Karin and I missed you all so much, and today’s class was a wonderful time in the Word. Yes, I felt compelled to give you all a New Years message of encouragement found in Philippians 4:6-7. As you can see on our rdtw.org site, the title is The not so secret formula to daily peace in a world gone mad! The companion scriptures are Romans 15:13-14 and 2 Timothy 1:7.
Romans 15:13-14: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
2 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
There are four ingredients to having daily peace:
- Be purposeful, not fearful!
- Be prayerful, not forgetful!
- Be powerful, putting on the whole armor of God – Ephesians 6:10-18
- Be peaceful and thankful – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
A thought to ponder: The peace of God does not come when prayers are answered. The peace of God comes when prayers are offered.
Job 42:10: And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Visible Fruit that follows a life of daily peace:
Hebrews 12:1-2 – running a daily race of patience
Galatians 5:13, 16, 22-25 – walk in the Spirit producing the fruit of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – live a life of self-control
2 Timothy 4:6-8 – finish your race well, looking for the imminent return of our Lord and Savior
Next week — looking at the gospels through the lense of the mystery.