“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
What is this “peace of God” which stands guard over the hearts and minds of those baptised into Christ? Given that it “is so great we cannot understand it,” trying to explain it may be a venture into the realm of the impossible.
But I despair not! Scripture never fails to give the believer what is needed for life and godliness. Jesus said that his peace is “not as the world gives” (John 14:27). The world’s peace, though they promise otherwise, cannot reach to the needs of the soul.
To find Jesus is to find both rest for this life (Matthew 11:28), and rest for eternity (Revelation 14:13). Becoming a Christian meant a new heart and new mind. A heart free of the fear of condemnation, guilt, and thus a mind free to think great thoughts for God.
Too many Christians think that Christ’s peace is something that happens-when-it-happens. Worse still, they see it as a divine payoff for good works. That is not a “guardian of peace,” that is a “boss paying wages.”
To know “The God of Peace” is to know the “Peace of God”, it is a gift of grace.
If you take up your cross daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23), he will “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:21).
The devil will use the world to tempt you with its products of peace. Their satisfaction wear out with them.
God gives and guards that which is His—your eternal peace.
John Staiger
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