How did the Apostle Paul endure all his troubles with joy in his heart? He learned how to be at peace no matter what the circumstances, and today he shares his recipe of peace with us.
He begins by urging believers to stand firm in the Lord. "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you who I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!" (Philippians 4:1) When he says "this way" he is referring to the instructions he gave in Chapter 3. In Chapter 3 he told us to have confidence in the Lord's strength and not in our own strength. He said to put Christ first in our lives. He encouraged us to keep pressing forward, not dwelling on the mistakes of the past. And he told us to seek out those who are setting good examples for us in the faith. So he begins this morning by saying, "Keep on doing these things. Stand firm. Don't let anything discourage you."
If we are going to be at peace in our hearts, and at peace with our Lord, we need to be at peace with each other. It appears that two ladies of the church at Philippi were at odds with each other. Paul tells them to work out their differences. "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life." (Philippians 4:2-3) Paul does not address his "true companion" by name, but I assume it may be the person he has entrusted with getting the message of this letter to all the believers at Philippi. I think it's likely he's speaking to the main pastor of the church or to one of the elders or deacons of the church.
We don't know what these women have disagreed about. Paul isn't concerned with that; he's concerned only with reminding them that they are both daughters of the Most High God and therefore are of the same family. They need to love each other and not allow differences of opinion to come between them. This is how we are to behave in our churches today. There may be minor points of doctrine on which we disagree with one another, but as long as we are all holding to the truth of the gospel message, many of these points are simply a matter of personal preference. We are not always going to find a specific command for or against particular things in the word of God. In those cases, the law of love is to be followed, and we need to put aside differences of opinion and maintain unity in the body of Christ.
If we want peace in our hearts, we need to bring our needs and concerns to God. They're too big for us to handle, but nothing is too hard for Him. (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17, Jeremiah 32:27, Luke 18:27) Paul begins this section by reminding us to rejoice because our God is near. Our God loves us and is concerned with anything that concerns us, so let's go to Him and tell Him about all our troubles. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)
It feels good to pour out our hearts to God. Of course He already knows about our problems, but there's a sense of relief in telling Him about them anyway. We have a natural human need to talk about the things that bother us. God isn't going to become weary with us no matter how many times we share a particular concern or problem with Him. Our fellow man might get fed up with it at times, but our loving Father never will. Right now I find myself telling God over and over what I'm going through. I'm grieving the loss of my little dog that I treated like a child. I'm worried about family members and friends who are having health problems. I'm asking God to send my husband a job because he's been laid off work since August. None of these problems have yet been resolved, but sharing my feelings with God comforts me. He understands my feelings like no one else does. He is the only Person who can get inside our hearts and minds and feel the same things we're feeling. We can describe our feelings to others, but they can't enter into our heartbreaks with us. God can, though. This is why Paul says the peace we find in sharing our feelings with God brings the peace that "transcends all understanding".
It's difficult not to dwell constantly on the things that concern us, but Paul tells us to try and turn our thoughts in a different direction. He knows that in this world it's easy to fall into depression and despair, but there is a recipe for peace, and that recipe includes thinking about things that are good. "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." (Philippians 4:8)
We are first to fix our thoughts on the things that are true. Sometimes our imaginations run away with us and we picture the worst possible endings for our situations. Sometimes we believe lies of the devil who says, "God isn't listening to you. He's sick of you and your problems." Or we tell lies to ourselves such as, "Things are never going to change," or, "God isn't going to answer my prayers." In order to fix our minds on the things that are true, we have to study the word of God. Then we won't fall for the lies of Satan or the lies our weary and troubled minds sometimes tell us. The word of God is the unshakable, unbreakable truth. We need to know it and be able to stand firm on it when lies come at us or when troubles enter our lives. Then, once we get the truth fixed in our hearts, we are in a better position to think on all the other good things Paul tells us to think on. We can concentrate on our blessings.
If we think only on the negative things in life, we are going to start believing everyone is out for himself and that no one is a godly person and that no one cares about us. But that's not true. God cares about us and He's put people in our lives who care about us. Yes, we may be going through hard times, but there are still things in our lives to be thankful for. So even though we may be in a valley right now, and even though we may feel tempted to just wallow in despair, let's think on the things that are true and good. This is how Paul was able to rejoice even during his darkest times.
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