From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "C & P Greene" <greenehouse72@juno.com>
Subject: Sunday Greetings
Date: Sunday, June 25, 2000 6:50 AM

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do
I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
John 14:27

Last week we looked into Scripture to see that His peace is linked to life,
love, safety, strength, love of God's Law, trust, fearlessness, not being
anxious and above all to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  Today let's look
into the thieves that rob us of peace.

One theif draws your attention to the past:
Maybe you haven't forgiven yourself for somthing God has already forgiven?
There is that guilt that wont go away.  You know that God has forgiven you,
BUT your sin is so terrible that you can't forgive yourself, therefore, you
really don't believe that God can really forgive you either.  You are living
with regrets, guilt, worry, doubt and unbelief;  There is no peace in that
kind of living.  Worse you are putting yourself above God.
"BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive togehter
with Christ (by grace you have been saved).  Ephesians 2:4-5

Maybe you are continuing to see yourself as unworthy.  Flesh never will be,
BUT you are a new creation created in the image of God.  The focus is not on
what you were, but who He is and who you are in Christ.  To continue in that
thought is again to doubt the provisions that God has made for His own.
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
God's own possession..."  1 Peter 2:9
To continue to call yourself unworthy is to say God's work is not
sufficient.  Once again placing yourself above God.

Maybe you regret doing or not doing certain things.  But the "would have",
could have", "should haves" are past.  If there is anything the Holy Spirit
is convicting us of -- we go before God and get it taken care of and move
on.  Consequences may remain, but God is faithful and gives us the grace,
mercy, strength to deal with them on a daily basis.  So we join with the
Apostle Paul as in Philippians 3:14-15 he says,
"...but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to
what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus."

Each person knows what regrets play over and over in his mind.  They are
robbing you of peace.  Go before the Lord with each thing and get is settled
and let the peace of God reign in those past issues.
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let
us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."  Hebrews 12:1-2

We thank you Lord for the gracious lovingkindness and tender mercies you
bestow on us continually.  We worship You!  Amen.