In God you can…
“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me: practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you.”-Philippians 4:9
I love the book Paul wrote to the church at Philippi. It is such a comforting book; one of the main themes of the letter is Paul reminding the church to find and hold on to the joy of the Lord. In the verse for today Paul reminds the people that they must find and keep peace within themselves if they are ever going to find the joy of the Lord.
Finding peace is something that is easier said than done, but Paul reminds us that it can be found in any circumstance. Paul says look at me; watch what I do then you will find the secret to peace. That sounds like a cocky, “holier than thou”, attitude, but as he had reminded them in the previous chapter he was not full of himself he was merely stating the facts. There were very few people who could compare with Paul as far as his upbringing and righteousness in the Law, but he said all of that was rubbish in comparison to knowing Christ. I like the original Greek because the actual word Paul used is really translated, dung. You get the image of a pile of something you just stepped in. Paul said everything he had done, and everything he had was a pile when compared to the glories of Christ.
If you back to Deuteronomy Moses is preparing the children of Israel to go in to the Promised Land, and he knows that he will not be with them; so he gives them instructions on how to find peace. He tells them in Deuteronomy 4:30, “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.” Peace in any situation that you find yourself in is not hard to find; in fact it’s right with you all the time. God has promised that He is always with you, and you can come to Him always and find the peace you are longing for.
If you have or continue to read these devotions you have/will hear me talk about Joni Eareckson Tada. A movie, Joni, was made about her life, and towards the end of that movie she was talking to a soldier that had just returned from the Vietnam War; where he had lost one hand and an eye. He asked her how she managed her disability. She told him that she really didn’t know, but she said that she would rather be in her wheelchair knowing God than on her feet not knowing Him.
You can hear the words of Paul being echoed there saying that nothing can or ever has come close to the peace I have in God. Study your entire life, you can know all the right doctrines you can preach the Word, but in the long run none of that will bring you peace. There is only one way, and one person who can bring true peace and that is Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that you will remember in your times of trouble because they will come just as certain as the sun will rise you will have trouble, the words of Paul and the directive of Moses to turn back to the Lord then you will find the peace.
Father, I thank You for promising to give me peace in the middle of my troubles. You did not say that You would keep me from the troubles, but that You would be with me like You were with the Israelite children in the middle of the fire. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Yes, You Can Ministry 