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.

Freedom doesn’t always look like we thought it would.

The world thinks that living outside of God’s boundaries provides some sort of freedom.

The Proverb writer did not think so:

Evil people are trapped by their own sin,
but good people can sing and be happy. – Proverbs 29:6 NCV

By looking at other versions we can see they used different words to try to get the point across:

• snare
• ensnared
• caught
• etc.

In the Greek, the literal word is a noose or a nose hook. Sin does not give us freedom – it places us in a noose!

Look at the things a careless lifestyle causes:

• bad reputations
• addictions
• health issues
• relationship problems

The list could keep going, but isn’t that enough?

Godly and faithful people have much cause for celebration. They have hope. (Hebrews 11:1) Those who will not or cannot turn from their sinful ways do not know hope. They also do not know the peace Paul describes in Philippians 4:4-8.

Choose to stay with God’s freedom.

Choose hope.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance – Gal 5:22-23

The underlying Greek word here is eirene: defined as peace, quietness or rest.

What is Peace?

Is peace the end of a work day when all is finally quiet?
Is it a nation not at war?
Is it financial security?

These might be peaceful things, but they all tend to get interrupted. They may not even ever fully happen.

God offers a peace that rises above all that. He sent his son to die for us. When Jesus completed that task, there was peace between God and man and salvation was within our grasp. (Romans 5:1-10)

Sources of Peace

Our Faith:

• Romans 5:1 …since we have been justified in faith, we have peace with God …
• Joshua 1:9  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified;  do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
  
• John 16:33 …in Me (Jesus) you may have peace.

Our trust:

• Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,…
  
• 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
  
• Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us.
  

We are commanded to seek Peace

• 2 Corinthians 13:11 “… Live in Peace….”
• Colossians 3:15 “Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”
• Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy…”

No matter what our troubles, Jesus has conquered them and offers peace through eternal life with him.

Daily Bible reading for July 13

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
Joshua 11-12
Jeremiah 6
Matthew 21:28-22:14

As you mentally prepare for your next worship service, you could practice seeking things which are above. (Colossians 3:1) What better place than that? That’s where Christ is! (Colossians 3:2-3)

One who is in Christ has the essence of a new man: He is tender, kind, meek, patient… (Colossians 3:12-13) That is the attitude I want God to see in me when I worship and when I live.

As you join together with the peace of God in your hearts … be thankful for Christ.

Daily Bible reading for May 12

Psalm 131
Numbers 11
Isaiah 50
Colossians 3:1-17

Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:18-20 we come to know about a peace that we will never truly understand in this lifetime. We have God’s promise that He will guard our hearts through Jesus in much the same way a company of troops are guarded by a sentry. This protection extends to the very core of our being – so much so that it is part of the Full Armor of God Ephesians 6:14-17

Adam Clark said it well in his commentary that this peace is the harmonizing of all passions and appetites which is produced by the Holy Spirit. Living in this peace will certainly carry us through to the next life.