Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Some of people are carrying a heavy load. Some are up against the wall in jobs or business. Some are in the middle of family conflicts that seem almost impossible to resolve.
Others are battling personal illness. Still others face problems that I can’t even begin to imagine. That is why so many people feel like if there is a light at the end of the tunnel it has to be an oncoming train. The best thing to do when we feel like that is to pray, trust God, and have a positive, faith-filled attitude. If we allow a negative situation to control our attitude, we might as well turn out the lights because the party’s over. We will not get anywhere in our relationships, in our career, physically, emotionally or spiritually with a negative attitude. There are two key questions to ask when looking at the probability of our failure or success in any endeavor. "Can I?" ... which is an issue of ability "Will I?" which is an issue of attitude.
Attitude is the major difference between success and failure. Some folks are struggling with an attitude of worthlessness. 'I stink.' Others are struggling with an attitude of loveless-ness. 'You stink.' Some are struggling with an attitude of bitterness. 'Life stinks.' When people think that way they are robbing themselves of their own peace! We can not be at peace with ourselves when we think, “I stink!” We can not be at peace with others when we think, “You stink!” We can not be at peace with God when we think, “Life stinks!” God has the antidote!
In the passage from Philippians God shows us His recipe for true peace. Celebration: Rejoice in the Lord. v. 4 Appreciation: Put up with people. v. 5 Supplication: Pray about everything. vv. 6, 7 Peace comes when we are "in Christ." Jesus said, "In me you may have peace." Jesus is stressing the location of peace. It is in him! He doesn’t say that peace is in transcendental meditation. He doesn’t say that peace is in religion. He doesn’t say that peace is in a job, in a location, or in some human relationship. He doesn’t say that peace is in financial security. Jesus says that peace is found in him. True peace can be found nowhere other than in Jesus!
Do you need that kind of peace? Then please obey the gospel.
