The Devotional - 004 - Grace and Peace

A Thought for the Day – 004 – Grace and Peace

Philippians 1:1-3 – Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ.

 

Comments and challenges

Once while traveling with my parents to Florida from Kentucky we approached a town where we were planning to spend the night, on the road map the insert that expanded the town gave the names of the streets and some of the advertisement indicated that a motel was on a street called Margret. My dad who was very superstitious explained harshly that he was not about to bed down in some motel on a street called Morgue. Now it did not matter to him that she straightened him out about the name, his mind was set, and we are not sleeping in that motel was his final comment. About two hours later and after 10pm in a town further south we found another motel and bedded down for the night.

What controls our mind is what drives our way of life and sadly there are many of us who cannot get over the fact that fear controls the way of life they live. I cannot go into all of the ways fear expresses itself in our lives but I am sure of this, if you have fear in some area of life you know what it is, but you do not know how to deal with it. Fear is a lack of peace over one or more issues and the book of Philippians deals with most of the fears of life as these relate to God and the people around us.

As long as God permits I will take a look at the subject of fear and no doubt since Dr. David Jeremiah is presently doing a series on fear, I will be using some of his material. In Philippians 1 and starting in verse 3 we read. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” I use this in signing off of an email or letter to someone and it is true that when I remember a person I will give thanks to God for them. Am I totally faithful in this, well no but I would like to be and I think that the reason is as found in verse 4. “Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” Sometimes I am missing the joy we daily need, have you ever been a half quart low in “Joy”?

So grace, peace, joy confidence, the gospel, fellowship and good works are good topics; we need joy and I believe we need this in our daily walk with the LORD and not just ever so often. Even in suffering Jesus had joy, not for the moment in time, but for what that moment in time provided for in eternity. We will be focusing on Philippians 2:5-8; Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man; humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Suffering and death when it is not filtered through God, grace, peace and joy is a fearful way of life.