Peace is Present
Scripture Reading - Philippians 4:4-9 KJV
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
In today’s lesson we will focus on “God’s Peace”. Yes, His “Peace” is supernatural and very important because we desperately need God’s Peace to overcome the sorrows and frustrations of the world’s system. Yes, we (ihlcc) will be honest with you, when we look at all the troubling things going on in the earth today it can be overwhelming. Yes, it is easy to be disheartened and discouraged when we see the cost of living rising, health insurance increasing, rumors of war between nations and even inner wars within certain nations. Yes, even here in America we have the constant war between Republicans and Democrats that seems to continue forever. We are saying that multitudes of people living in the earth today are miserable lacking peace and this multitude includes both Christian and non-Christian. Why is this reality a part of the Christian experience we believe that there are many reason why certain believers are suffering from a lack of “peace” but rather than trying to name the many different situations that leave “peace” lacking in people we will highlight what God said about receiving “His Peace” and go from there. First we notice that we should rejoice everyday because the Good Lord gave us the gift of living today so we should be thankful unto Him and enjoy His gift to the best of our abilities. Please understand rejoicing in The Lord always means rejoicing when circumstances are good in your life and still rejoicing when bad things are going on that are contrary to God’s Will for you. Yes, rejoicing establishes the foundation for “peace” in your life so please rejoice first thing every morning and if you forget to do it that morning pick it up that very same day in the afternoon. Yes, carry that rejoicing attitude with you all during the day and into the night. It is interesting to note, “The Lord is at hand”. This could read “near” or “present”. We like to think of it as “present” because it reminds us that The Lord Jesus is with us inside our heart. Yes, He is always “Present” and that gives us access to “His Peace” whenever we desire it. Notice we said whenever you desire it because the truth is not every Christian is seeking “God’s Supernatural Peace” in everything they do but they definitely need it when turmoil is present. Yes, even people in the full-time ministry can let God’s Peace get away from them if they don’t follow these same guidelines and principles. We must be carefree about everything! Carefree because it is not our problem? No, we can be carefree because we are trusting God to intervene on the problem and with that being say the problem then belongs to God, not you or another man. Notice in verse 7 that when we do the previous verses we reap the benefit of the “Peace of God” keeping (guarding, encapsulating) our hearts and mind. This means “God’s Peace” will be in your heart calming your spirit (inner) man and at the same time “God’s Peace” with be comforting your soul which means you mind will be relaxed and stable. Yes, God has a part to perform and so do we but we must do our part first for God to finish His Part to complete the whole process. Yes, God and man working together to establish God’s Will upon the earth. If we keep things simple that is the process. Rejoice in the Lord, recognize that God is right there with you (call-out for His comfort, peace and wisdom), then be carefree about the circumstances you face in life after you have prayed over them and left them in God’s Hands. Yes, once you have given them to God by casting all the care over on Him (The Lord Jesus and our Heavenly Father) please don’t pick them back up by worrying over them day-by-day but cast your care once unto God without double mindedness or reservation for the Lord is Good and His Mercy endures forever. A few steps to “God’s Peace” but not too hard. God gives us even more detail about accessing “His Peace” when we look at verses 8 and 9. The Apostle Paul with the Holy Spirit did an excellent job of describing what we (The Believer, the Saint, The Child of God) should ponder in life, not only during difficult circumstances but when things are going well too. This makes it very clear to us that we must ponder God every day by mediating His Word and experiencing His Love. Yes, meditating on God’s word is how we become familiar with the Holy Scriptures and thinking upon the fruit of the Spirit with corresponding actions of Love is how we better emulate God Himself while living on this earth. Yes, thinking about the “Love of God” keeps us humble and appreciative of all God has done for us. In essence when we choose to think about God as a very real and “present” help He Is right there within us to confirm our actions and attitude with “His Peace”. Notice the last reference verse said “The God of Peace shall be with you.” period, so there is no doubt about it. This Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ means “God’s Peace” shall overcome all negative and/or evil thoughts that try to put us down. So take heed to God’s Way to establish “His Peace” in your heart and mind primarily because it is right and it will help you operate on a higher (more Godly) level each day during work time, relaxing time and sleep time. So Praise The Lord for He Is Great and His Mercy endures forever. Seek “His Peace” though praise and thanksgiving by thinking upon His Word, His Love and His Present Goodness for He is real and worthy to be praised. If you are ready to receive “God’s Peace” He is more than ready to distribute it to you in love, grace and mercy in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!