The following devotion is from a book entitled Five minutes a Day with Luther. You can download a free copy of this book in PDF format or order a hard cover version by clicking HERE. This selection reminds us that in a world filled with harshness, uncertainly, and anxiety – the grace and peace that come to us in Jesus Christ will always be there for us to make us strong, brave, and humble!
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:3
This greeting of the Apostle is strange to the world and was never heard of before the preaching of the Gospel. These two words, grace and peace, comprehend in them whatever belongs to Christianity. Grace releases sin, and peace makes the conscience quiet. But Christ has vanquished these two monsters, sin and conscience. This the world does not know, and therefore it can teach no certainty of the overcoming of sin, conscience, and death. Only Christians have this kind of doctrine, and are exercised and armed with it to overcome sin, despair, and everlasting death, Peace of conscience, however, can never be had unless sin be first forgiven. And sin is not forgiven by the fulfilling of the Law; for no man is able to satisfy the Law. Much less is sin taken away by the works and inventions of men; there is no work that can take away sin. There is no means to take away sin, but grace alone. By grace alone we have remission of sins and peace with God. And the Apostle fitly distinguishes this grace and peace from all other kinds of grace and peace. He wishes to the Galatians grace and peace, not from the emperor, or kings and princes, nor from the world, but from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, which is as much as to say, he wishes them a heavenly peace. In affliction and in the hour of death, the grace and favor of the world cannot help us. But when the grace and peace of God are in the heart, then is man strong, so that he can neither be cast down with adversity, nor puffed up with prosperity, but walks on bravely and keeps the highway. This peace of God Paul wishes the Galatians.
And thus I live in God at peace,
And die without a thought of fear,
Content to take what God decrees,
For through His Son my faith is clear,
His grace shall be in death my stay,
And peace shall bless my dying day.
