A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. ~Proverbs
14:30
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. ~Philippians 1:12-18
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal. ~Isaiah 26:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? ~Psalm 56:3-4
In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ~Psalm 56:10-11
The tenth commandment states: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his man servant or maid servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17-18) Have you ever considered this commandment simply as wise advice from your heavenly Father, as a prescription for health and happiness? It’s hard to live contentedly, at peace, when you are always wanting something more, or something else, or, “What he has!”
“Envy rots the bones.” James puts it this way: “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) Does that sound like a peaceful contented life to you?
It’s hard in our advertising saturated society to remain content. We are constantly being bombarded with attractive lectures on how to improve our lives. Even the songs that we recommend at the end of our devotionals are sometimes accompanied by Youtube commercials. They can be pretty convincing messages that give us pause before advancing to the music. That is a frustrating interruption that we wish we could do away with, but there it is. We can’t even offer this devotional without this temptation toward discontentment being added by the monetizers.
Yet, “a heart at peace is good for the body.” Why? because it isn’t focused on acquiring the next thing. It is content with the Lord and what He brings instead. It is a heart at peace that He offers. Paul says in Philippians 4 that he has learned the secret of being content in all situations. (Phil. 4:12) He actually demonstrates this peace in Philippians 1 as he describes his situation in the passage quoted above.
Paul is in prison. Instead of feeling sorry for himself or pining away for his freedom, he shares the gospel with every soldier that guards him. In this way, he says, that the whole palace guard knows why he is in chains and knows about Jesus. Some mock him. Some spread his message derisively, but Paul keeps sharing, because some are also becoming believers.
The peace that Paul has in Christ has enabled him to endure, what we would consider suffering, chafing under the injustice of it all. But Paul is not chafing, at least not in what he wrote. He is not worrying about a future or about making friends, or gaining his freedom. He is focused on his mission and as long as he has that, in obedience to Christ, he also has His peace, which is, somehow, “good for his body” as well.
“In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Our first response might be, “Man can do a lot!” However, no one can do anything that God does not allow. Remember satan at the end of the chain? God will allow difficult circumstances to consume our dross, wood, hay, and stubble. We are being purified. Satan is only a tool in God’s hand to help us become more like Jesus. That’s why we can be at peace.
In Voice of the Martyr’s magazine, we just finished reading a story about a Christian family in a dangerous ministry in Columbia, while raising three pre-teen children! They minster to drug cartel guerillas, along with the innocent bystander indigenous villagers. But even the innocents resist the gospel and practice witchcraft sometimes! This family is constantly in danger, both physically and spiritually. But they are an inspiration as they LOVE the ministry they are called to and the children are very brave too! (We can share that article if your curious.)
Think of the surgeon. We allow him to come at us with sharp knives, but it is for our good. God is the most skilled of surgeons for our good. We may wish that we had what others do because what we are going through is so difficult and painful. It’s hard not to envy the easier life others seem to have. It can be challenging to be content with the peace that God offers, but that desire for what others have will only make you miserable.
Lean on His peace. Stop stressing and let His peace sustain you. Don’t think about the future. Be in the moment with Him. Last week, a friend of ours from Celebrate Recovery shared the concept of a “God Box.” She is actually facing some huge challenges in the near future. A friend of hers shared the idea of a “God box,” a box with a slot on top in which she could write her worries and concerns on a slip of paper and slip them in the box. In so doing, she has a tangible way of giving her burdens to God.
This has worked for her. She is finding a lot of peace in doing a physical act to help her remember that she has given it to God, so she doesn’t have to stress about it anymore. She is facing some tough stuff, but this is a way that she has found to let go and take up God’s peace.
Whether you use a box or not, this is what God asks us to do. Our desires for what we do not have or cannot do and wish we could, add stress that our Lord does not want us to have. “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (My peace), for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) Not coveting is really good for you.
Prayer: Oh, Father strengthen me to rise to the challenge! Paul is inspiring! Brave Christians are inspiring! My life is so much easier compared to theirs, and yet, I suffer! I want Your Peace, Father. Today, I’m “boxing” it all up and sending it to You. I trust that in all things, You are taking good care of me. I can rest. I can trust in You. Then, I can be an inspiration in small ways as others around me, enduring their own stresses, wonder how I do it. Give me opportunities to tell them about You. In Jesus;’ name, amen.
Song: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. ~Philippians 1:12-18
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal. ~Isaiah 26:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? ~Psalm 56:3-4
In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ~Psalm 56:10-11
The tenth commandment states: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his man servant or maid servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17-18) Have you ever considered this commandment simply as wise advice from your heavenly Father, as a prescription for health and happiness? It’s hard to live contentedly, at peace, when you are always wanting something more, or something else, or, “What he has!”
“Envy rots the bones.” James puts it this way: “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) Does that sound like a peaceful contented life to you?
It’s hard in our advertising saturated society to remain content. We are constantly being bombarded with attractive lectures on how to improve our lives. Even the songs that we recommend at the end of our devotionals are sometimes accompanied by Youtube commercials. They can be pretty convincing messages that give us pause before advancing to the music. That is a frustrating interruption that we wish we could do away with, but there it is. We can’t even offer this devotional without this temptation toward discontentment being added by the monetizers.
Yet, “a heart at peace is good for the body.” Why? because it isn’t focused on acquiring the next thing. It is content with the Lord and what He brings instead. It is a heart at peace that He offers. Paul says in Philippians 4 that he has learned the secret of being content in all situations. (Phil. 4:12) He actually demonstrates this peace in Philippians 1 as he describes his situation in the passage quoted above.
Paul is in prison. Instead of feeling sorry for himself or pining away for his freedom, he shares the gospel with every soldier that guards him. In this way, he says, that the whole palace guard knows why he is in chains and knows about Jesus. Some mock him. Some spread his message derisively, but Paul keeps sharing, because some are also becoming believers.
The peace that Paul has in Christ has enabled him to endure, what we would consider suffering, chafing under the injustice of it all. But Paul is not chafing, at least not in what he wrote. He is not worrying about a future or about making friends, or gaining his freedom. He is focused on his mission and as long as he has that, in obedience to Christ, he also has His peace, which is, somehow, “good for his body” as well.
“In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Our first response might be, “Man can do a lot!” However, no one can do anything that God does not allow. Remember satan at the end of the chain? God will allow difficult circumstances to consume our dross, wood, hay, and stubble. We are being purified. Satan is only a tool in God’s hand to help us become more like Jesus. That’s why we can be at peace.
In Voice of the Martyr’s magazine, we just finished reading a story about a Christian family in a dangerous ministry in Columbia, while raising three pre-teen children! They minster to drug cartel guerillas, along with the innocent bystander indigenous villagers. But even the innocents resist the gospel and practice witchcraft sometimes! This family is constantly in danger, both physically and spiritually. But they are an inspiration as they LOVE the ministry they are called to and the children are very brave too! (We can share that article if your curious.)
Think of the surgeon. We allow him to come at us with sharp knives, but it is for our good. God is the most skilled of surgeons for our good. We may wish that we had what others do because what we are going through is so difficult and painful. It’s hard not to envy the easier life others seem to have. It can be challenging to be content with the peace that God offers, but that desire for what others have will only make you miserable.
Lean on His peace. Stop stressing and let His peace sustain you. Don’t think about the future. Be in the moment with Him. Last week, a friend of ours from Celebrate Recovery shared the concept of a “God Box.” She is actually facing some huge challenges in the near future. A friend of hers shared the idea of a “God box,” a box with a slot on top in which she could write her worries and concerns on a slip of paper and slip them in the box. In so doing, she has a tangible way of giving her burdens to God.
This has worked for her. She is finding a lot of peace in doing a physical act to help her remember that she has given it to God, so she doesn’t have to stress about it anymore. She is facing some tough stuff, but this is a way that she has found to let go and take up God’s peace.
Whether you use a box or not, this is what God asks us to do. Our desires for what we do not have or cannot do and wish we could, add stress that our Lord does not want us to have. “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (My peace), for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) Not coveting is really good for you.
Prayer: Oh, Father strengthen me to rise to the challenge! Paul is inspiring! Brave Christians are inspiring! My life is so much easier compared to theirs, and yet, I suffer! I want Your Peace, Father. Today, I’m “boxing” it all up and sending it to You. I trust that in all things, You are taking good care of me. I can rest. I can trust in You. Then, I can be an inspiration in small ways as others around me, enduring their own stresses, wonder how I do it. Give me opportunities to tell them about You. In Jesus;’ name, amen.
Song: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
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