THE GRACE AND PEACE OF CHRIST
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Philippians 1:1-2 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
You may note that Paul opens his letter to the believers at Philippi without listing anything about his accomplishments or education. Paul was well educated and was a rising star in Judaism when he had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. This encounter transformed Paul’s life and he went from persecuting the Church to planting the Church.
One of Paul’s church plants was in Philippi (Acts 16). He had a special connection to the people in this city and they had expressed their love for him by supporting him during difficult seasons of his ministry. The letter is personal and warm.
Paul opens his letter by giving his prayer for the believers, “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
The words, “grace and peace” seem to be twins that Paul uses multiple times in his writings. I believe it is worth pausing to reflect on the significance of these two words.
Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is God’s favor poured into our lives when we didn’t deserve favor. On the cross God put our sins on Jesus and made the righteousness of God available to us. There is nothing we have ever done or can ever do to deserve that kind of favor. God’s love for us has given us the gift of grace.
Peace (shalom) deals with a state of harmony and restoration. It is a common term describing an inner state of well-being. Free from anxiety, worry, or fear because we have discovered God’s peace.
Every time Paul uses these two words they are in the same order. Peace always follows grace. I believe that is important because we can’t really know peace until we have experienced grace.
If we want to know the peace of God which passes all understanding, we first must experience the grace of God. It is God’s grace which allows us to know we are loved and forgiven by God. When we fully grasp God’s love and forgiveness we can live in God’s peace. That inner peace allows us to have peace regardless of the storms we may encounter in life.
Paul writes these words from a prison awaiting his death. Yet this letter is full of joy because he had experienced grace and peace and wanted his readers to have that same experience.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me today to experience Your grace and peace fresh and new in my life. Help me to better understand Your grace in my life so that I can have that inner peace.
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