God’s Ways Bring Peace
OPENING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, help us to rest in the peace Jesus brought to this world. Show us how we can live in perfect peace. Amen
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
REFLECT:
Where is peace in the world today? When we look around at our culture, our country and around the globe from a human standpoint, there is very little peace. But in these verses, Paul is reminding us about real peace and what it looks like. It is easy to gravitate to peace as the world defines it and forget that there is another way to have peace. Paul says by focusing on these things, we can experience true peace of mind. Satan knows if he can steal our peace, he can deprive us of our emotional security that is in Christ, but as we focus our hearts and minds on his Godly ways, we will find God’s perfect peace.
APPLY:
As we search the scriptures, we find in Philippians the remedy for the loss of peace. Satan’s battle for control of our hearts and minds is the opposite of God’s attributes listed in Philippians 4:8-9. We are being inundated with bad news, gossip, criticism, failure, and the list goes on and on. The worst part is that we are drawn to it. It takes less effort to go down a mountain that up one and we tend to dwell on the slippery slope of negative thoughts. The solution is to recognize that we serve a living, reigning, and supreme God. His abilities are endless and there is no situation he cannot handle. When we put our trust in Jesus and not ourselves, not others, not our country, we can finally rest in his peace.
CLOSING PRAYER:
God of Peace, We ask that you fill us with a peace that passes understanding. Peace not as the world gives but as only you can give. May we strive to be peaceMAKERS rather than peaceKEEPERS, knowing that you have called us to an active faith. Help us keep our eyes focused on our similarities even as we work in different lanes to pursue your will. Teach us to rest in the true peace of our hope in you. Amen.
(Prayer from Weekend Service)