The Peace of God

November 7, 2018

Philippians 4:2-7: I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The Day is Over:
Yes Election Day is over. Some people won. Some people lost. Personally, I am glad that Election Day is behind us because the negative and sometimes brutal messages are over. 

Now What Do We Do?
I suggest that we listen to the Word of God. Euodia and Syntyche are fighting. About what, we don't know. What we do know is, God through St. Paul is telling them to agree "in the Lord." They need to come together. Yet they're "waging a war" with each other. So Paul is calling them to come together "to agree in the Lord."

"Agree in the Lord:"
One way of applying this text is to agree in what the Lord, God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit, says.

And what does God say? God says that we are ALL SINNERS. This must be first. Nobody is perfect Not one view point is all right AND not one viewpoint is all wrong. We are sinners. We ALL miss the mark. The other thing that we must agree on is that Jesus Christ forgives our sins and cleanses us from ALL SIN  and unrighteousness. Jesus did that through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. 

So we need a true companion to point out the truth. We need someone, a pastor, teacher, and the like, to lead us toward what is the agreement in the Lord. What does God want for our Church, our Community, our State, and our Country?

In order for that to happen, serious dialogue must take place. That means heartfelt Christian based discussion with the purpose and intent to "agree in the Lord." Will it be easy? Maybe. Yet it needs to happen. 

And when it does and agreement is found...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness."
And when agreement in the Lord is found, rejoicing takes place and all animosity, anxiety, fear, and anger go away. And then...

Peace of God:
We will experience the peace that comes from God. Not a "cessation of hostilities." We will experience a true peace that comes from agreement in the Lord, His salvation in Jesus Christ, and His love and mercy. I can't understand, reason, or have knowledge about the peace of God. That peace of God comes through faith and trust in God and His salvation. At the same time, I know when it is happening. Peace from God is an experience.