My Daily Pause

On the surface, the sea is sometimes in chaos and angry when deep down it is actually calm.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7

The greatest reward we can enjoy while on this earth is God’s peace. This is a mindset that is often difficult to achieve. It is probably safe to say that it is difficult to even understand for most people.

We worry.

We make the wrong decisions.

We suffer alone without taking advantage of prayer and fellowship.

Isn’t this is the opposite of what God wants for us?

It is a little like the ocean. On the surface there can be chaos.
And wind.
And rain.
And waves 20 feet high.
But when we dive down deep – when we get to the heart – there is serenity and calm.

What he tries to teach us throughout the Bible is that no matter what is happening on the surface, we can turn to that inner peace that God provides.

When we adopt The Single Mind by making Christ first, The Submissive Mind by living a life of service, and The Spiritual Mind by turning away from the flesh, we have all the tools to make us secure – to give us peace.

All we have to do from here is take the necessary steps to put it all together!

Paul summarized what it takes to enjoy a peaceful lifestyle in Philippians 4:

• Rejoice! – Philippians 4:4 – Joy or rejoice is a word that is used extensively in Philippians and is key for a Christian
• Moderation – Philippians 4:5 – The way the word is used here is similar to love and kindness
• Just Ask – Philippians 4:6 – Quit worrying and talk to God about what you need.
• Mind your Thoughts – Philippians 4:8 – The things you think about set your mood
• Be around godly people – Philippians 4:9 – Being around example setters helps build you up
• Forget possession – Philippians 4:11-12 – How little or much you have contribute nothing to security in God
• Christ first – Philippians 4:13 – all of the Philippian mindsets lead us to Christ.

It is no wonder that Paul was able to tell us over and over to rejoice despite the things he had to endure. When our soul is secure and we have God’s peace, the importance of whatever happens to us in the world is minimized.

I have previously written a series on these verses as a recipe for stress-free living – check it out if you are ready to start living like you possess the peace that passes understanding.