God Won't Do By Miracle What Man Must Do By Obedience

Continuing our presentation on “peace” a result of knowing and enjoying God, Rick Renner continues to “surgicate” Phil.4:7, honing in on the word “understanding.” God’s peace passes all understanding. Understanding from the Greek “nous,” the mind. Refers to the ability to reason, to comprehend.

God’s peace, so incomprehendable, will keep (phroureo). This is a military term that expresses the idea of soldiers who stood faithfully at their post at the city gates to guard and control all who went in and out of the city. They were gate monitors. God’s peace, if allowed to work in our lives, will stand at the gates of our hearts, minds and emotions, acting like a guard to monitor everything that tries to enter.

If you watch or listen to much world news, you won’t find peace between or within. Life is in a turmoil internationally. Absorbing this news can surely create a dissonance in our lives that is marked by angst triggered by fear. Peace of mind diminishes.

However, an option exists: God’s peace.

Renner paraphrases Phil.4:7 : “And the peace of God – a peace so wonderful that it cannot be compared to any other type of peace; a peace that stands in a category by itself and rises far above and goes beyond anything the human mind could ever think, reason, imagine or produce by itself – will stand at the entrance to your heart and mind, working like a guard to control, monitor and screen everything that tries to access your mind, heart, and emotions.”

Nothing compares to this powerful, protective, guarding peace that God has positioned to stand at the entrance of our heart and mind. When this peace operates in us, it dominates our mind and our life.

The question looms: how do we get that peace? Back to our original Scripture (2 Peter 1:2: : May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. The context of verses 1 and 2 gives us the answer to the looming question. God’s peace is available:
1. to those who have established a walk of faith in Christ;
2. as a gift from God;
3. to those who are growing in their knowledge of God (consistent time in Scripture and prayer applied with obedience);
4. to those who are being disciplined by God. (Hebrews 12:11);
5. to those who follow the instructions of the next nine verses found in that first chapter of Second Peter, (which we’ll explore shortly.)

Oswald Chambers says “we cannot save nor sanctify ourselves – God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do that ourselves, working out our salvation. Another person said, “God won’t do by miracle what man must do by obedience.” 2

Peter 1 verses 3 to 11 gives us the game plan to that end.That is where we’ll pick up tomorrow