seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
21 Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
The commentary can be found at this link.Prayer and supplication: These two aspects of prayer are similar, but distinct. Prayer is a broader word that can mean all of our communication with God, but supplication directly asks God to do something.
Many of our prayers go unanswered because we do not ask God for anything. Here God invites us simply to let your requests be made known. He wants to know.
Short and sweet... Paul can never be short and sweet. [And neither can I]Some people revere God so much, they are afraid to pray. Some people are stuck with the Lord's Prayer and that's it. Some people think talking to God is something only priests and preachers can do.
Some people forget... Satan lives on earth and he is really jealous of all humans. After all, God loves humans more than He loves Satan. After all, God threw Satan and his buddies out of Heaven.
Some people think God causes us to trip. It's Satan doing the tripping, but Satan wants us to believe "it's God testing us". Satan is a sneaky butt!
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become Children of God. God is our Father. What father would get off by "testing" his kids? Does a good parent drop his kids on their heads to see if he can make them cry? Nope... that's an abuser not a parent. Satan would have us believe all the bad things in life are God "testing" us. Satan was the one who did all those awful things to Job and his family. God knew Job would be ok... or He wouldn't have let Satan do anything.
Paul says to treat God like a Father... talk to Him. He'll help you out.
Peace that defies understanding is a powerful gift from God.
Have you ever said.... "I should be freaking out!! But God knows I got this!".
That feeling of "I got this" when everything is going south... That's the gift. That's the gift that surpasses all understanding.
"I should be freaking out!! But God knows I got this!"
