Steve Ellison: The God Of Peace

  • Saturday, August 1, 2015
  • Steve Ellison

Someone unknown to me several years ago wrote the following, “In describing one of the new movies of the day, a critic wrote, ‘The plot moves rapidly down the sewer.’ It would not be so damaging to those who watch such trash if the mind could be equipped, like your kitchen sink, with a garbage disposal. Then you could flush away all the filth and be done with it, but the mind does not work that way. It stores up impressions for a lifetime. The only way to protect the mind is to expose it to only the best!”  This is a much needed lesson in morality and mental health for today.  Once sewage is taken into the mind, it is there for life.  The Bible speaks about a better way and in even grander terms than simple morality.  Guarding your mind leads to real peace, even divine peace, a quality that is tragically missing in many lives today. 

Philippians 4:4-7 gives a formula for obtaining this divine peace, 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. (NASU)  Rejoice, realizing that the Lord is near, and instead of worrying pray about all things which will result in a peace so marvelous you will not be able to understand it. 

Paul did not stop here in his discussion of peace.  In verse 7, he wrote about the “peace of God”. He went a step further in verse 9 and wrote about the “God of peace”.  The “peace of God” is a marvelous gift but the “God of peace” is a far better gift.  Philippians 4:8-9 speaks about living in the very presence of the God of peace, Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (NASU)  It is sad that so many people today set vile things before their eyes day after day.  The same is true for that which enters through their ears into their minds. It is even more tragic that many of these people claim the name of Christ.  Video and music are unbelievably powerful mediums for influencing lives. It is impossible to overestimate their effect on people.  If people would take these Philippians 4:4-9 seriously, God would be glorified and their lives would be so much better.  Peace would abound.  

I implore you to make a commitment to only put pure, excellent, honorable, lovely, praise-worthy things into your mind.  The promise is clear; if you will dwell on these things, the “God of peace will be with you”.  Tragically, through our watching of video and listening to music we very often dwell on the opposites of these things.  Please remember that there is no way out of your mind for the images you allow in.  They will be part of your thought processes for the rest of your life.  You might be able to suppress them for a time, but they will always be there.  It is far better to not allow such images entrance in the first place. I pray that you will dwell on that which is excellent and pure.

 

pastorsteve8800@gmail.com

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