Daily Devotions
Philippians
"The God of peace will be with you."
Text: Philippians 4:9
LEARNING FROM GOOD EXAMPLES
The apostle Paul knew the importance of setting an example in life and ministry. What he wrote in his epistles came from his personal life. He encouraged the Philippians to draw much encouragement from his personal life and example.
“The things which you learned and received and heard
and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”Philippians 4:9
1. The way the Philippians could develop their hearts and minds
a) They must learn to meditate on:-
i) The things they learned.
ii) The things they received.
iii) The things they heard.
iv) The things they saw.
b) They may bear in mind Paul’s example.
i) The way Paul taught.
ii) The way he lived out his faith.
iii) The things he did.
c) They must try and emulate Paul’s example.
i) They must attempt to practise what Paul did.
ii) There may not be the same depth but they must make the effort.
iii) They must seek to live for God the way Paul did.
2. “And the God of peace will be with you”
a) The God of peace is the focus here.
b) Much more than the peace of God
c) The very Presence of God can be felt for He is indeed near at hand.
d) This is an even greater promise of blessing.
IT’S UP TO US
Paul’s emphasis in writing Philippians 4:6-9 must be clearly understood. It is all up to us how we battle the problem of anxiety. If we seek the peace of God, we will find it. If we go further we will actually find the God of peace.
A common misunderstanding is to do little or nothing on our part but to speak of having the peace of God given to us in our times of need. Paul’s challenge is to discover the presence of the God of peace with us. That would make a huge difference in the way we handle the anxieties of life that can adversely affect us.