Tag: Peace

Learning To Be Content (Phil. 4:11)

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content (Phil. 4:11)

In the previous verse, Paul, having recently received the gift delivered by Epaphroditus, rejoiced in the Lord that the Philippians’ care for him had flourished again (4:10). Although the church loved the apostle dearly, it had been a while since they were able to send him an offering (cf. vs.15-16). Don’t forget, in those days they couldn’t simply wire the funds to the apostle Paul’s bank account. Not to mention, Paul’s journeys were both frequent and many, which made him a difficult man to locate. Whatever the exact circumstances were Paul said they “lacked opportunity” (vs.10).

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Pursuing Peace Among Brethren (Phil. 4:2-3)

I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. (Phil. 4:2-3)

Throughout Paul’s epistle to the Philippians there are a number of references concerning the need for, and importance of, unity. In the opening chapter he charged them to strive together for the faith of the Gospel (1:27), and in the opening verses of the following chapter he called them to make his joy complete by being of the same mind (2:2), and to do nothing out selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind to esteem one another better than themselves (vs.3-4). So, although the Philippians were in many ways a model church, between the exhortations for unity and humility, one could ‘read between the lines’ and suppose that there was some issue that Paul was confronting. Well, such a supposition is confirmed in the second verse of chapter four. There we see what was, at least, the primary interpersonal issue that Paul had on his heart. He wrote, “I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

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Practicing What You Preach (Jer. 32:6-15)

Perhaps to your surprise, Jeremiah 32, in large measure, concerns the real estate purchase of a prophet. Now, to be clear, you wouldn’t expect this chapter to show up on a must read list of books for any beginning real estate investor. In fact, on the surface, this acquisition had just about all the makings of a bad deal. First, consider where Jeremiah was – in prison (Jer. 32:2-3). Not exactly the place from whence you’d expect such transactions to occur. Second, as many investors will tell you, a primary mark of a good piece of land is location. As the saying goes, ‘Location, location, location.’ Well, Jeremiah was about to buy a plot of land that was likely already invaded and overrun by the Babylonians. After all, if the Babylonians had already surrounded Jerusalem (vs.2) they likely already subdued Anathoth, which was only a few miles away from Jerusalem (vs.7). But Jeremiah didn’t make this purchase because he lacked the savvy foresight of a prudent investor or the sense to understand that captured land does not hold much value, he did it because the God who spoke through him also spoke to him. Yahweh predicted that he would have this opportunity, and Jeremiah knew that God wanted him to buy the land to make a point. But before we see the point first we ought to hear the word of LORD that came to Jeremiah (vs.6),

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Does Jeremiah 29:11 Apply to You? (Jer. 29:11-13)

Perhaps one of the most quoted verses in modern day evangelicalism is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” It’s often quoted by those in the pulpits and the pews alike to say – God has a plan for your life; walk in it; it’s a good plan. It may be found in a picture frame in someone’s home or on a professional athlete’s shoes. It might be sent from one person to another via text or shared on Facebook time after time for encouragement. But while the verse is often shared, the context is often left behind, making it probably one of the misinterpreted passages of Scripture.

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