Recipe for Peace

Philippians 4:4-9 Peace is one of those very illusive qualities that often can disappear in moments as a result of situations circumstances or people. It seems too often to be planted with very shallow roots and the birds of Satan can come in and devour the seed at any time. Sometimes we ask, “Where is that peace that passes all understanding?” The peace that no one is supposed to be able to take away; yet in a moment it can be gone. Many times, we sabotage our own peace by getting involved in things we ought not, by not keeping our connection fresh with the Father. Paul, in today’s verses, gives us some pointers to help us overcome the theft of our peace. First, “Rejoice in the Lord always." This is important enough that Paul repeats. The Lord is to be our source of joy. And since it comes as a command, it is something that we can do by a choice of our will. Choose to celebrate who He is and who we are in Him, and that we will be spending eternity in His presence. Paul tells us that we need to have a gentle spirit and that our gentleness needs to be part of our reputation. Because the Lord is near, we don’t have to worry about anything. When our fellowship is tight with God, we become like the Apostle John who laid at Jesus side and we can make our requests known to Him at any time. Our prayers and requests need to be bathed in thanksgiving, bathed in a thankful attitude in our hearts. As we follow this recipe, Paul tells us that the peace of God, which goes beyond our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It all begins with choosing to continually rejoice in the Lord. You can develop a taste for feeling sorry for yourself and always complaining, but you can also develop an excitement and a taste for celebrating our relationship with God — Do it and the peace will follow.