Peace that transcends understanding
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:4-9
I absolutely love this passage. There is so much meat in these six verses. I think they truly sum up how to live as a Christian, in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
1. Rejoice in the lord, ALWAYS- Key word being ALWAYS. No matter the circumstances, REJOICE. And then, he re-emphasizes- I will say it again: REJOICE! It reminds me of the Hillsong song "Desert Song," where the bridge says "All of my life, in every season, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship." The song talks about whether we are in the desert, the fire, the battle, or the harvest, I will bring praise. No matter what we are going through, there is ALWAYS a reason to worship and rejoice in the Lord. Finding joy in the fact that He is doing something gives constant reason to REJOICE!
2. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near- As witnesses of the joy of Christ, we have to be aware of every action as we are representing Christ to the world. You may be the only view of Christ someone gets that day. Be gentle. Be kind. Dont be judgemental and do not be a hypocrite. I'm probably being hypocritical by saying dont be hypocritical, but my goal anyway is live out the fruits of the spirit- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Goodness, and Self Control.
3. Do not be anxious about anything- See Dont Stress, bask.
4. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Prayer is a powerful tool. The best part is that no matter what we say, God knows our hearts and our deepest desires. I'm finding lately that everyone has their opinions about my life and they like to be very vocal about that. When everyone's opinions are different, its overwhelming and stressful. As my best friend so wisely observed, I am having a hard time hearing God's guidance over everyone's opinions. Therefore, my new goal is to tune out everyone else's opinions and only seek God's guidence through prayer and listening.
5. And the peace of God, which trancends all understanding- It doesnt make sense by the world's standards, but handing over those situations to God brings peace. My devotional yesterday was titled "Leave outcomes up to me." Ever feel like God is speaking directly to you? Yeah, that was for me yesterday. I cannot adequately put into words the peace that it brings to leave my requests in God's hands. I love how it says that it transcends all understanding. Looking from the outside or even the inside, the peace does not make sense, but if you have experienced it, you know it.
6. Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - My heart and my mind definitely need guarding. With so many things influencing our thoughts, we have to work so hard to discern what is good and what is not. I've found that guarding our minds and hearts go hand in hand. The more I let God win the battle in my mind, the less my heart gets hurt. I think the battle now is figuring out what is ok to let in and not just having a huge wall up all of the time.
How can we guard our minds from what shouldnt be there?
7. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you- Thats the checklist. Think on those things and then you will find peace.
This is all so much easier said than done. I really write these things to give myself a chance to think through and put into words how I think I can apply God's word to my life. Each day is a choice to find peace or not. Today, I choose to be at peace knowing that God has the outcomes under control. There is nothing I can do to change His plan. Continuously seeking his counsel and guidence, results in fulfillment of his plan which is far better than my dreams.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:4-9
I absolutely love this passage. There is so much meat in these six verses. I think they truly sum up how to live as a Christian, in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
1. Rejoice in the lord, ALWAYS- Key word being ALWAYS. No matter the circumstances, REJOICE. And then, he re-emphasizes- I will say it again: REJOICE! It reminds me of the Hillsong song "Desert Song," where the bridge says "All of my life, in every season, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship." The song talks about whether we are in the desert, the fire, the battle, or the harvest, I will bring praise. No matter what we are going through, there is ALWAYS a reason to worship and rejoice in the Lord. Finding joy in the fact that He is doing something gives constant reason to REJOICE!
2. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near- As witnesses of the joy of Christ, we have to be aware of every action as we are representing Christ to the world. You may be the only view of Christ someone gets that day. Be gentle. Be kind. Dont be judgemental and do not be a hypocrite. I'm probably being hypocritical by saying dont be hypocritical, but my goal anyway is live out the fruits of the spirit- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Goodness, and Self Control.
3. Do not be anxious about anything- See Dont Stress, bask.
4. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Prayer is a powerful tool. The best part is that no matter what we say, God knows our hearts and our deepest desires. I'm finding lately that everyone has their opinions about my life and they like to be very vocal about that. When everyone's opinions are different, its overwhelming and stressful. As my best friend so wisely observed, I am having a hard time hearing God's guidance over everyone's opinions. Therefore, my new goal is to tune out everyone else's opinions and only seek God's guidence through prayer and listening.
5. And the peace of God, which trancends all understanding- It doesnt make sense by the world's standards, but handing over those situations to God brings peace. My devotional yesterday was titled "Leave outcomes up to me." Ever feel like God is speaking directly to you? Yeah, that was for me yesterday. I cannot adequately put into words the peace that it brings to leave my requests in God's hands. I love how it says that it transcends all understanding. Looking from the outside or even the inside, the peace does not make sense, but if you have experienced it, you know it.
6. Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - My heart and my mind definitely need guarding. With so many things influencing our thoughts, we have to work so hard to discern what is good and what is not. I've found that guarding our minds and hearts go hand in hand. The more I let God win the battle in my mind, the less my heart gets hurt. I think the battle now is figuring out what is ok to let in and not just having a huge wall up all of the time.
How can we guard our minds from what shouldnt be there?
7. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you- Thats the checklist. Think on those things and then you will find peace.
This is all so much easier said than done. I really write these things to give myself a chance to think through and put into words how I think I can apply God's word to my life. Each day is a choice to find peace or not. Today, I choose to be at peace knowing that God has the outcomes under control. There is nothing I can do to change His plan. Continuously seeking his counsel and guidence, results in fulfillment of his plan which is far better than my dreams.
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