Scriture Reading: Luke 6: 32-38: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

There is a connection to healing through forgiveness and peace. When you finally decide to ask God to forgive you for all the sins you have committed, and truly repent of those sins God is faithful and true to forgive you. At that moment you will then have peace with God. Because, before you asked for forgiveness you were at war with God separated from Him. But through the blood of Jesus and his sacrifice you are sanctified and you have now been brought into the family of God and you are now a child of God. All that you have done before is wiped clean. Just look at the scripture in Colossions 2: 13-14; “When you were dead in your sins, and in un-circumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ Jesus. He forgave us all our sins, Having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us, He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” At this moment you are at Peace with God.

Now that you are a child of God, you need to start living your life as a child of God. This means you need to do those things that God would do. That is forgive anyone who has wronged you just as God has forgiven you, and this will bring you to the place where you can receive the peace of God. What does this look like. Just look at EPH 4: 31-32: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ Jesus God forgave you.”

So as you can see there is a connection between your asking God to forgive you and receiving his peace. These are all decisions and crossroads in your life and the decision you made or make at these crossroads will determine the kind of life you will live. Either you will be a child of God or you will not. Either you will decide to live a life that reflects the Love of God which is how Jesus lived his life. Or are you going to hang onto the hurts and pains of the life you lived before Christ, and are you going to hold onto those grudges and hurts which will keep you in a prison of your own making. In Matthew 16: 19: Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” So you can see there is a connection to what you do and how you act on the earth is connected to heaven and what God will do.