And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 KJV
Today's extract starts with a reference to peace, but peace does not occur in a vacuum; there has to be a basis for it to exist and thrive. A quick look at the verses before today's extract sheds some light: only in an environment of communication can peace thrive. This is not saying you won't have a mind of your own, or you simply say Yes to everything thrown at you, but achieving common interests become more important than pursuing personal goals. Somehow, in seeking the interests of other people, your deepest concerns are addressed. That is the mystery behind the benefits and blessings of fellowship: nobody is all right or all wrong; we are simply a work in progress.
And how do I achieve peace? The same chapter where today's extract is taken from gives an insight: total, daily dependence on the One who calls us into fellowship with Him and other believers like ourselves. If I am not at peace with Christ, with Him in full control of my life, how does He get me to be at peace with other people? If I have not conquered selfish interests, how do I become concerned with issues other people have? It then also means that if I am to have peace, the One who is called The Prince of Peace has to find abode in me. He can't have temporary residence, whereby I only give Him access to parts of my life and at set times. He has to be fully in charge, if He is to take charge of all the issues I face in life.
That's why it is called the peace of God, because it is the type God supplies that can stand the test of time. History has shown that all attempts by man to impose his own kind of peace never lasts. Wars have been fought over the last two centuries, with many lives lost, yet we seem not to have learnt anything. Of course, if the peace is not the type God births, it is not the real deal. And it is a peace that the natural man cannot understand. It is the peace that calms the heart even when all else is falling to pieces. How did the three Hebrew boys speak so boldly to a king who could send them to death? How did Paul face so much trouble without losing his zeal for the message of Christ? It had to be something that the world could not supply or tamper with. If course, if you didn't create it, you can't understand its origin or direction.
And it is a peace that 'guards', keeping evil influences away from my heart and mind. It is a peace that ensures that only the things that promote the source of the peace are allowed to happen to me. This peace knows that my heart is prone to external impressions and pressure, so before the issues come, it wants to come in, abide in me and make my heart a fortress. If trouble comes, it finds no free space because my heart has been completely taken up by God's peace.
Let no one also fool or deceive you into thinking that being in Christ automatically insures you against trouble. No, what you get is a clear insurance policy for eternal life, meaning that nothing down here is more important or powerful than the One who lives inside me. That Presence is all that matters; everything else is a phase. His time of favour is here.
Basis for peace
Process for peace
Enabler of peace
Benefits of peace
The place of peace
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