Peace seems like an elusive object these days. It should not be for those that follow Jesus. He promised us peace…not the kind of peace the world would give us. The peace that Jesus gives is not really able to be explained in human terms. It slips from our grasp from time to time because we sometimes lose our focus and it wanders away from where it needs to be.
I have had a couple of melt downs within the past four months. Even through those moments when peace felt so far away, I still knew that the peace Jesus gave me was still in there somewhere. So very much has changed in my life over the past few years. There are times when I just have a moment and get overwhelmed. I was told that I need to just get past it. I know. I will and I am trying. When I look around I see that God has blessed me in so many ways. When I see it in that light, things don’t seem so overwhelming. I truly believe the only thing that keeps the meltdowns from coming more often is the peace that God gives me. I am truly thankful for this peace.
In Philippians 4:1-3, Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to love each other and encourage each other and, basically, get along in the Lord. He goes on in verses 4-7 to tell them that with the peace God gives, to rejoice, be patient, prayerful, dedicated and thankful.
In verse 4, Paul tells them to always be filled with joy, to absolutely be filled with joy and rejoice. He urged them to be examples to everyone. He wanted their behavior to show others that they were unselfish and considerate in every matter. He urged this on them as he reminded them that the Lord was coming back soon.
He spoke to them about worry, telling them not to do it, not to worry about anything. Instead, he told them to pray about everything, to let God know their needs. He urged them to always be thankful for God’s answers.
Paul assured them that if they did these things, they would experience God’s peace, which is so much more incredible than their human minds could begin to fathom. He told than that the peace they get from God would allow them to experience quiet calmness in their thoughts and hearts as they trust in Christ Jesus.
To me, it seemed like he was telling them that the peace that God gave them, which they could not begin to fathom, would make their hearts and minds confident because it was so supernatural that it could only be from Christ Jesus. He does the same for us today!
The challenge for those of us that follow Christ could be getting to the place where we can focus on God and the peace that He freely gives us and try to not let the world get between us and God.
How can we apply this passage to our lives? The command here tells us to rejoice, be patient, be prayerful, be dedicated and be thankful…oh yea, and to rejoice! Applying God’s principles to our lives will help us accomplish these things.
What does this mean to my faith? My faith is strengthened when I literally feel the peace of God overwhelm me during times of distress or anxiety, My emotions can be a wreck, but my soul is solid with God’s peace covering me.
My Lord and my God, the peace You give cannot be measured by words. I am so thankful that You have walked through these past few years, and especially the past few months, with me, giving me strength and courage. You have sent people to my side when I needed encouragement. Thank You. Please forgive me when I stumble and take my eyes off You and focus on the problems. Help me to keep You as my constant source of strength and hope.
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“4 Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.
What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
In addition, here is an excellent page that can give you additional information on peace with God: PeaceWithGod.net.
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Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 