Title I Will Guard Your Heart and Mind
Contents
He will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:4-7).
This is verse 7 of the text. “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus.” The source of peace is in God. Peace comes from God. Man cannot find peace on his own. As Augustine said, "There was no real peace anywhere until I found God." No one has peace until they meet God.
Peace in the text means the state of being free from restraint. It is the state of being able to act freely without any hindrance. In the Bible, the peace in the Old Testament means the peace God has given to the people, and the peace in the New Testament refers to the state of being reconciled with God, free from curses and discipline, and without pain and sorrow. The text tells us that the peace that God gives will guard our hearts and minds. I am giving you reasons to get peace. To keep our hearts and minds in peace,
First, we must rejoice in the Lord.
This is verse 4 of the text. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice." The Greek word for 'rejoice' here 'kayrete' is the present active imperative, which means to rejoice in any situation. So, how can you always be happy at any time, in any case, no matter what happens? Paul wrote this book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and there is a condition to what he says 'always'. “Rejoice in the Lord always!” You can't always rejoice outside the state. It is only in the Lord that we can rejoice without being controlled by circumstances.
At the time of writing this book, Paul was imprisoned in Rome and was in a difficult situation. But he showed a life in which he first rejoiced. Because I realized that the source of joy is Jesus Christ. Christian joy transcends circumstances and conditions. It is an absolute joy that will not be taken from you no matter what hardships, trials, pains or difficulties come. Please believe that this joy will bring you peace.
Second, be generous.
The stomach is the representative digestive organ in our body. If we drink 1 liter of milk, the albumin from cows enters the blood in high concentrations. Albumin absorbed through the stomach flows into the blood vessels to supply nutrients. However, if you put milk in a syringe and put it into a blood vessel, you will suffer a shock death. However, when bovine albumin enters the stomach, it harmonizes with the body and is absorbed naturally. When all kinds of food, not just milk, enter the stomach, it harmonizes with the body and supplies nutrients. There is a biological device in the stomach that allows any foreign body to coexist with it. This biological device is called Tolerance, which means tolerance. So the stomach has a device of tolerance. Tolerance is embracing yourself and others within yourself. Just as your stomach digests all foreign substances, tolerance means embracing yourself and others. True tolerance is accepting something different, embracing it when it's different, and embracing it with love even though it's not a good fit.
This is verse 5 of the text. "Let your generosity be known to all. The Lord is near." Here, the Greek word for 'tolerance', 'epieikes', refers to maintaining one's composure without being shaken or stumbled even in the event of a loss. Tolerance is 'to all'. Be tolerant of the good and the difficult, the strong and the weak, the acquaintances and the strangers. I have to be tolerant of people who later seem to have no effect on me in any way. The reason to be tolerant is that 'The Lord is near'.
When you do the ministry of the church, you see a sense of competition at work. However, helping each other's weak spots is what a true community looks like. The church is a community that accepts and prays for one another through tolerance rather than judging or condemning each other. Even if you don't like it, you have to accept it. When we are tolerant to each other, Satan cannot take advantage of it. However, this tolerance is possible for anyone who is full of joy because of Jesus. You can understand and embrace the faults of others. Be a saint who is tolerant to everyone. It is only then that the peace of God will fully come and guard your heart and mind.
Third, we must ask with thanksgiving.
A shabby couple face each other in the field at sunset and bow their heads in prayer. However, a small baby coffin is placed on the couple's tired toes. An agonizing picture of a poor young couple praying before burying the baby coffin. Jean Francois Millet drew this and showed it to his senior. Then the old man advises. "A heartwarming story, beautiful countryside and dusk, and a prayer of thanksgiving are all good, but I love the central coffin. So I fixed the baby's coffin into a basket and painted it. Then the meaning came to life several times. The whole picture is the same, but by redrawing a basket in the lower middle, the grievous funeral was sublimated into twilight thanksgiving and became the immortal masterpiece 'L'Angelus'.
This is verse 6 of the text. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Here, 'don't worry about anything' means 'stop worrying' in the present imperative. It is easy for anyone to forget gratitude when they are overwhelmed by worry and anxiety. Therefore, no matter how difficult, sad or angry things happen, we should ask for them with gratitude. When we pray with thanksgiving, the grace of the past comes to mind, and we realize the blessings we enjoy in the present. It also creates confidence that God will take care of the future. At that time, just as the dark clouds are lifted, anxiety and anxiety will disappear, and peace will come. Anxiety and prayer are inversely proportional. If you worry, your prayer will disappear, and if you pray, your anxiety will disappear. And the peace of God will come. Peace guards our hearts and minds from anxieties and anxieties, and protects us from evil.
Eliza Edmund Hewitt injured her spine in a sudden accident. When his faith weakens due to months of hospitalization and only resentment towards the perpetrator accumulates, he is impressed by the faith of the hospital janitor who does not lose his praise even in difficult circumstances. She repents of her resentful life and writes a hymn. That's 370 pieces. “Is there any other worries for me in the Lord? I went to the bottom of the cross and unloaded my burdens. While praising the Lord, hallelujah, hallelujah, even though the road ahead of me is long and rough, only the Lord will follow me. That fear has turned into my prayer, and the sigh of the previous day has turned into my song. My lord is merciful and always with me, knows my need and always provides for me. The covenant I made with my lord is everlasting, and he always protects me until I go to that kingdom."
Do not use the conditions of the world as conditions for joy, but in the Lord as conditions for joy, and always rejoice. Please be tolerant to everyone. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become saints who seek all things with thanksgiving and live a blessed life by keeping your heart and mind with the peace of God that comes upon you.