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Articles
Blessings of Peace
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
The peace of God is a tremendous blessing. After telling the Christians in Philippi to take all of their worries to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6), Paul follows that up by telling them the peace of God is able to guard their hearts. In doing so, the peace of God is like a gift that keeps on giving. Consider how the peace of God can guard your heart against the following:
Worry - We learn to let go of our worries when we trust God to provide us with the things we need (Matthew 6:34). While the needs of this life don’t just vanish away, our focus on God puts things in the proper perspective.
Guilt - Do you trust Jesus to forgive you of your sins or not? Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When I am at peace with God, (meaning I am in a right relationship with God and have repented of my sins), then my faith and assurance in Christ should not allow me to continue to feel guilty for sins for which I have been forgiven.
Materialism - When I seek the after the treasures of this world, I am attempting to find peace from those temporary material possessions (Matthew 6:19). The peace of God helps us find contentment in the promise of eternity and heavenly treasures (Matthew 6:20, 33).
Compromise - To some degree, most of us are tempted to please other people. However, it is simply not possible to please all people and please God at the same time. The peace God offers gives us the confidence we need to overcome the temptation to compromise the values of our faith in order to please worldly people (II Timothy 1:7).
Perfectionism - The grace of God will always be necessary for our salvation. No, we never want to tolerate sin in our life. At the same time, we must understand that we will never earn our salvation by our perfect works alone - in other words, perfectionism. Our salvation depends upon Christ’s sacrifice because I am not perfect (Romans 3:23). The peace of God helps us trust in His grace in a way that guards against perfectionism.
The peace of God will work wonders in your life. However, the peace of God can only be experienced by those who are at peace with God. It takes some effort, but as His peace is promised to us, we are sure to enjoy it if we seek to be at peace with Him.
