I have been pondering the idea of peace lately, having just preached a sermon on Jesus as the "The Prince of Peace."
In Philippians 4:7, the Holy Spirit promised "the peace of God" when we turn everything over to God in prayer. This peace, we are told "surpasses all understanding."

My question that I would be interested in hearing your PLEO-comments on is: Is the peace that surpasses all understanding governed internally, in the inner-man, or is it governed by external circumstances? Please try to explain your answer for the benefit of all.


As you think about this question, consider that rare person who stays calm despite their circumstances. Consider the various circumstances the word "peace" is used in the New Testament. Consider your own degree of inner peace and ask yourself, "Do I know this kind of peace?"

Looking forward to your comments.

Apparently, this 12 year old girl won a speech contest at her school with this speech, though it was not without national news worthy controversy.

She was at first encouraged not to speak on this topic. She chose to proceed anyway. She was then told she would not be able to advance to the next level of the competition if she used this topic. She chose to proceed anyway. She then was disqualified for giving the speech and after having a judge step down because she was offended by the speech, they overturned the decision and made this girl the winner. She will now compete at the next level of her competition.

I admire this young lady's courage, passion and ability. She speaks the truth here and it well worth the listen.

In one of the greatest personifications in all of Scripture, the wise man paints a powerful picture of wisdom. While there are many amazing statements about wisdom in Proverbs 8, one in particular struck me as signifantly poignant.

"For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord; But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.” (Prov. 8:35-36).

The language used here almost makes you think that the wise man is speaking of God, and not merely wisdom. I mean, does not the idea of "sinning against wisdom" not cause you pause? The fact that sinning in such a way is equated to "wronging our own soul" is astounding!

If anything can be taken from such a revelation, it certainly places an exclamation point on the reality that we must not turn our back on wisdom ... most importantly, the wisdom of God ... as she is so very precious to our soul!

Hupomone

I hear it oft repeated these days that "Gospel Meetings no longer work." Is this true? Might it be more accurate to say that we don't work the gospel meetings the way they need to be worked?

I have solid evidence that if we would get out there and invite folks with some zeal and enthusiasm to our meetings, that folks will come. I would be glad to bounce ideas with anyone interested in getting a little more mileage out of their meeting efforts. So, work them meetings my brethren.

What about attending other's meetings? I know we are a busy people, but what value do we place upon the encouragement that comes from having visiting brethren attend our gospel meetings? It is huge! What about visitng other's meetings? It is not a matter of finding the time, it is a matter of making the time! We all can do a better job of encouraging one another in this regard. So, attend them meetings my brethren.

A little something to think about, as brother Perz steps off of his soapbox...