In this fourth part of our six part series on how God wants us to overcome worry, we come to an amazing verse with an absolutely life changing promise in Philippians 4:7:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus was the ultimate wall breaker. Before you and I became children of God, there was an eternal wall of separation that kept us from knowing God. Only Jesus could change those circumstances and He did:

“For He Himself was our peace, who was made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” — Ephesians 2:14

Jesus’ perfect life led to His perfect sacrifice so that the barrier of sin, the wall of our imperfection, could be torn down and we could have access to the Father.

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.” (1 John 3)

Colossians 3

We are taking a journey through the book of Colossians. One day we just have a small portion of the Scriptures for you to reflect on and the next day we have a series of questions about that passage. If you haven’t gone through the other parts of Colossians click HERE  part 2 click HERE , part 3 click HERE, part 4 click HERE, part 5 click HERE

Take time to think through these questions

Colossians 3

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

What’s it mean to set our hearts on the things above? How are you doing with keeping an eternal perspective?

Rest.

Do you ever feel like you just can’t go on? I sometimes tell my wife, “Ok, let’s go!” I just want to hop in the car, drive to the airport, and fly to some deserted, tropical island. Seems like the cure for everything.

 2 Peter 1:2

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

If you notice throughout Paul’s letter to the church he often address them by saying, "Grace and peace." Grace was essential to the Greeks or gentiles. Peace was essential greeting "Shalom" for the Jewish people. So Paul is combining these two worlds and reminding them that God unites both gentiles and the Jews. God brings both grace and peace into all situations.

Notice that Paul doesn’t encourage us to have just enough peace for the day but he wants us to have these in abundance. How do we receive grace and peace in abundance?

I just stepped outside of a house full of madness. There are seven children, four adults, two guinea pigs, one dog and bottle of crazy that someone whipped up. Kids are running, screaming, fighting and of course constantly hungry. These kids haven’t been around each other for 6 months so they are over the top excited. Plus someone gave them a new type of sugar for Christmas called crack. The noise level sounds like we are in a bar fight in New York. It’s fun, it’s crazy and I am out of there for a bit.

I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to some structure as school starts back up. Here is the thing—God calls us in the midst of our crazy life to follow Him into the unknown. Gideon is a prime example of this.

Things are constantly happening—the sun rising—waves crashing—births—deaths—breath in and out just for a moment and realize that billions of things happened throughout the universe just in that instance. We are not aware of everything happening but God is. Nothing happens ever without God’s notice. He is actively involved in everything that has ever happened. If you think about it for a moment one of the cries of humanity has always been—God, why did this happen to me? We are not necessarily concerned about every happening in the universe but we do want to know why things happen the way they do to us—our family—our friends—and maybe if were honost why the wicked, ignorant, greedy people seem to have great things happen to them?

Gideon was an ordinary man with a simple question—If God is with us, why has *all this happened to us?

* "All this" —oppression, invasion of country (kind of life terroism), crops ruined (makes people hungry), the killing of sheep, cattle and donkeys, their land stripped bare—this went on for seven years. 

Maybe you can relate to the feeling of God abandoning you. Listen to God’s response.

Choose your own adventure!

Got peace?

We live in a world that is constantly changing, constantly in turmoil and constantly frenetic — all of these can reek havoc on our ability to have peace.  Don’t get me wrong.  Peace isn’t the absence of those things, rather peace is the calm that exists in the midst of those things.  It’s the anchor that holds the boat steady when the winds and waves toss, it’s the shelter that keeps the rain off in the storm.  Peace is the part of the heart and soul, rested in God that allows us to sleep well at night when everything seems out of control.  When the world is in total turmoil, God’s peace can still reign.

Got peace?

Do you ever find yourself looking over the course of your life and wonder–”What am I doing that is going to make a difference for eternity?” It is easy to get overwhelmed with debt, with broken relationships, and hopelessness. Yet, right now God wants to meet you where you are at. He wants to speak peace in the midst of the storms of life. God is not waiting until the storm is over. No, no. He is screaming out, searching for you in the midst of the storm. He is ready to challenge you and help you navigate through the storms of life. Are you ready to let God take you through this storm you are in right now?

Sometimes we just need a child to remind us.

I know this is an old Youtube video, but it’s a classic.

And in case you missed it, it’s the reason we don’t have to worry.

I hope the Lord is truly your Shepherd today.

I am excited about the New Year. I am excited to see the adventures, the struggles, the victories, and the life that lies ahead. The journey of 2010 is in God’s hands. My prayer is that this year is the year that I experience Him more, live for Him more, touch more lives, love Him more, love others more, follow Him into the unknown, jump into the river of life, run the race marked out for me better than ever before, and that my life becomes more and more a reflection of His life in me. We were made by Him and for Him. May our lives reflect that everyday. 

One of our passions at Tenth Dot Ministries is to encourage you to spend time with God not just learn about God. This week we want to encourage you to read through the book of Philippians. It’s a short 4 chapter book. If you have questions, prayers or thoughts write them in the comment section. Wrestle with God. Ask questions about your life. Let His Word speak into your life.

“…do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Doesn’t that sound good?  A heart that isn’t troubled and one that is free from the fears of this world — best described with one word:  Peace.

*This is part 4 of a 10 part series on the Fruit of the Spirit that started on November 23, 2009.  You can access past material by using the calendar archive button on the right side of the screen.

Words inspire us. They motivate us. They shape our culture. Today I want us to think about a very specific word, a wonderful word. It’s such a fun word. It’s used in a variety of ways. The word is- whatever. Here are a few "whatevers" from God’s Word.