PEACE – PART 3

 

"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 your minds through Christ Jesus" (Philip. 4:6-7). In the previous two articles, we have been looking at peace. Everyone wants peace, but not everyone has it. God promises peace to those who are in Christ. Some do not have peace because they do not qualify; they are not in Christ. However, there are those who are in Christ who do not have this peace. Why? We have looked at two things that rob us of peace: 1) guilt, 2) fear. As we conclude this series, we will take a look at one more thing that robs us of peace – worry.

 

Worry is one of the most destructive forces to our health. It has been called the grave digger that digs an untimely grave. It is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it does not get you anywhere. Many worry about the future. Many times it is over things that never amount to anything. Even if it does, what does it help to worry? Jesus says, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:27, 34). We can plan for the future, but make those plans with the Lord in mind (James 13-16).

 

Some worry about the past. If it doesn't make any sense to worry about the future, it surely doesn't make any sense to worry about the past. That is like crying over spilled milk; there's nothing you can do about it. Hindsight is 20/20; what’s done is done. It cannot be undone. We all make mistakes and wrong decisions. We all sin and err, but worry changes nothing. The thing to do is repent, seek forgiveness, and serve the Lord now, "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead" (Philippians 3:13).

 

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Jesus is the only source of this peace. Only in and through Him can we be made free from the guilt of sin, the fear of death, and not be plagued with worries. Do you have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding?

--Lamar