GRACE AND PEACE

After Paul described himself as a slave to Christ and described his Philippian recipients as holy people who belong to Christ Jesus, he then greeted his recipients with a general greeting, saying, "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace (Philippians 1:2)." We need to understand that we only have one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but with three different persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The three different persons of God are called the "Trinity." The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, but as we study our Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we see that God has three different persons, equal to each other and functioning differently, but not contradicting each other. The Bible shows them interacting with each other. For example, during the water baptism of Jesus, God the Father, who was in Heaven, said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17)." Then, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and settled on Jesus while Jesus was in the water (Matthew 3:16)." Another Bible verse that we see the unified nature of our Triune God is Matthew 28:19. All the believers must be baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 

Our God is the source of grace and peace that we are all longing for. It is only by the grace or the favor of God that is freely given to us that we are reconciled to Him by the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life. As a result, we have eternal peace because we have an endless relationship with God that can never be broken by anything in this world, including sin and death. We need God's grace and peace as we go through our day. When we encounter challenging moments, we need God's grace and peace. When we lose our temper and get upset, we need God's grace and peace. When we are surprised by disappointment, we need God's grace and peace. A few days ago, a volunteer from our ministry had his house catch fire from a faulty wire in the garage. It happened when they were away, so no one got hurt, but his house had major damage, and according to the assessor, it will take at least 6 months to fix and renovate everything. He needs God's grace and peace as he goes through this challenging moment in his life. 

Paul greeted the believers in Philippi that God the Father and Lord Jesus gave them grace and peace because they needed them daily, as we all do. We need God's grace and peace, and they are available as we trust in the Lord and walk with Him daily. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Who can give me the grace and peace that I need? How do I receive them? Why do I need God's grace and peace every day? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for your grace and peace, because I need them daily. I need your grace (favor) to give me the strength and wisdom to tackle any challenging circumstances that I will face today, so that I may have peace as I deal with them. Please help me to trust you and walk with you today. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.