If you were to poll the general population about what they want out of life, most would probably say financial stability, good health, and peace of mind. As a child of God, what would your answer be? If I were to answer honestly, I would probably say good health and a life free of worry. My answer seems pretty self-centered, doesn’t it? If we had the opportunity to ask the Apostle Paul this question, what do you suppose his answer would be? Well, based on his writings, I would say he would answer, “to know Christ and to make Him known” (Philippians 3:12-21). Indeed, the chief end of man is to bring glory to God. This is our main mission in life no matter how the Lord has gifted us.
So is it wrong to desire financial stability, good health, and peace of mind? Not necessarily. It’s all about perspective. Are we looking at those things from a worldly viewpoint or are we seeing those things from a Kingdom point of view? A worldly perspective would want more money, more money, more money. A kingdom point of view would desire God’s provision to satisfy each day’s needs. A worldly view for having good health or peace of mind would be looking for those things in what the world offers. A Kingdom mindset would be looking to the Lord for His wisdom, His comfort, and His peace.
No matter what side of the fence a person falls on, whether a believer or someone who does not know the Lord, everyone wants to feel at peace. And the Lord wants that for us as well. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." The Apostle Paul closed the majority of his letters by speaking about the peace of God, emphasizing the Lord’s desire for us to experience His peace.
I believe there are five ways to experience God’s love and peace as outlined by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Let’s break it down:
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1. Rejoice
They say that the mind can’t respond to negative emotions, such as worry or anxiety, and positive emotions, such as gratitude, at the same time. The brain can only feel one of those emotions at a time. It seems like a no-brainer then—rejoice!
So how do we practice gratitude throughout the day even during times of high stress, anxiety, and worry? Through prayer and worship. We rejoice in all that God has already done for us and hope for what He will do for us. Psalm 27:13 says, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"
The best example of the power of worship to break the chains of worry and anxiety is from Acts 16:25-26, which says, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!” The next time you are in the throes of anxiety, turn on the worship music and sing out loud to the Lord. I promise, you will feel the chains of anxiety fall off as you set your mind to rejoice in the Lord, and you will experience God’s love and peace.
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2. Be Made Complete
So, how do we make ourselves complete? By becoming mature in Christ Jesus through continual prayer, study of the Word, spending time with other mature Christians, and being a part of a fellowship of believers by attending church every week. Through these practices, we will fall into the category of the Apostle Paul by knowing Christ more and more. The more we know Him, the more we will feel His love and peace, especially when the inevitable trials come.
Meanwhile, we may have areas of our spiritual walk that we are weak in. Often, those weak parts may be sources of sin in our lives that create anxiety in us. Identifying those areas and then looking to the Word for guidance as well as seeking wisdom from mature Christians will strengthen us to be more steadfast in our faith. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you".
As we continually strive to make ourselves complete, we will experience God’s love and peace in a whole new way.
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3. Be Comforted
“Be comforted” seems like a strange admonition. I mean, who doesn’t want to be comforted when feeling distressed? Yet, do we truly allow ourselves to be comforted by the Comforter? Sadly, people can seek comfort in all the wrong places. Through addictive behaviors, by immersing themselves in work, or by turning to social media and endlessly scrolling. There is no peace that can be found by doing those things.
We as believers have the God of all Comfort who desires to grant us peace. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
Could it be that some don’t really know how to receive God’s comfort? Our first clue on how to receive God’s comfort is from the verse above where we see that when one of God’s children has been comforted by Him, they in turn will comfort others with the comfort that they received from the Lord. Too often, we hold in our problems and don’t share them with anyone. How many times have you been asked “How are you?” and then, like me, you respond, “I’m good!” …when you are anything but… It is important to share our struggles with fellow believers. God will use them to impart His love and peace to us.
Certainly, God’s Word brings us comfort. After all, it is His love letter to us. When we expectantly go to the Scriptures in search of comfort, we will find it. God’s Word always speaks love and peace over us.
The next time you are feeling unloved or anxious, allow the God of all Comfort to minister to you through His people and His Word.
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4. Be Like-minded
God created us as individuals. We all have our own thoughts and opinions, and that’s okay! So how can we be like-minded if it’s okay to have our own thoughts and opinions? By how we respond when a differing opinion or suggestion is made, especially within the church. Sadly, there can be church splits over the style of music, the type of worship service, and how things are done in the church, yet we are called to be like-minded. Divisions in churches are anything but living in peace with one another.
Recently, our church did a whole redo of our sanctuary from paint, to rugs, to additional furniture. I personally wasn’t a fan of some of the color choices, but I’m fine with that. It doesn’t matter at all in the scheme of things. What matters is my brothers and sisters in the Lord that assemble in that building every Sunday, the gospel preaching that goes out from the pulpit, the love and care we have for one another, and showing Christ to one another. That’s where we are to be like-minded… in the essentials, not in the superficials.
When we are like-minded with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we will experience the love of God and His peace in the way God intended it for the church. Proverbs 12:20 says, "The hearts of those who promote peace are full of joy."
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5. Live in Peace
You might see this subtitle and think, "Isn’t this what the article is about," and you would be right, but it is also a way to experience God’s love and peace.
When we walk in the Spirit, we will essentially live in peace. Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...” Each one of these fruits of the spirit not only showcases God’s love in us, but it also creates a life of peace.
When we show love to others, we will reap the beautiful blessings of God’s love and live in peace. Allowing joy to be the undercurrent of our lives will foster a life of peace. Being at peace with others by showing patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will create a life of peace.
When we live in peace, we will experience God’s love, His peace, and the abundant life Jesus died for us to have.
May we put into practice these five ways to experience God’s love and peace.
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Originally published Wednesday, 21 August 2024.
