Peace… Pursued, Prepared For, Practiced and Perfected

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Last week I was amazed in the moment I realized, it is indeed “WELL WITH MY SOUL”.  Truly a place I want to live out my days!

A place of perfect peace (Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. John 14:27) The Jesus peace!

Then came a “sea-billow” (from the song mentioned last week) called Coronavirus.

Hello God… about that place of perfect peace…

Welcome to God’s virtual classroom! A place where ALL of God is available but NEVER to be thrown “as pearls before swine”. A place where all of God must be Pursued… Prepared to receive… Practiced until perfected… and Prayed for until . And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.  (Romans 8:28-30)

Here I thought it is all just a touch of God’s magic wand, some Words He would/or has spoken over me, that eliminates any need for me to spend time in the study hall  of blood, sweat and tears.

There is a rumor going around that we are ALREADY perfect, we just have to name it and claim it. I say we are perfect – CHILDREN (some of us more than others) of God.   But not perfected… conformed to the image of His Son… revealed when heaven comes to earth.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  Romans 8:19-21

In the meantime we have some work to do!

Pursue, Prepare, and Practice the training up God, our Father is producing in our lives (if indeed you are His child) to Perfect those saved by faith in Jesus.

Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 

Pursue… Peace with God. You can search the world over for people, places and things that temporarily make you happy, or comfortable, or secure, but all will turn into nothing more than false gods who promise but cannot nor will not satisfy the need of your soul. Your soul knows, YOU NEED GOD, even if you don’t agree.

That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  Romans 1:19-20

Prepare for peace… Know that peace isn’t always getting what you demand. Peace is rarely about being happy, healthy and wise. In fact peace is being convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Practice peace…  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:2-4 Practice KNOWING that God will never leave you nor forsake you! Practice KNOWING that God has a plan – plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 

Practice… The Lord blessing you, and keeping you; The Lord making His face shine on you, and being gracious to you; The Lord lifting up His countenance on you, and giving you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26

Until Peace is Perfected through practice… yes, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, but I’m thinking more of a wrestling match like Jacob had. (see Genesis 32:24-30)

The kind of wrestling match that a good father & a beloved child would consider essential in their relationship. The kind of wrestling match that teaches, and encourages, and exercises, and creates unbreakable bonds. The kind of wrestling match that touches both lives in love. Wrestle in peace… Pursued, Prepared For, Practiced and Perfected.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

The Lord is near.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.