Inner peace
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:7 (NIV)
The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is speaking of inner peace, contentment that comes from God and is found in Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, he was imprisoned, yet as with many of his letters, his greetings began with grace and peace. This was not Paul’s grace and peace, but rather, it was from God and that which is found in Jesus Christ.
Jesus promised to leave his peace with us, saying we would have troubles in this world. Peace is not the absence of troubles. Paul faced extreme adversity during his life, yet he learned to be content. Paul’s desire to know Christ was above all else. He had a focus and such passion for knowing Jesus, he was willing to suffer the loss of many things.
As inspired by Paul, may we focus our thoughts on Jesus, daily learning more about his life, his death and the power of his resurrection. Paul shared this with such joy, may we also share the joy of knowing Jesus and live in the peace that is found in the knowledge of him.
Prayer
Lord, we pray for the peace of God to be with us and in us, a peace that transcends human understanding. Help us Lord to fix our eyes on Jesus and not on our troubles, and to pray always with thankfulness. Amen.
Study by Daphne Sidney
First published on 23 January 2019 in GCI Update Devotionals https://update.gci.org
About the writer:
Daphne Sidney is the Grace Communion International Superintendent for Australasia.
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