The Path to Peace

24 th e path to peace
The sick man might have said, “ Lord, to Jesus and be cleansed, and to stand
if Thou wilt make me whole, I will before the law without shame or
obey Thy word.” But, no, he believed remorse. “There is therefore now no
Christ’s word, believed that he was condemnation to them which are in
made whole, and he made the effort Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
at once; he willed to walk, and he did flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1.
walk. He acted on the word of Christ, Henceforth you are not your own;
and God gave the power. He was you are bought with a price. “Ye were
made whole.
not redeemed with corruptible things,
In like manner you are a sinner. You as silver and gold; . . . but with the
cannot atone for your past sins; you precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
cannot change your heart and make without blemish and without spot.”
yourself holy. But God promises to do 1 Peter 1:18,19. Through this simple
all this for you through Christ. You act of believing God, the Holy Spirit
believe that promise. You confess your has begotten a new life in your heart.
sins and give yourself to God. You will You are as a child born into the family
to serve Him. Just as surely as you do of God, and He loves you as He loves
this, God will fulfill His word to you. If His Son.
you believe the promise, – believe that Now that you have given yourself
you are forgiven and cleansed, – God to Jesus, do not draw back, do not
supplies the fact; you are made whole, take yourself away from Him, but day
just as Christ gave the paralytic power by day say, “I am Christ’s; I have given
to walk when the man believed that myself to Him;” and ask Him to give
he was healed. It is so if you believe it. you His Spirit and keep you by His
Do not wait to feel that you are grace. As it is by giving yourself to
made whole, but say, “I believe it; it is God, and believing Him, that you
so, not because I feel it, but because become His child, so you are to live in
God has promised.”
Him. The apostle says, “As ye have
Jesus says, “What things soever ye therefore received Christ Jesus the
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye Lord, so walk ye in Him.”Colossians 2:6
receive them, and ye shall have them.“ Some seem to feel that they must
Mark 11:24. There is a condition to be on probation, and must prove to
this promise – that we pray according the Lord that they are reformed,
to the will of God. But it is the will of before they can claim His blessing. But
God to cleanse us from sin, to make us they may claim the blessing of God
His children, and to enable us to live a even now. They must have His grace,
holy life. So we may ask for these the Spirit of Christ, to help their
blessings, and believe that we receive infirmities, or they cannot resist evil.
them, and thank God that we have Jesus loves to have us come to Him just
received them. It is our privilege to go as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent.