Morning Peace: A Bible Verse to Start Your Day

good morning there's a peace that's possible even on the hardest days it doesn't come from everything going right it comes from something else entirely in our last time together we spoke about grounding your heart for whatever comes today we're going to look at one of the most powerful instructions ever written on how to find that grounding that peace and even joy right where you are it comes from the apostle paul writing from a prison cell this is his letter to the church at philippi chapter four therefore my brothers beloved and longed for my joy and crown stand firm in the lord in this way my beloved i exhort euodia and i exhort syntyche to be

of the same mind in the lord yes i also ask you true partner to help these women for they labored with me in the good news with clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life rejoice in the lord always again i will say rejoice let your gentle spirit be known to all men the lord is at hand in nothing be anxious but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to god and the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in christ jesus finally brothers whatever things are true whatever things are

honorable whatever things are just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is any praise think about these things the things which you learned received heard and saw in me do these things and the god of peace will be with you but i rejoiced in the lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me in which you did indeed take thought but you lacked opportunity not that i speak in respect to want for i have learned in whatever state i am to be content in it i know how to be brought low and i

know also how to abound in any and all circumstances i have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry of having abundance and of being in need i can do all things through christ who strengthens me nevertheless you did well that you shared in my affliction you yourselves also know you philippians that in the beginning of the good news when i departed from macedonia no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only for even in thessalonica you sent once and again for my need not that i seek the gift but i seek the fruit that increases to your account but i have all things and abound

i am filled having received from epaphroditus the things that came from you a sweet smelling fragrance an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to god my god will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in christ jesus now to our god and father be the glory forever and ever amen greet every saint in christ jesus the brothers who are with me greet you all the saints greet you especially those who are of caesar's household the grace of the lord jesus christ be with you all amen what a beautiful passage paul is in prison and yet he writes about joy peace and contentment

it seems impossible but he gives us a clear path he starts with a command that sounds almost unreasonable rejoice in the lord always how the world is full of reasons not to rejoice but paul's joy isn't based on circumstances it's based on the lord it's a choice we make a muscle we strengthen it's a decision to look past the immediate trouble to the one who is constant then he gives the great exchange he says in nothing be anxious for you that might mean a specific worry that's sitting on your heart right now a meeting a conversation a bill he says to take that specific thing and in prayer hand it over to god and in

return god gives you his peace a peace that doesn't even make sense a peace that surpasses all understanding it's not a transaction you can explain what you think about matters paul gives a checklist for your thoughts is it true honorable just pure lovely if you find your mind spiraling into worry or negativity you can literally stop and choose to think about these things instead this is how you guard your heart it's not passive it's an active discipline of the mind

this all leads to his secret i have learned in whatever state i am to be content he learned it it wasn't natural he learned it by practicing these things by choosing joy by exchanging anxiety for peace through prayer and by directing his thoughts toward what is good so today that is the invitation for you not to pretend your struggles aren't real but to practice a joy that is even more real to trade your anxieties for a peace that makes no sense and to fill your mind with what is good and true that is the secret to contentment and it is available to you right now