Wednesday after the Second Sunday of Advent, 12/13/00

Romans 8: 1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to he sinful nature but according to the Spirit. --NIV

In the name of the One in Whom we have no condemnation, amen.

Guilt can shape our lives in profound ways. It helps determine decisions that we make, and affects the way we interact with other people. Guilt gets its power from the fact that we will one day be judged by God. If that were not the case, guilt would really have no power over us.

What a great reality it is for us who have faith in Jesus. We can look at all our guilt and say to it, "Sorry, you have no power over me." The ultimate problem of guilt, judgment, no longer applies to us, because Jesus took the judgment into Himself. All that remains for us is to live in peace with God, and we have peace in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing peace to us by taking away our guilt. When our consciences continue to bother us because of past sins, help us to bring our guilt to you again and be reminded that You took away our guilt. Remind us that peace with God is a reality for us who have faith in You, amen.

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