February 11, 2013
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Peace.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
For the first time in a couple months, I am at peace about a situation I didn’t see coming and quite frankly would not have chosen. Why? Honestly, I’m not completely sure – probably why God calls it the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” but I do know through my study of James 4 for personal devotions, studying Exodus 1-2 for teaching SS and this morning (technically yesterday morning) service God has been confronting me with my own stubbornness and pride. It feels good to be broken. It feels good to be confronted. It feels good to be honest and humble before the Lord, even though He already knows.
The situation isn’t anymore resolved then it was but letting go of what I think I’m owed is a peaceful transition. I’m owed nothing by anyone. I genuinely feel at peace and it’s a great place to be. I don’t think that means the hurt and the missing goes away but despite that, I know the God of peace is with me. Was He before I chose to grasp on to it? Absolutely. I’m thankful He’s patient with me. I’m thankful despite my inconsistency and having to learn the same lessons time and time again, He is continually faithful. The word I continually come back to is relinquished. Not in any means that I’ve given up on the situation/person but I’ve relinquished it in prayer to Him.
Peace. Real not contrived peace in Christ Jesus.
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edit.
I was reading in James 5 today and for some reason went back to James 4. It was pretty monumental in my life at this moment and for whatever reason decided to open my study Bible and read some footnotes. This one hit the nail on the head.
We tend to think that doing wrong is a sin. But James tells us that in is also not doing right. It is a sin to lie; it can also be a sin to know the truth and not tell it. It is a sin to speak evil of someone; it is also a sin to avoid them when you know know they need your friendship. We should be willing o help as the Holy Spirit guides us. If God has directed you to do a kind act, render a service, or restore a relationship, do it. You will experience a renewed and refreshed vitality to your Christian faith.
