Peace that Surpasses

 

 

“And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:7

 

Jesus gives this peace-a wholeness of being without fear that results in the tranquil state of a soul being assured of its salvation through Christ. This peace removes fear of being unforgiven by God, separated from Him, and eternal judgment resulting in eternal hell and it gives love, joy, union with God through Christ, forgiveness, mercy, hope-no reason to fear. That is true peace, which only Jesus can give a person when he or she believes in Him as the Son of God for the forgiveness of his or her sins.

 

This peace goes beyond anything we can understand. We do not know how to get or give this peace because it’s beyond our comprehension and abilities because we are sinners. Only Jesus, the righteous Son of God, has and gives the unifying peace-unifying the parts of ourself and us with God.

 

Not only does the peace of Jesus give us wholeness, lack of fear, and union with God, it guards our hearts and minds. Where Jesus is, Satan cannot be. Darkness flees when light enters. 

 

So seek Jesus. Acknowledge He is God’s Son. Believe in Him and receive His salvation. Let the peace of Christ have reign and rule in your heart, mind, body, and spirit. You will be anxious for nothing and can ask anything of God while thanking Him for His answer in advance knowing He loves you and will answer you. 

 

That is true peace. That is union with God through Christ. Jesus gives peace that unites the parts of ourself living without fear now and knowing our eternal future with Him is secure. 

 

“Peace, peace, God’s peace. Peace that is greater than all our sin.”

Coup de Grace: His Blow of Grace

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 [NASB]

Verses four through seven spoke to me. We all know these verses, but I don’t think I had seen them this way before. Verses four through six are commands. Verse seven is a blessing of shalom, heart peace that only God can give. After you have done those three things in verses four through six, then you have blessing-from Paul and from God. As I walked through those commands, I was like, “Yeah, yeah,” but then connections were made that hadn’t been there before for me. And I was like “Yes, I am going to have shalom!”  I am claiming. And I prayed that way for my family this morning.

Verse four: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Rejoice at what God is going to do, at what He has done, at what He is doing, and at Who He is-I AM, Immanuel, Creator, Savior, Provider, etc.

Verse five: “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” Don’t let what happens to you deter you from being who God has made you to be. Show the world God’s goodness, kindness, compassion, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness even when things are not what you want them to be.

Verse six: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made know to God.” This one has been on my radar for years. Thanksgiving is not something I regularly do. Maybe you are like me. Today, I began thinking of all the things I could be thankful for and recognizing they all come from God’s hands.

Then the coup de grace (There is a reason grace is part of this French idiom.) is in verse seven. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” When you do these things, you will have peace because you recognize from where peace comes. God is your peace. Nothing that comes against you will prevail when you thank God for who He is, rejoice no matter what your circumstances, continue to be gentle in spirit, being anxious for no thing at all, but seek to keep in relationship with the Lord. This is how you have peace. And you don’t have it because you manufacture it. You have heart peace because of God’s grace, His blow of grace-the soft breeze that glides by your skin or the tumultuous wind that gets your attention and you know, despite it, you have peace because you are in a relationship with God.

What is coup de grace normally? In French, it’s an idiom that means a mercy killing, or the blow of grace. We could say that is what God does with His mercy toward us. His Son’s crucifixion was a mercy killing to save us from a dying misery. It’s God’s blow of grace on us that gives us eternal heart peace. Paul meant this when he wrote, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God’s blow of grace may be a soft breeze across your mind or heart or may be a stiff knock to get you to that place, but His peace, no matter what your circumstances, will guard you and keep you. It’s a heart peace-shalom-that comes from knowing God, from being in a saving relationship with Him.

Verse seven is the coup de grace when you look at those four verses together. His blow of grace-His heart peace-will keep your hearts and minds when you rejoice always, remain gentle in spirit, stay calm and un-anxious, while giving thanks in expectation. Grow and keep on growing in your relationship with God and this peace, this shalom-heart peace-will be yours. That is coup de grace. This coup de grace is a different way to look at the French idiom, a Christian way.

Then finally we get to the familiar “whatevers” list in verse eight. Dwelling on the “whatevers”-whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, worthy of praise-can only happen because of having a close relationship with God and because they come from Him. Paul didn’t stop with the command to dwell on them. He told the people to practice them. Why? Because the “God of heart peace will be with you.” Just as Jesus taught people what comes out of a person in words and actions comes from his or her heart, Paul told the people to put into action those excellent things that God puts in them by practicing them. Following these last two commands, Paul gave a promise. The same promise he gave the people in verse seven. When you do these things, God’s heart peace will be with you.

It's not a magic trick. You don’t do things just to get peace. You have peace, God’s peace, the blow of God’s grace, when you are in a saving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. The grace that brings each of us into relationship with God upon our profession of faith in Jesus as our Savior is how we get this peace. When you are in a relationship with God through Jesus, you dwell on those excellent things that come from God, and you have heart peace because God is with you.

A big sigh is expressed as relief and release enters and we understand much better than before. Rejoice. Show your gentle spirit from God. Be anxious for nothing but pray and supplicate with thanksgiving. These things come from the mind and “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ.” More than this, dwell on excellent and praise-worthy things, which only come from God, then practice them. And again/still, the God of peace shall be with you. Three verses of commands, then a promise of God’s peace. Next, two commands, and again a promise of God’s peace, heart peace.

Are you ready to breathe that sigh of relief? Are you seeking heart peace, the peace that passes all understanding? God gives it through His Son, Jesus Christ. Come walk in relationship with God. Rejoice. Be anxious for nothing. Have access to the Father through the Son. Be thankful before God answers prayer. Think on excellent and praise-worthy things and practice them. Receive unending heart and soul peace, the blow of God’s grace across your heart, soul, mind, and body. His merciful love calls to you.

Lord, God, many times I did not rejoice always. I was anxious and did not seek You first. I acted and reacted based on my best judgments or on my fears. Help me to walk with You so I can keep my eyes focused on You. Help me to recognize Your grace and merc,y and sway towards Your ways instead of my own ways. Forgive me my stubbornness and conceit thinking that I always know what is right. Without You, I flounder and fail. With You, I have learned I can have Your peace-heart peace-even in the middle of difficult times because You are God and nothing surprises You. Amen.

I Will Arise

"Now I will arise, says the Lord, because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy. I will set him in safety and the salvation for which he pants." - Psalm 12:5 (AMP)

"Unless the Lord had been my help, I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I said, 'My foot is slipping' Your mercy and lovingkindness, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my anxious thoughts, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul." -Psalm 94:17-19 (AMP)

In the midst of my anxious thoughts, O Lord, remind me of who You've been and who You've promised to be for Your children. You will arise and be victorious.

Because of this, I do not need to be afraid or anxious. When I'm afraid, I can trust in You. Help me trust, remember, and have faith in You as I recall Your words from Phillipian 4:6, "Do not fret or be anxious about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants and needs known to God."

Lord, take the pain of my anxiousness and turn it to thanksgiving and joy because I know You are in control and You are the Protector, Refuge, and Strong Tower of Your children. Thank you for what You are going to do.

What Do Your Actions Show: A Philippians 4:4-9 Devotion

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9 [NASB]

Paul taught the Philippian Christians in the previous chapter things would not give them salvation – neither status nor physical things. He taught and encouraged them to press on for the higher calling. Paul meant they were to grow more Christlike and with that process become more perfect and complete in Christ – more holy. He affirmed he had not yet attained that calling, but had hope of its occurrence when he went to live with Christ in heaven. Paul believed and knew with his whole being salvation from his sins through Jesus Christ would give him eternal life in heaven with the Father as a co-heir with Jesus Christ.

With chapter four, Paul gave comfort to the believers in Philippi. In verses five, seven, and nine, he spoke about the Lord. He said the “Lord is near,” “the peace of God will guard their hearts and minds,” and the “God of peace will be with you.” Knowing that God is near will give courage to any believer to be and do as God expects His children to be and do. Since God is near, nothing could overcome them. On top of knowing the Lord is near, knowing the Lord will give you His peace is comforting. In the mist of any circumstance, we can rely upon God knowing He will take care of us. The peace that comes from knowing and believing this is great. Christians do not have to fret or worry. Paul noted another aspect of this peace in verse seven. He said, “And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The phrase “the peace of God” speaks of the way that leads to peace – salvation. A person has this peace of God because he or she is assured of his or her salvation. Even if a believer is killed, he or she knows without doubt he or she is not eternally dead. Eternal death is separation from God, but Christians have eternal life. They are saved from their sins and will be in God’s presence. Salvation begins while alive and continues to eternity.

Within these six verses Paul spoke of actions and attitudes of a Christ-follower. First, though, he told the Philippian Christians to rejoice, to feel and show great joy. He emphasized it by repeating it. Why should the believers rejoice? Paul explained it in the previous chapters and sums it in these verses as noted above  - the Lord is near and He gives His children His peace. Rejoice is the first external action Paul taught the Philippian believers to do. He told them another external action to do.

Paul said, Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.” Gentleness becomes apparent to other people through actions. Gentleness is a mildness of temperament, a fairness. This mildness comes from an internal calm and care for others. Gentleness comes from the attitudes within a person. Gentleness can be known to other people when this mildness of temperament is acted upon in one’s daily life. It comes from inside a person and is enacted externally. Gentleness can be lived internally, too, by kindly considering others. From this kind consideration, gentleness is lived out in relating to people. In verse eight, Paul speaks about the internal qualities of a believer, just as he spoke of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. From the living out of the internal qualities of a person, that person’s likeness to Christ can be seen by people. Jesus taught this same thing in the Beattitudes in Matthew 5.

Other external actions Paul taught the Philippian Christians while considering the Lord’s nearness and the hope of salvation He gives them are praying and seeking God’s help while thanking Him for who He is and what He will do. Knowing of the Lord’s great love that would provide salvation and knowing He wants to be near brings out a state of thankfulness at all times. Praying, seeking God’s intervention, and thanking Him are external actions, but they come from an internal awareness – of awe and knowledge  - of God and His power and love.

So far, Paul taught in this Bible passage four things for the believers in Philippi to continue doing – rejoice, be gentle, pray, ask, and be thankful. Each of these comes from an internal awareness of who they are in relation to who God is and what He did. Next, in verse eight, Paul taught them to consider and meditate on eight virtues, virtues that come from God. Meditating on something is considering it and acting upon it. These eight virtues of God Paul wanted the believers to consider, absorb, and act upon so they become more like Christ and show who God is to those they encounter. The believers, like Paul, were Christ’s emissaries. Paul told them to consider and meditate on:

·         whatever is true – correct and right

·         whatever is honorable – virtuous and honest

·         whatever is right – righteous like God, guiltless

·         whatever is pure – sacred, clean, pure from all fault

·         whatever is lovely – acceptable to God, delightful, pleasing

·         whatever is of good repute – spoken well of, spoken of favorably

·         whatever is of excellent – virtuous of thought, feeling, and action

·         whatever is worthy of praise – commendable, exemplary

Thinking on these eight attributes can make a person acquire them as part of his or her personality and character if he or she chooses to live by them. These eight attributes come from God – His being – and involve a change of attitude of a sinful person, which can occur when a person accepts Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Paul became more Christlike throughout his life, as did the disciples of Christ and most other believers in Jesus Christ.

Paul closed this section of his letter to the Philippians reminding the believers there they learned these attributes, received them into themselves as they meditated upon teachings by disciples of Christ, and heard and saw them through Paul’s words and actions. These attitudes and actions worthy to be emulated Paul taught and commanded the Philippian Christians practice them. They were to take them into their minds, consider them and put them in their hearts, then act upon them. This is a very Hebrew idea. Moses used this idea with the Israelites when he told them in Deuteronomy to keep all the commandments of the LORD. The word “keep” comes from the Hebrew word shamar and means to hear, listen, and do. In the Hebrew thought, a person cannot hear something without actively listening and considering it and then acting upon it. Paul meant this same thing in verse nine when he commanded the Philippian Christians “practice these things.” He gave the added incentive that God’s peace would be with them when they practiced these worthy things.

When a person sins, the Spirit of God convicts him or her about his or her sin. That conviction gives no peace to the person. God’s peace comes into a person’s life when he or she confesses his or her sin and accepts God’s forgiveness. Added peace comes when the person’s relationship with God grows and he or she becomes more Christlike. Then the person knows the Lord is always near and will always take care of him or her. Becoming more Christlike means taking on the attributes of Christ, which are the fruit of the Spirit. Paul taught the Philippian Christians to recognize, meditate on, and practice eight worthy attributes in verse eight.

When reading and studying this passage, we must ask ourselves questions. Do we see and recognize these attributes of which Paul spoke? Are we practicing them as we live? Are we near to God? Do we have the peace of God guarding us? I do not know about you, but in studying this list of attributes Christ portrayed and considering myself, I recognize I need to grow more. To do this I will have to study God’s Word, pray to Him for the power to overcome the temptation that leads me to fall short of these goals, and practice the attributes. As I do these, my relationship with God deepens and I begin to look more like Christ. I begin to emulate Him and portray His/these characteristics.

What about you? On which characteristics/attributes do you fall short? Before that even, do you have the peace of God that comes from knowing He has saved you from your sins and brought you to Himself? We each have a ways to go to be Christlike. We must each, like Paul said, press on for the upward calling.

What will you do about this today?

Philippians 4:1-9 A Devotion

8 “Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” [NASB]

In this chapter, Paul teaches and encourages the Christians at Philippi to have, do, and be certain things. The first thing he told them was to stand firm (persevere). He calls them his joy and crown. The Philippians are dear to Paul and he is proud of their testimony in the world. People from other cities and towns heard about them and spoke highly of them to other people and Paul heard. Paul gave a list of attributes for the Philippians to strive toward and to continue to be.

Paul told them to rejoice in the Lord always. No matter what occurred to or around them, to keep an attitude of joy and rejoicing. Rejoicing is the praise back to God for the joy that resides in a person. The joy comes from gratitude in what the Lord gave or did for a person.

Be joyful and not anxious about anything, remembering God provides. God wants you to come to Him with your requests and thanks. He wants to be in relationship with you in everything – good, bad, trials, temptations.

Have the peace of God, the one who is Creator, Provider, and Victor. Realize nothing can thwart God’s will.

Finally, think on the true and truthful. Dwell on the honorable and the things and people to be venerated and revered. Reckon with the right, righteous, innocent, and guiltless. Meditate on the pure from fault, sacred, chaste, and clean. Deliberate on the lovely, acceptable, and pleasing. Consider those people and things with good repute who and what are auspicious. Keep these things and people in mind. Consider them. Emulate them. See their effect. Keep your mind on that which God calls good, pure, etc. When you do, you will be less tempted and affected by evil and  to sin.

If there is anything of excellence, virtue, moral goodness and purity, and if there is anything worthy of praise and commendation, dwell on and consider them. Keep these things most in your mind so you will be like them for these are from God. Practice them and the righteous God of goodness, peace, and love will be with you. He will reside with you and lead you to continue walking in these attributes.

So we see that thinking on each of these things, makes us consider them, count them worthy, and then emulate them ourselves as good things. These things, we will see, come from God. We will have peace when we do the things of God and use the attributes God gave us and approves of.

We each want peace. Paul was proud of the Philippians. There are “Pauls” in our day, too. Maybe you have a Paul-like person in your life, if you don’t, place Jesus in his place. As you consider these things and decide to act, make sure the actions you do would make your “Paul” and Jesus long to see you and declare you his/His joy and crown.

This is our mandate today. Have these characteristics and live them out so that Jesus can be proud of you and declare you His, just as Paul declared the Philippians his brethren and was proud of them.

Trials, Troubles, and Truth

          We live in a world that is different from thirteen years ago. The world is different from a generation ago. People speak of how different things are. They give examples of disrespect to adults and authority. They speak of fear of crime and wars. They even voice that weather is not the same; it is more violent. I consider these things and see that, yes, a lack of respect for authority figures and humans is evident. I live the change of the physical environment. People are losing heart and faith in humanity. They are erecting walls around their homes. These people are installing security systems in their homes, cars, and work places. Security companies patrol in their personal spheres of living. People are removing their landline telephones to avoid intrusion into their private lives, but at the same time, they are more involved in the cyber-world through emails and social networks. People are afraid, but they are lonely, too, and trying to fill the vacuum from a lack of relationships. This is America.

       Let us consider worldwide. There is rampant poverty, hunger, crime, wars, and religious intolerance. There is corruption, abuse, fear, and a breakdown in human relationships. Consider it this way; everyone experiences trials. Do not think I am discounting how hard trials are, but consider, everyday types of trials and severe types of trials affect everyone. When we are going through our particular hard time, we feel it is the hardest thing to do. It is hard. I very seldom meet people who are thankful they went through a trial. In time, though, we look outside ourselves and see other people are having a more difficult time in life. We see there are harder times people endure, such as mass genocide, religious persecution, executions, starvation, and becoming separated from family when fleeing for their lives. We live in this world.  

            A few people might say, oh, we must be getting near the end times. People might be shocked at first, but then gradually return to their jobs or school and forget what is happening elsewhere. I am not trying to say we are crass and unfeeling. What I am trying to make understood is that, for the largest number of us, persecution is a word in our vocabulary that sharply breaks into our mind periodically with media images and reports, but we do not live persecuted, so we do not take much notice of it. For millions of people, though, persecuted living is their reality. They are hunted by military regimes because of their culture or their faith. They are running in fear through forests, jungles, or deserts to get away from a present reality of torture, forced military service, prison, or execution. We each experience our own trials, but many million are in this world right now experiencing their trials that are “unto death.”     

            The statistics of these trials and persecutions point to areas around the globe predominantly near the equator, but include China, India, and North Korea, as well. With the violence, we hear reported from these places, we think the end times are coming. We do not know that is true; we only understand what is happening. Jesus stated, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36 NASB). We may be in the end time or we may not be; what is important is we keep living and believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Without Jesus, living our lives, wherever we are, is futile. What is the purpose of living through this?  

            Let me offer a thought. God’s purpose for allowing trials is to strengthen His children in their faith and character and their dependence upon Him. His purpose for allowing trials in the lives of nonbelievers is so they will turn to Him as their Savior and Father in heaven. I understand our ease to blame bad things on God because He let them happen. What if we took the positive view, though, and considered that He allowed them to happen to teach us He will take care of us, to teach us He is stronger than the situation. We must come to the point where we learn that we must quit fighting this trial in our own strength and allow God to take charge. When we have come through the trial, we are stronger Christians. How does that work, though, for those going through extreme trials and persecution? I do not know exactly. I have heard a few stories from those surviving extreme trials. We do not often receive news from those who survived religious persecution through torture, imprisonment, removal of human rights, and wars. From what I have heard and read, several persecuted believers say they waited on the Lord and endured through prayer, reviewing memorized Bible verses, singing hymns, and talking to other believers in the places where they were held. God is still God in the midst of persecutions and He works to grow a stronger believer in these circumstances, as He does in our lives. Through their prayers, verses, songs, and encouragements from other believers, they became stronger and endured their trials while remaining in their faith. Yes, a few people do recant their faith. There are people who do not recant and are killed or die. A few people do not recant and live. Either way, these latter two came out of the difficult experience changed; they are stronger believers.  

 We each will go through trials, whether severe or not. God gives us the opportunity to rely upon our own strength or rely on His strength, which will take us through the fire and make us stronger. Whichever way we choose to face the trial, if we relied on God, we are saved to live now on earth or to live now in His heaven. Either way, God is victorious. If we do not reply on God, we may survive the trial in our own strength or we may not. What is important to know, though, is that we have not actually won. Our unbelief has won us a temporary respite on this earth, but we cannot experience eternal victory in heaven without God and His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. John said, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.” John trusted Jesus was the one for whom he was making the way. Jesus is God’s anointed One through whose death and resurrection we can obtain eternal life. John understood that he was only a man, but Jesus is the One sent by God. He acknowledged that when he said, "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true” (John 3:31, 33 NASB).

John and others came to believe that God is true. People from the beginning of the world understood God was true. Consider Adam, Abraham, Moses, Noah, David, the prophets, and now John the Baptist. They knew then God was true. John bore witness to the fact Jesus is God’s Son, come to take away the sins of the world.

 If you had to go through an intense time or trial, what would you do? Would you blame God for letting that happen to you? Alternatively, would you become strong in the Lord knowing He has already conquered all things and He will get you through your time now? The latter will make you into a believer. The former will make you tired and, maybe even quit. Are you going through a trial now? Are you going to let God be your strength? One day we may have to fight the extreme trials we hear of in other countries where Satan’s slaves are creating life-changing problems. Now is the time to grow in the strength of the Lord, before you go through horrendous times, so that you can stand strong now and forever more. Right now, Jesus is offering you a relationship with Him, the relationship of which you have a void in your life. This relationship is unbounded, unforced, and all loving. God wants only what is best for you, peace, love, and eternal life with Him in heaven. He will give you everything you need to live now, on this earth, and forever…Love, Faith, Hope, and Peace