"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 4:9
Driving through our neighborhood this afternoon, I spied two elk resting in the grass. As I pulled my car over to the side of the road and took this photo, I marveled at how calm the beautiful animals were. They knew I lurked only a few yards from them, yet they showed no fear. They were at peace with their surroundings. The Book of Philippians is filled with instructions for finding peace in the midst of our suffering: pray about everything, rejoice in the Lord always, give thanks, dwell on the things that are excellent, be completely humble and dependent upon Christ. Paul wrote these things to the believers in Philippi so that they might experience the fulness of the God of peace. His words are relevant for us today, as well. But just as Paul admonished the Philippians to practice these things, so must we practice what God's word teaches. Peace comes with practice.
The peace doesn't come until full surrender. Until we like little helpless lambs look to our Shepherd for guidance. That peace is unlike anything else.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, Sue. It takes humility to fully surrender and let God take care of us, to be completely dependent upon Him. We humans are all too prone to go it alone. I have had to train myself to go to my Father and ask for help, first thing. It doesn't come naturally.
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