Romans 5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We were once His enemy and stood afar off from Him. We opposed Him across that plain of sin.  All the evil within us only warranted His wrath.  But as we stood facing Him down in defiance, weapons drawn and spite in our hearts, a peacemaker moved toward us.  As an ugly battle waged and darkness swirled and the screams of the unholy echoed, He entered into our midst.  When all that was wrong in us and about us took a final stand, all those weapons aimed at us turned toward Him instead.  As we bowed down to accept the death blow, He stepped in front of us and took our place.

Hell and death were to be our reward, but Christ gave us peace with God instead.  When we trust Him, He is our atonement, and we are made right with God, never to face His wrath.  The treaty is signed, the battle is ended, the white flags wave, and we are on His side.  And it’s more than a victory in a temporary battle.  It’s an eternal relationship with our Lord as we partake of His righteousness and someday go to dwell with Him where He dwells.

But without Christ, we are still on that battlefield.  We are still an enemy of God if we refuse Christ and what He has done for us.  There is no other way to gain peace with God, to appease His wrath, to satisfy the law, to receive His grace and to have that hope.  Nothing else is big enough or powerful enough or even willing to overcome the sin in us.

Have we given our hearts to Christ and trusted Him as our Savior?  Have we been brought into this incredible relationship with the Father and the Son?  If not, there is still time to stop serving sin and surrender to Him instead.  It is such an amazing truth that Jesus died for us.  When we opposed Him with everything we had, He still came close.  His love for us is that overpowering.  So may we live with thankful hearts for all that He has saved us from and all that we can receive as a result of what He’s done for us.