Pastor Kevin Miller continues in the book of Philippians.
Peace in 3D > Philippians 4:2-9
4:2-3 Right off the bat, Paul begins applying what he has taught throughout Philippians to a personal situation of two gals in the church: both are faithful followers and servants of the Gospel and yet both are involved in some sort of dispute that needs to be resolved. Paul calls upon the original hearers of this letter to help these two come to peace and unity. Here we learn that the peace of Christ has a horizontal direction: it must change how we relate to, care for, and have unity with one another.
4:4-7 That same peace affects us vertically as well: we are to rejoice in the Lord, to trust Him and depend upon Him through our prayers and requests. Said another way, we are to live in light of the peace we have with God.
4:8-9 Finally, the peace of God is also inward: it is on display when we think upon and give our lives to those things which honor the Lord. We are then to put such traits into practice as examples and confirmation of the work of the Lord in and through us.
Be: Just as we live in a three-dimensional world, our faith must be three-dimensional as well. The work of Christ as our Redeemer, Savior, and King affects not only how we think, but our trust towards God and our actions towards others.
Make: The watching world around us needs to see Christians who have given their entire lives to the Lord, living out His commands not just on Sundays or with certain cultural issues, but ultimately living for Christ in every aspect of our lives. Our prayer must be that this sort of living and believing would be both an encouragement to one another and a witness for Jesus in a world that desperately needs the hope, peace, and love of the Lord.
