for to visit a young lady who was dying, and who was
thought to have no desire to become a Christian. She was educated for
the medical practice, and when about ready to enter upon her chosen profession,
her lungs failed, and she died. Before her death, she could only whisper
when he visited her.
Although she knew she must die, yet her heart was so hard she said she
did not wish to converse on the subject of religion. In this state she
was passing into eternity.
The result of the visit, however, showed that she did indeed have a real
desire to become a Christian. As the Spirit moves, there is conviction
of sin and a desire for peace with God in every heart... While the pastor
sat down near her bed, and after a few words of inquiry, taking out of
his pocket a pencil and paper, he said:
"Julia, if an angel out of heaven sat where I do, with a deed written
with the blood of Christ, leaving only a blank with room for your name,
and the seal of blood opposite the blank, holding a pen in his hand dipped
in Christ's blood, should say, "Miss, if you will write your full name
in this blank, with this pen, you shall belong to Christ forever" - would
you write your name there?"
That pale, death-stricken face at that moment revealed that she saw the
point. She whispered, with what little strength she had:
"I would."
The pastor then said, "Will you accept Christ right now? You say, if by
signing that deed you could belong to Christ forever, you would do it.
Now, will you, instead of signing the deed, silently say, 'Lord, forgive
me, I do give myself to thee; tis all that I can do. Thank you for dipping
my name in that precious blood.'"
"I will", she said.
The young lady lingered for a few days, and continued to whisper till
the last minute of her life:
"Peace, peace, peace...."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~
Praise God for that precious peace that fills the heart of every believer
at salvation! Do you remember the day you made peace with God? What did
it feel like to you in that moment? In my life it was as if a flood had
entered my soul and came rushing in to wash away all my fear of going
to hell and of not being right with God. While growing up, I was always
conscious of not being in harmony with the Lord, especially at nighttime.
That haunting awareness never went away until the very moment when I asked
Christ to be my Savior as a teenager. Much like this lady in our story
above, I marveled at the peace that had always been missing in my life
and had finally become a reality. It was my first emotion as a Christian
now that I think of it! Not contrived, but born of the Word…
Ephesians 2:13-18 (KJV)
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ. For he is our PEACE who hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;
for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making PEACE; And that
he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain
the enmity thereby: And came and preached PEACE to you which were afar
off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by
one Spirit unto the Father.
Ladies, a great many people are trying to make peace with the Lord, but
that has already been done, amen? God has not left it for us to do; all
we have to do is to enter into it! Peace with God is found through Christ...
Romans 5:1 (KJV)
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Not all my prayers nor sighs nor tears,
Can ease my awful load.
Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
As believers, I hope that we are faithful in sharing with others this
blessed truth! When we have personal peace with God we can then carry
it to others. Who might you know today that is searching for peace in
all the wrong places? Tell them there is no such peace to be found anywhere
else but through Jesus. Peace is God's gift to mankind, lovingly gift-wrapped
in His Son!
It is perfect peace…
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
It is abundant peace…
Psalm 119:165 (KJV)
GREAT peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.
Peace is a shield that prevents us from being tormented with anxiety and
offence. When a believer loses his inner peace, he knows that he has in
some way lost touch with God and His Word. Peace lets us know when we
are stepping in and out of the will of God! Just as that peace let me
know when I was rightly related to God through Christ, it would also let
me know each time I am disobedient as a child of God. How is your inner
peace today, dear lady? If you are living appropriately before the Lord,
it should be fine - but if not, you won't encounter much tranquility!
No doubt your joy has dissolved as well... All the fruits of the Spirit
are that closely related. You see ladies, God will not let His children
rest in the fact that they are doing wrong... We can't be truly joyful
that way, amen? Pay attention to your peace! The fruits of the Spirit
are given for our guidance. They keep us from deceiving ourselves...
James 1:22 (KJV)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves.
When a Christian loses the peace of God, he begins to go off in various
directions that are out of the will of God. The next step is to turn to
the world and what it has to offer to restore that inner peace which disappeared
when we walked away from God. But it cannot be so! Only God, and complete
obedience to Him can bring that great peace of which the Bible speaks.
Only through confession of sin is peace allowed to return to us. Man's
flesh would lead him to cover up his sin, but God's Spirit would lead
him to humbly acknowledge his guilt, thereby inviting God's perfect peace
back into his life. Peace is the deliberate adjustment of our life to
the will of God! Our heavenly Father desires that His children experience
peace with Him continually - but it is up to us in the choices that we
make. All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make
for peace...
Isaiah 48:22 (KJV)
There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
Romans 8:6 (KJV)
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace.
Ladies, are you standing peaceful today? Have you been wrestling with
this particular fruit of the Spirit, trying to get a hold of some real
peace inside of yourself? You've got to get a hold of God then! To have
your world centered in God is peace, for there is no true peace until
the heart is right with Him. Have you stepped out of the will of God;
have you grown to be carnally minded? There is great benefit and blessing
that goes to the spiritually minded child of God. Emotional peace and
calm come AFTER doing God's will, not before. Yes, the fruit of the Spirit
is love and joy, which in turn produce peace. All three are inward expressions
of the control of the Holy Spirit. May our ordered lives confess the beauty
of God's peace - a peace that passeth all understanding!
But the fruit... Is there any in your life?
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
