“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

A peace that transcends all understanding.

I like the sound of that. I want that. I want that – a peace that transcends all understanding – to be my reality.

It’s a good thing that the Apostle Paul tells us the three steps to living in God’s peace:

• “Do not be anxious about anything.”
  • Chill out. Take a few deep breaths. God’s got this. Don’t worry.
  • When we bring our worries to God, God’s got out back.
• “But in every situation…pray.”
  • Burdens aren’t our’s to carry. Bring and lay your burdens, concerns, worries, joys, praises to God.
  • God loves to hear and answer our prayers.
• “But in every situation…with thanksgiving…”
  • Since God loves to hear and answer our prayers, you can know with certainty that God is at work in and through us.
  • Since God is at work, give thanks.
  • Give thanks in all circumstances because God is at work to bring to completion the work he has started in you.

Don’t worry.

Pray.

Give Thanks.

This is God’s plan.

As with all plans, plans work when we work the plan.

So get to work. Put God’s peace plan to work in your life today. In fact, put it to work everyday!

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

Troubles…
Under great pressure…
Not sure if I can endure this anymore…
Despair…
Not even sure I want to live anymore…
I’m dying…

Ever been there?

If you’ve lived long enough, almost every single human being will be able to relate.

But what is surprising…No. Not just surprising, but shocking about these words are that they were penned by the Apostle Paul.

You know, the guy who wrote a third of the New Testament.

• The guy who wrote the letter to the Philippians – the letter of Joy – while he was imprisoned!
• This is the same guy who wrote in Romans, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18),
• And “No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

Then, what’s the deal? How can someone who writes about praising God in all circumstances write what he did in our verse of the day?

Perhaps, when we are dealing with the human being who wrote a third of the New Testament and not the idealized “Super, Duper, Apostle Paul,” we come to realize that Paul had issues just like you and me. And, not only did he have troubles like you and me, but he processed them in a way similar to us.

You see, it is quite possible to have a faith that praises God for all God’s promises, AND be tormented and broken by hardship, weariness, exhaustion, and suffering.

It is quite possible for you to be absolutely certain about God’s promises – that’s faith.

AND…

It is perfectly normal for human beings to go through moments of torment and doubt, and be shaken to the core – that’s what it means to be human.

And, the most beautiful thing, is that our doubts and uncertainties do not and cannot cancel out God’s amazing promises.

That’s good news! That’s gospel.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I have read it hundreds of times. But I never saw this before. That’s one of the most amazing things about the Bible: Every time I read it, there is more, every time, I learn.

Today, I would like for us to focus on the last clause: “for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

When Jesus died on the cross, he wasn’t thinking about ya’ll. He was thinking about YOU!!!

Christ died thinking about YOU!!! Christ Jesus took hold of you, and it was you that Jesus had in mind when he suffered the penalty of Calvary.

Jesus didn’t die for you just for any reason. He died for you for a very particular reason. God created you with your exact personality, your particular traits, your gifts and talents. Christ died for you and this gospel took hold of you through the Holy Spirit because God knew our world would need a church with someone just like you so that God can establish his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

You are uniquely loved by God. God’s love for you is like no other.

Don’t you know? You are amazing! There is a service and a ministry you were not only born for, but saved for.

If you are already serving Christ in some capacity through his church, “Thank you! Thank you for doing what you were created and saved for.”

If you are not serving Christ in some capacity through his church, let’s talk. I would love to have a conversation with you about your gifts, talents, and passions to see how God can put you to good use for his Kingdom and glory. I mean it. Give me a call. Send me an email. In fact you can call or email Pastor Brad, Bill, or me. We would love to have this conversation with you.

You are amazing. You were who Jesus had in mind when he suffered on the cross. He took a hold of you and he will never let you go. You are never alone for Christ is with you.