As Paul the apostle wrote to
the church located in Philippi, he gave them several instructions
concerning their daily living. One of them pertained to when they
would be “careful” or anxious about circumstances or
situations. When times of worry came, they were to pray, make
supplication, be thankful, and let their requests be made known unto
God, and in chapter four and verse seven of his letter, Paul shares
about the peace of God that comes as a result of following his words.
He wrote:
And the peace of God,
which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
The verse begins, “And
the peace of God, which passes all understanding,...” As
a continuum to his guidance for worry, Paul tells the Philippians
“the peace of God”is
the result of praying, making supplication, being thankful and
letting Him know their request . The “peace of God”
is “a state of national tranquility, exemption from the rage
and havoc of war, peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord,
security, safety, prosperity, and felicity”, and in this case it
refers to the inward state of an individual. This “peace”
“passes all understanding” which means “rises above, stands
beyond, or distances itself from” “the mind, judging,
determining, the intellectual faculty, and thinking”. Where most
people are troubled within because of their situations, the person
who receives the “peace of God” is quiet and calm inside.
The
verse continues, “... shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” When a
person receives the “peace of God”,
Paul says it will “keep your hearts”
which means “will guard the middle or central or inmost part
of anything”. The heart essentially refers to the seat of emotions
within a person, and when the “peace of God” is there,
there is calm. Paul adds, “and minds” which is “mental
perception, that which thinks, the mind, thoughts or purposes”.
Even the very thoughts of a person who pours out his or her heart
toward God when they are anxious have access “Through Christ
Jesus” to have “peace”
within their lives.
As we
ponder Paul's words, let us notice that he says, “peace of
God” which is quite different from “peace with God”.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we
enjoy “peace with God”. Until then, we are in effect not
at peace with the Almighty, and our lives are not in alignment with
Him. As soon as we accept God's provision of salvation through His
Son Jesus, we are no longer at enmity against Him, but have made
“peace” with Him. However, this is different than having
the “peace of God”. We may have
“peace with God” because we believe that Jesus Christ died
for our sins, rose from the dead the third day, and has provided
eternal life through His sacrifice, and yet still be worried,
anxious, and full of care within. In other words, there is no peace
in our emotions or thinking. We might be troubled on every side. If
we follow Paul's “prescription” for when we have times of doubt
and worry, the promise to the Philippians and to us is that the
“peace of God” will come in. Our lack
of worry may even be interpreted by others as lack of care because
our “peace” “passes all understanding”. God desires
for us to rely upon His abilities to handle situations and
circumstances that are beyond our capacity to change or repair, and
when we “cast our cares upon Him”, His peace invades our
souls and penetrates our thinking. If we want to be “at rest”
within, let us learn daily to rely upon Him, and may the “peace
of God” fill our “hearts and minds”.
Next
time Paul tells the Philippians what to think upon, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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