Thinking Like a Christian

A series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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the praxis of peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9 (NET1)

Praxis is a word that is not familiar to most people, but it is a good one. It is one of those great theological words that packs a lot of power into six letters. Praxis is translating an idea into action. Praxis was what James was getting at when he warned his readers to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. It is what Jesus spoke of when he uttered, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven — only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." - Matthew 7:21 (NET1) It is one thing to desire peace and quite another to do those things which are guaranteed to bring peace. So, if you want to experience God's peace in your life, here is what you need to do.

 

Adopt a praxis of praise. Continually give thanks to God, no matter what your circumstances. He is Lord over all and is working all things out for your good and His glory. Adopting a praxis of praise opens the door for God to speak to your heart and share with you what His will for your situation is. When we know and submit to God's will, peace is sure to follow.

Maintain a praxis of gentleness. This word means reasonableness, the quality of looking out for the interests of others, not just for our own. This was our Lord's attitude when he walked the earth, and what Paul calls us all to have in the second chapter of Philippians. If we have this fruit of the spirit operating in our lives, we will care more about God's will and glory than for our personal desires. This attitude sets us up to get our prayers answered. It is the fulfillment of the Lord's prayer: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Peace always accompanies surrender to God.

Persevere with a praxis of prayer. Life will confront us in ways that will produce anxiety, if we fail to adopt a lifestyle of prayer. Prayer inoculates God's people against fear. Safety is not the absence of danger: ipeace comes from being in the presence of God. When we are aware of God's presence, fear evaporates and faith elevates. God's promise is that He will erect a wall against fear and keep us immersed in a peace that passes understanding.

Maintain a praxis of meditation on God's Word. We choose that upon which we allow our minds to dwell. We can live in fantasy and fear and suffer the consequences; or, we can make the decision to only think about God's mercy, faithfulness, truth, power, sovereignty, and love. What we think about greatly influences our emotional life and our faith. Satan primarily oppresses people through deception. If he can get you to believe a lie, you will likely choose to sin. Take, for example, the Israelites in the desert. They believed the lie that they could not defeat the occupants of Canaan. Consequently, they were filled with fear and refused to obey God's command to invade and conquer. On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb knew God and refused to go down the path of fearful surmising. Live one day at a time, trusting God to provide in the present and protect in the future. God's promise is that He will keep us filled with peace when we focus on him and what is true. (Isaiah 26:3)

Live like a disciple. Discipleship produces life transformation when we apply what we learn through listening to the teaching and through observing the godly life of the mentor. If we live a life of obedience to God's Word, we will experience great peace.

 

Notice that God identifies Himself as the God of Peace. Peace is something Satan cannot counterfeit. Peace is one of the marks of God's children. Peace is a privilege which came at a great price to the Prince of Peace. Don't squander it or fail to enjoy it to the max!

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