Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Peace In A Crazy World

Picture from www.Landscape-Photo.net (CC BY-NC-ND)


Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:4-8 NKJV)


The above passage from Philippians is one of my favorite in all of Scripture. My wife tells me that I am very patient in the things which matter most, but the things which do not matter, I am very impatient. I hate getting stuck behind a slow driver!!! Then there is worry, which is also something I must always constantly do battle with. All of us believers face many things in our lives which may drive us crazy, such as arguments with those close to us. Then there is the issue of divisions in the church for various reasons. If you read the above passage in context with Philippians chapter four, it gives us a biblical procedure for attaining unity in the church. Beyond this, one may also draw application into many areas of our lives if we would only apply it more deeply. If things have you down, for what ever reason, count your blessings. If you are fighting with a loved one, write out a list of the things you love about that person. While we do not neglect things which are troubling, our focus must always be on the Lord and the things which are good. We should also always rejoice, be gentle, be patient, and pray always; then we receive His promise. What is His promise? It is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

I will not be writing a post next week as I am blessed to spend some precious time with loved ones. Take care and God bless.

22 comments:

  1. Ken, thank you for this reminder. Here I am, still awake after midnight, and I can't sleep - I'm troubled. Family problems, worries...a host of swirling thoughts and emotions.

    And yet, God led me to your most encouraging post. Focus on the good things - and let go of the things that threaten to consume me tonight.

    Yes, I will.

    And God's peace will surround me.

    GOD BLESS!

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    1. Sharon, I hope you were able to let go of the things which were troubling you and that you were able to get a good sleep after all. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  2. Hi Ken,
    Love those scriptures...Good to remember every day where our provision comes from and how we should be so thankful! It is getting harder to find things of virtue in this world, but when we do, we must cling to them and stay focused on all that is good!
    Wow...the subject of patience is a hard one my friend! But it is listed as one of the virtues that we should aspire to...Praying for a wonderful time as you enjoy your loved ones!
    ~God bless~ Lisa

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    1. Lisa,
      You rightly said, :"when we find things of virtue, we should cling to them." Unfortunately it is the opposite we do, at least I know I do. That is that we hold on to all the troubling things and let go of the things of virtue. I appreciate your prayers and thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  3. Enjoy time with your loved one's and may the peace of the Lord be with you. I ask every day for God's peace and thankfully it has helped me through so much.

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    1. Dee,
      It is an amazing thing all the troubling things the Lord gets us through. Thank you for stopping by, wishing me well in my time with loved ones and also leaving your comment.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  4. Hi Ken,
    Focus on the positive and not the negative!! Thanks for the reminder.

    Have a wonderful time with your loved ones.

    Blessings brother,
    <><

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    1. child of God,
      You are welcome. I wonder why it is with me that it is the negative which draws my attention? It is the thing which can consume me. Often times the things I worry about, never come to pass. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  5. Hi Ken.... I needed to read these uplifting words and the picture is perfect. Blessings.

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    1. JBR,
      Thank you and I pray that you were encouraged by reading this.
      Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  6. Hi Ken,

    I continue to learn about patience everyday! Ha! I continue to make progress, but some days it is a challenge!

    Proverbs 4:6-7 was one of my earliest memory verses; one I still refer to often. :)

    Blessings dear friend; enjoy your week with loved ones!
    Denise

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    1. Denise,
      A challenge is sure can be, indeed. Thank you for sharing the scripture, I will go and read it. Thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts.
      Blessings,
      Ken

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  7. Oh boy do I know about tailgaters! We have the majority right here in New Jersey! It is true it really isn't a big deal unless we make it that way. God bless and thanks for an encouraging post : )

    Karen

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    1. Karen Kyle Ericson, You are correct, "its not a big deal unless we make it that way." Way too often, I believe, we turn a mole hill into a mountain. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts.
      God bless you also,
      Ken

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  8. Hope you have a wonderful visit with your relatives. Thanks for this reminder. I was singing a little chorus this morning: Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say REJOICE!

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    1. Karen, You are welcome, and thank you for visiting and leaving your comment. May God bless you,
      Ken

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    2. Ken, I hope you and your wife have a wonderful and joyful time with your family.

      Phil 4:8 is a verse I think of frequenly, especially when I need to take my thoughts captive.

      Thanks for challenging me in my Christian walk.

      Lord bless...Susan

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    3. Susan, Yes we did have a wonderful time with family. Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your thoughts. May the Lord also bless you,
      Ken

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  9. Hi Ken,
    it is always good to focus on the positive. My husband tends sometimes to focus on the negative and all it produces is stress. If something does not go according to my plan then I do not worry about it. Sometimes I have been held up on a drive and then discovered there was a reason for it. The main thing in this world is to stay in the eye of the hurricane - so to speak - rest in the Lord where we have peace. God bless you and enjoy your holiday.

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    1. Brenda, In reading your comment, Isaiah 26:3 came to mind. "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You." Thank you for visiting and leaving your thoughts. May the Lord also bless you,
      Ken

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  10. This is one of my favourite portions of scripture too; it has such powerful results when simply obeyed. DOn't be anxious. Pray about things. Trust God. Be thankful. Rejoice (even when you don't feel like it). It takes practice and at times I need to be reminded. It's always such a wonderful relief when I snap out of anxiety mode and into trusting God again. God's peace is precious. :)

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    1. Vilisi, Rejoicing when I do not feel like it sure is hard, but it gets our minds off of us and our problem, and on to God and who He is. Thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts. May God bless you,
      Ken

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