This morning, I started my day as usual. I woke up, made a cup of coffee, and started to study on my computer. I wrote my devotional for the day and decided to check my Facebook account before getting busy with my daily chores. What I saw caused me to think about how people constantly complain and voice their feelings. It doesn’t take long to realize Christians are just as guilty of ranting about someone else’s actions as those who don’t know Christ. If you read their comments, you will see that they are selfish. They use this platform to share their thoughts with the world about how someone else is inconsiderate. Their language shows they do not have the peace God provides for His children. It disturbs me when they are so short-sighted that they think only about how someone else affected them. This led me to one of my favorite passages that teaches us how to have peace. It is a peace that will help us deal with the rudeness of others in a way that is honoring to God.
In Philippians chapter 4, Paul focuses on how Christ will strengthen us during times of distress. At the end of chapter 3, he reminded them that Jesus would “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Now as he begins chapter 4 he addresses them with tender thoughts he has of them and encourages them. He says, “My brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” When Paul wrote this, he was imprisoned in Rome. Yet, He is encouraging them and giving them the recipe for a heart that is at peace. A peace that is not based on their circumstances.
In verse 4, he instructs us to rejoice in the Lord always. We can have joy in our hearts even when we are sad about the situation because we know God is in control, and we are His. Joy is not based on our circumstances but on who we belong to.
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Paul continues to give them simple but important directives that will help them grow closer to Jesus and be the right kind of influence on the world around them. They are to exhibit a life of moderation or reasonableness so that it is seen by others. They were not to do this to draw attention to themselves, but it was to be such a part of their character that others would know them by it.
Philippians 4:5 “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
He continues by exhorting us not to be anxious but to pray about everything. We are to be thankful people, trust God for everything, and be gracious about what He provides. All our desires are to be brought before Him. It will not always be answered as we desire, but it will be best for us.
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Next, Paul tells them that if they do these things, God’s peace will be theirs. It will be a peace they cannot understand because it transcends our thinking. This kind of peace will keep our hearts from anxiety and agitation. When we spread our problems before the Lord, He will guard our minds. He established this biblical principle in Isaiah 26:3-4. Perfect peace is offered to us when we keep God in the forefront of our minds. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
We receive His peace, which derives from our total trust in Him. We will have no anxious thoughts about our lives when we confidently commit them to His care. It is a peace the world cannot understand. The peace of those who are of this world derive their peace based on what they can do. Their own mental and physical abilities limit them. My God is not limited by any external force. He is in control, and when I don’t understand, I can still trust Him. Why would I not trust a God who loves me and wants to answer my prayers abundantly? When I remember Ephesians 3:20, all the cares of this world become insignificant. I don’t have to worry or share all the inconveniences or incidences rude people bring to my life. I don’t need to let the world know my problems because I have a God who will care for me.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
