PRESENTER'S NOTES
We live in a time of uncertainty, and this uncertainty seems compounded by our access to unlimited communication and sharing of information, whether through news, commentary, or social media. And, when I say, “we,” I don’t mean just Americans. I mean people of most if not all nations.
Being “in touch” means being exposed to every political, social or moral debate, and all at once. Being “on top of things” means guaranteed exposure to any negative news item that can exist in the world.
We live in a world that, though we could claim peace comparing the wars of now to the wars of the past, we don’t “feel” like we are at peace. For, though great wars with weapons may not be present (but appear to be looming), we seem to be steeped in another kind of world war, a war of words.
How do you and I find peace? It is attainable, for sure, because Christ Himself promised it to us.
John 14: 27 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.
What remains, then, is for us is to take advantage of that offered gift of peace. What is left for us is to do. Our. Part. Obtaining peace of heart and mind is a multi-faceted effort from which I will present three, today.
- Focus on Joy – A significant and powerful factor for peace is to be joyful, and there is no greater joy than that found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Focus should be on God’s revelation of the purpose for mankind, and, therefore, us, specifically.
Interestingly, God wants that focus to be on Jesus as a Savior because the plan for man inherently requires a Way to eternal life where there previously was no way.
You and I have been given that revelation.
Zechariah 9: 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Be gentle, or gentile – Peace does not come through confrontation and accusation, but by patience and moderation.
Ephesians 4: 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
And, if it is a good thing for us to bear with one another in love, it is also good to do so with those outside of understanding and faith as can be derived from Galatians 6:10.
- Be thankful – The best way to reject anxiety, which never brings peace, is to be thankful, to translate the joy you have found into thanksgiving directed at the source of that joy, God our Father and Jesus our Brother.
Colossians 2: 6 As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The following three verses are CRUCIAL to the attitude of thanksgiving…
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Might we derive from this the guards we must maintain while tuned into the “buzz” of this world? And, what I mean by being “tuned in”, is that it is important to know what is going on in the world, and it can be a blessing to maintain friendships through social media, but we must remember that this world does not know God and CANNOT think like God. By God’s grace, however, those who have answered God’s call are able.
We, in this day and age, must find peace of heart and mind if we are to benefit in salvation. This world does not know God, so to get caught up in the way this world attempts to solve its own problems is to become a part of it. This world is not joyful, gentle, or thankful, so it cannot be a source for obtaining these qualities.
Let’s turn to a final reference, which focuses God’s advice via the apostle Paul for obtaining peace of heart and mind…
Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We should diligently search the scriptures for God’s advice on peace. Research in the word the many revelations of God that bring joy to you. Practice the ways of God, nurturing the same nature of gentleness that God has shown toward you. And, to all of this add thanksgiving toward your only true source of peace, which is God.
