THURSDAY January 18th
Romans 1:7b
‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’
After writing about the peace of God in the previous devotion, I turned to look at Paul’s introductory remarks to the church at Rome, recalling that when he wrote his letters he wished or sought to bestow something of both the grace and the peace of God upon the believers. I wonder how often, if at all, have we greeted someone in the same way, ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’.
Paul had come to understand something of the value of the grace and peace of God and its power as it worked in his own life that he saw the benefit of speaking it over their lives.
Notice the other occasions:
To Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:3 ‘Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’
To Corinth in 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatia in Galatians 1:3, Ephesus in Ephesians 1:2, Philippi in Philippians 1:2, Thessalonica in 2 Thessalonians 1:2 and in Philemon 1:3 ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’
To Colossae in Colossians 1:2 ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father.’
To Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 ‘Grace to you and peace.’
To Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 1:2 ‘Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.’
To Titus, 1:4 ‘Grace and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.’
It looks like Timothy needed a little bit of mercy as well! Well thank God that mercy there was great and grace was free!
You may remember that Peter also wished grace and peace upon his readers, in both instances using the phrase ‘May grace and peace be multiplied to you.’
Looking back to the previous devotion, we probably readily accept that we need the peace of God, which you will recall transcends all understanding, but we also need the grace of God and as was the case with Timothy the mercy of God.
We still live in a fallen world, temptation and trials all around us, a world that is full of hopelessness and despair, a world that if we are not too careful can begin to consume us and to overwhelm us, but we need to be of good cheer, reminding ourselves that Jesus has overcome, he has triumphed, he is victorious and he offers his grace, his peace and his mercy to each one of us, we need to come daily to the throne of grace to accept it and to receive it. For in coming to the throne and in receiving our daily provision of grace, peace and mercy we will be able to stand firm when those all around us are seemingly falling apart.
And who knows those falling apart around us as they become overwhelmed with the perplexities of life will see the difference in us, and we will be able to share with them the glorious hope of the wonderful good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.