Christ … loved the church and gave Himself for her, … that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. § Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. The peace of God … surpasses all understanding. § Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. § [God] will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved  blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. § I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? § Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. § In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. § Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. § Peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come.

 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is  stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 

<blockquote>
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" (<a id="verse_1632879516688027" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/1-Corinthians/14/33">1 Cor. 14:33</a>).
</blockquote>The day we were saved, total war was declared between sinful self and the Holy Spirit. Lasting peace will come when we rest in Calvary's conquest of sin and self, and allow that victory to be applied by the faithful Spirit of God."The Holy Spirit does not reason from what man is for God, but from what God is to man. Souls reason from what they are in themselves as to whether God can accept them. He does not accept you thus; you are looking for righteousness in yourself as a ground of acceptance with Him. You cannot get peace in this way. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us' (<a id="verse_1632879516443629" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/5/8">Rom 5:8</a>)."The Holy Spirit always reasons down from what God is, and this produces a total change in my soul. It is not that I abhor my sins; indeed I may have been walking very well; but it is I abhor myself.' The Holy Spirit shows us what we are, and that is one reason why He often seems to be very hard and does not give peace to the soul, as we are not relieved until we frankly, from our hearts, acknowledge what we are. Until the soul comes to that point He does not give it peace - He could not; it would be healing the wound slightly. The soul has to go on until it finds there is nothing to rest on but the Cross-proved goodness of God; and then if God be for us, who can be against us?'' -J.N.D."And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632879516319320" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/7">Phil. 4:7</a>)

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 Author Of Peace 

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. § For so He gives His beloved sleep. They stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. § Absent from the body . . . present with the Lord.

Evening Daily Light

 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you  will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. 

<blockquote>
In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (<a id="verse_1632879818683321" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/6">Phil. 4:6</a>, ASV).
</blockquote>Faith does not create or produce, but rests and rejoices in what God has already done. His finished work at Calvary was the basis for our birth, and His completed work in our risen Lord Jesus is the source of our growth. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved [daily delivered from sin's dominion] through His [resurrection] life" (<a id="verse_1632879818936013" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/5/10">Rom. 5:10</a>, Amp.)."A great many people have the faith that seeks, but they have not a faith that rests. The Lord Jesus is here, rest in Him, let the burden go. Lord, I trust Thee now; I abide in Thee now. Lord, as I think about my home problems, my business pressures, my personal difficulties in every sphere of life, I bring them all, and give them all to Thee.' And believe that He keeps you. I am sure this rest of faith is the center of all activity."You cannot work without friction until you have this rest of faith - complete dependence not only on what the Lord has done, but on what He is to you this very moment. Rest in Him. God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always [not sometimes] having all sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good work' (<a id="verse_1632879818833581" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/9/8">2 Cor. 9:8</a>)." -E.H."And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632879818383718" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/7">Phil. 4:7</a>, ASV).

 Rest Of Faith 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. § He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. § Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. § You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. Who is a rock, except our God? § They shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. § Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let be ashamed of my hope. § This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.

 Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

<blockquote>
God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us . . . hath made us alive together with Christ . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880425213386" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/4">Eph. 2:4</a>; <a id="verse_1632880425531566241" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">6</a>).
</blockquote>Believers are not occupying their position! At best, most are trying to attain a victorious position by means of prayer, Bible study, commitment, reconsecration, surrender, and so forth. But the answer is simply to abide where we have already been placed - in our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above, and keep looking down!"Our Father has taken us over Jordan and placed us in Canaan, but the reality of it is never known until by faith we accept the fact on the basis of having died with Christ, and that therefore heaven is our place, and we know it to be our place now; and that this side is not our place, and we know that it is not."The more we abide in the Lord on the other side, the less disappointed we will be here, for when we are there we import new joys and new hopes into this old world, from an entirely new one, and we therefore in every way surpass the inhabitants of this lost world." -J.B.S."You must abide in Christ in heaven before you can descend with heavenly ability to act for Him down here. The great secret of all blessing is to come from the Lord. Most Christians go to Him.""Christian experience is our measure of apprehension of that which is already true of us in the Lord Jesus Christ." -A.J."Stand fast in the Lord" (<a id="verse_1632880425500368" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/7">Phil. 4:7</a>).

 Stand Where You Are! 

He cares for you. § The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! § The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. § Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? § Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 I want you to be without care. 

The house [that is] to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout all countries. § The glory of the Lord … filled the Lord’s house. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” … He was speaking of the temple of His body. §  What was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. § The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. § God . . . has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! § Prince of Peace. § He Himself is our peace. § The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former . . . and in this place I will give peace. 

<blockquote>
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God" (<a id="verse_1632880634218791" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/6">Phil. 4:6</a>).
</blockquote>Ignorance insures insecurity; scriptural knowledge secures strength. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (<a id="verse_1632880634125785" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Timothy/1/7">2 Tim. 1:7</a>)."In mechanics, wobbling is weakness. Power issues from God's restfulness. Are we resting in the Lord? Can we wait patiently for Him to act? Anxiety reduces spiritual energy. Lack of rest of heart is one of the most serious hindrances to Christians."Fret of soul when wronged, or fuss over financial or other concerns, is a depletion of power, a dissipation of energy. From the rock basis of rest in Him we can put forth the whole of our energies. Perfect peace is our promised portion.""Martha gets instruction; we all get that, for our Lord neglects none of us; but she did not get His company; company is what gives rest to the heart.""Nothing can separate the believer from the love of God, and under no circumstances whatever can he come under the infliction of wrath from God. He may have to correct His saints for their sins, and where there has been no failure He may chasten (child train) them for their profit, that they may become partakers of His holiness; but all this is in love, not in wrath. Every action of God toward His saints is in grace and blessing; it is ever the outcome of His love.""And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880634991369" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/7">Phil. 4:7</a>).

 Love's Legacy 

Who, in the days of His flesh, … offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. § [Continue] steadfastly in prayer. § Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication. § By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. § This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Delight yourself … in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

 [Jesus] prayed the third time, saying the same words. 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. § Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. § [Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. Why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say? § But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 We made our prayer to our God,and … set a watch against them. 

He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness … He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. § Glory to God … , and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Through the tender mercy of our God … the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. § Peace through Jesus Christ— He is Lord of all. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. § Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. § The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 Prince of Peace. 

Peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come. § The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” § Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The Helper … the Spirit of truth. § The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. § The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?”

 The Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. § You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek Me in vain.” § Therefore … having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. § We may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Matthew 6:19-34The Christian life is very simple - if only we understand it. It has only one principle - single-hearted devotion to Christ. Paul stated this principle when he said, "To me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21) Jesus states it here also when He says, "Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness."In our present passage, we have a whole scheme of life.To begin with, we must find something real and permanent to live for. It concerns the matter of possessions. Earth's banks are not absolutely safe ; and even if they were, they are not eternal. We are immortal, and we must find a place of deposit secure for immortal years. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."How can we lay up treasures in heaven? By living for God, by committing our lives to Jesus Christ, by spending our money for the glory of God. There are men who possess little money or property when they leave this world - but are rich in treasures laid up in heaven. Paul had only the clothes he wore, an old cloak and a few sacred parchments when his martyrdom came - but he was rich beyond measure in glory! There are millionaires here - who will be beggars in the next life; and there are poor men here - who will have an inheritance of glory in heaven.Single-heartedness is the secret of true godly living. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Some people seem to think they can keep on safe terns with God - and at the same time maintain close relations with the world. The Master's teaching here shows us that it is impossible to be half God's - and half the world's. There is room for only one lord in our life, and we must settle who this will be. If we belong to God, the world is our servant. It seems strange indeed that anyone with an immortal soul, should be willing to have mammon - money - for his god. Money may do much good and be a great blessing, if it is used for God - but when a man gets down upon his knees to his money, crawls in the dust for its sake, and sells his manhood to get it - it has only curse for him. One who truly serves God - cannot give money half his heart. God will not share a human heart with any other master.A great many people are talking now about the secret of happy living. The Master gives it here. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." Anxiety is very common. There is a great deal of worrying in the world, even among good people. One does not meet very many whose faces shine always with the light of a perfect peace. The majority of faces show lines of care. Not many people pass undisturbed through all manner of experiences. Is worrying a sin - or is it only an infirmity ? There certainly are a great many cautions and warnings in the Bible against worrying.But how can we help it? Paul tells us how to keep worry out of our life. "In nothing be anxious." But how can we obey this counsel? What shall we do with the things that we would naturally worry about? Here is the answer: "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." That is, instead of worrying about matters that would naturally fret us - we are to put them out of our own hands - into God's hands, by prayer. Then we have this assurance: "The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).It will help us with our lesson, if we look carefully at the connections of the words as they stand in the Gospel. "You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious." That is, anxiety comes from serving mammon. We say we are God's children - yet when mammon seems to be failing, and then we begin to worry. That is, we trust mammon more than we trust our Father. We feel safer when mammon's abundance fills our hands - than when mammon threatens to fail and we have only God. If we truly served God only, we should not be afraid, though we have nothing of mammon, not even bread for tomorrow.Jesus illustrates His teaching: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Elsewhere Jesus says that not even a sparrow is forgotten by our Father. The sparrows are the most useless and the most troublesome of all birds. You can buy two of them for a farthing. Yet God watches over them, and not one of them shall fall to the ground without His permission. If God so cares for quarrelsome sparrows, He will care much more for His own children. We are of more value than many sparrows. Souls are of great worth - it took the blood of the Son of God to buy us back from bondage. Birds do not bear the Divine image. They have no spiritual nature. The God who cares for the soulless little birds - will surely care much more thoughtfully, more tenderly, for a thinking, immortal being, capable of eternal life. God is our Father - He is not the birds' father; He is their creator and provider - but they are not His children. A woman will give more thought to her baby - than to her canary. Our heavenly Father will provide more certainly for His children - than for His birds.Worrying is also most useless. "Which of you by being anxious, can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?" A short person cannot, by any amount of anxiety, make himself and inch taller. Therefore, why should he waste his energy and fret his life away - in wishing he were taller, and in worrying because he is not?Worrying about a coming trouble - does not keep the trouble away! Worrying over a loss - does not bring back that which is gone. People find obstacles, difficulties and hindrances in their life. There are hard conditions in their lot. But is there any use in worrying over these things? Will it make them any easier? Will anxiety cure the lame foot, remove the ugly mole, reduce the undesired tumor, or put flesh on the thin body? Will fretting make the heavy burden lighter, the hard work easier, the rough way smoother? Will anxiety keep the winter away, put coal in the bin, or bread in the pantry, or get clothes for the children?Even philosophy shows the uselessness of worrying, since it helps nothing, and only wastes one's strength, unfitting one for doing his best. But religion goes father than philosophy, and tells us that even the hard things, the drawbacks, the obstacles, may be changed into blessings - if we meet them in the right spirit. So we learn that we should quietly and with faith accept life as it comes to us, fretting at nothing, changing hard conditions to easier if we can - but if not, using them as a means for growth and advancement.The fact that God cares for us - ought to keep us from worry. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Does God really care for the flowers? Yes, He weaves for them their matchless garments and fills their little cups with fragrance. Yet they live but for a day. If God clothes these frail plants so gloriously for only a few hours' beauty - will He not far more surely clothe His own children?It is told of Mungo Park the great traveler, that once in the desert he was famishing for drink, and could find no water. In his exhaustion he had sunk down in the hot sands of despair, and had given up to die. He saw a tiny shoot of moss growing in the sand, and the thought came to him, "God tends this little plant. He placed it here and He is watering it. Surely, then, He will not forget me - but will provide for me, too." He roused up from his despair and passed on and was saved.Here we come upon the great principle of Christian living. "Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." That is, we are to put all the energy of our thought and life into one effort - to do God's will. We are not to worry about our clothing or food - that is God's matter, not ours at all. We are to take thought, however, about our duty, our work, the doing of God's will, and the filling of our place in the world. Too many people worry far more about their food and clothing, lest they shall be left to need, than they do about doing well their whole duty. That is, they are more anxious about God's part in their life - than about their own! They fear that God may not take care of them - but they do not have any fear that they may fail in faithfulness to Him.It will be a great point gained, if we learn here once and for all that providing for our needs - is God's matter, not ours; and that our first and only care should be our duty, the doing of our work. This God will never do for us - but if we are true to Him we shall never have any occasion to fret ourselves about our care. Suppose we are nearly starving? Well, we must go on, doing our duty in the circumstances, and not worrying; and in due time, perhaps at the last moment - but somehow or other, and in some way, the Lord will provide. Or if not, He will take us home.

A unique type of devotional from the writings of James Russell Miller, published between 1908 and 1913.

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

Matthew 6:19-34

Worldliness and Trust

John 20:19 John 20:21 John 20:26No other benediction that could fall upon the ears of men, could mean more than this: "Peace be unto you!" This is a restless, striving, struggling world. Nation wars with nation. Business interests are in antagonism with other business interests. There are race wars which sometimes seem utterly unappeasable until one or the other race has been exterminated. Then there are family feuds which sometimes go on for generations in deadly enmity. And there are personal quarrels, alienations, strifes, which separate friends. Besides all this, there is a restlessness in human hearts. Men are unhappy and not at peace in themselves. There is strife within the bosom of nearly everyone.<div class="center-it mtb10">No word Christ ever spoke caught more ears than when He said, "Come unto me ... and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28), or "Peace be unto you!" His words answered a universal need and a universal yearning.</div>"Peace be unto you!" This was the first word the risen Christ spoke to His disciples as a body after He returned from the grave. This gives special significance to what He said. Three different times He spoke the same words, "Peace be unto you!" twice the evening of the day on which He rose, and once the following week. Yet, while He used precisely the same words, they had a different meaning each time, and were not merely a repetition.Look at the setting of the benediction as He first uttered it. It was evening. The disciples had sought the quiet and safety of the upper room for a meeting together. The doors were carefully shut, for fear of the Jews. The little company was in sore dread of those who had crucified their Master. "Jesus ... stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you! And when he said that, he showed unto them His hands and His side." Why did He show them His hands and His side? Because of the WOUNDS. He reminded them of His sufferings, through which alone peace could come to them.The second use of the words was a few minutes later. "Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be unto you!" Then He added, "As my Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive the Holy Spirit." Here the benediction of peace, is accompanied by the gift of the Spirit. There can be no true, deep peace in us - except when the Holy Spirit holds sway in our hearts.The third time the benediction was given: "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'" Here the purpose of the benediction was to help Thomas' slow faith.<div class="center-it mtb10">"Peace be unto you!" The spirit of Christianity is all in the direction of peace. There is a picture called "Peace" which is suggestive. It shows a cannon lying in a meadow, in the grass, with a lamb feeding beside it, nibbling at its very mouth. But while the picture is beautiful, it is incomplete. The cannon, which once was used in war, dealing death, is still a cannon, useless - but ready to be used again in the old way. The prophet suggests a more fitting and complete picture when he says in his vision of the redeemed nation, "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). That is the kind of peace Christ would make. The sword shall no longer be a sword, though rusty and unused - but shall be made into a plowshare, doing its work for humanity. In the artist's picture would be truer to the spirit of Christianity, if the cannon were not merely lying in the meadow, with the lamb feeding quietly beside it - but instead was made into church bells to call the people to the house of God.</div>The peace which our Master would make is not merely the laying down of arms - but a peace which shall bring good to both nations and restore them to fellowship. Christian peace is not merely a drawn battle, with the old bitterness remaining. The bitterness must be swallowed up in love. If two have been estranged through misunderstanding, or by whatever cause, Christ's peace leads them together in a new friendship which forgets the past - and wipes out all traces of difference in a relationship of love."Peace I leave with you!" This was the Master's bequest to His friends. He did not leave them gold and silver. He did not entail great estates upon them. He had none of these to leave. In His life on earth, the birds were better off than He, for in the world His hands had made - He had nowhere to lay His head. When He died - He had no grave in which His body might rest, and would have been buried in the potter's field, amid criminals and outcasts, had not a noble friend rescued Him from that ignominy and lent Him a new rock-hewn tomb, for the three days and nights He slept. He was poor, and had no earthly inheritance to bequeath. But He left peace as a heritage. "Peace I leave with you!""MY peace I give unto you!" (14:27) It was not merely peace - but His own peace, that He bequeathed to His friends. "My peace"! Think what Christ's peace was. It was the peace that He had had in His heart and life all His days. You know how serenely He met all experiences. He never lost His quietness and composure in any circumstances. Life had no terrors for Him. His was not an easy life. Soon after His public ministry began, opposition began, developing into bitter enmity, with plottings and schemings for His death. But nothing disturbed Him. He was never fearful or alarmed. He knew what was before Him. The cross threw its dark shadows on His path - long before He reached it. But with unruffled peace He moved on toward it. "My peace I give unto you!" It is possible for Christ's followers to have the same peace the Master had. He bequeaths it to them - let them claim their inheritance. He gives it to them - let them accept the gift.But why is it that so many Christians do not have this peace ? What restless lives many of us live! Some of us scarcely ever have an hour of real peace. We fret at every trifle. We allow ourselves to be annoyed by the smallest things that do not go as we want them to go. We are full of discontents and complainings. We are envious at the prosperity of others. We vex ourselves over the things that are disagreeable in even the least way. We are continually dismayed by life's experiences. We are afraid to live - and afraid to die. Is that the best that Christ can do for us? Is that the full meaning of His words here, "Peace be unto you; Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you"? Is that all that our religion can do for us?No! Jesus meant just what He said. He means for us to have His peace. We may have it too. He shows us His hands and says, "Peace be unto you! I have purchased peace for you." He breathes on us His divine Spirit, and says, "Peace be unto you!" Let the peace of God into your heart today. You have had enough of restlessness, fret, anxiety and struggle. Let Christ's peace rule."Peace be unto you!" "My peace I give unto you!" When men have fought for their country, loyal patriots, and when the war is over, and the victory won, those who survive come home with wounds and scars, maimed and broken, and those who look upon them see the price of the peace which the country is enjoying. Let us not forget that the peace which Christ gives, cost Him suffering and shame and death. We have peace - because He went to His cross!In a gallery in Europe, two pictures hang side by side. One is of a sea swept by storms - great waves, black clouds, lightning bolts, and on the wild water wrecks of vessels, with human forms struggling or dead. The artists calls His picture, "Life".Hanging beside this picture is another, almost the same - a rough sea, billows, clouds, lightnings, wrecks, men struggling in the waters. In the center of this picture, however, a great rock rises up out of the wild sea, reaching above the highest waves, standing serene and firm in the midst of the storm. Then in the rock, far up, is a cleft of herbage and flowers growing, and as you look closely, you see in the midst of the herbage - a dove sitting quietly on her nest. The artist calls His picture "Peace."It represents the Christian's life. In the world there is tribulation. Peace does not come through the quieting of earth's storms. Christ does not make a little spot of calm for us, shutting off the storms. No! that rock rising above the waves tells the story.It is peace in the midst of the storm, in Christ. We have it in the hymn, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me; Let me hide myself in Thee!"The Christian has no promise of less sorrow than his worldly neighbor; or of an easier life, a life without struggle, pain, or buffeting. You remember how Christ got His peace - not by living in a little paradise - but in the enduring of all manner of suffering calmly and quietly. His peace was within. We must get our peace - on fields of struggle. It must come through Christ's victory over the world. It must be Christ's gift. It must be in our heart.President Eliot, of Harvard University, said this at the dedication of an art gallery: "The main object in every school should be, not to provide the children with means of earning a livelihood - but to show them how to live a happy and worthy life, inspired by noble ideals which will exalt and dignify both labor and leisure. To see beauty and to live it - is to possess large securities for such a life."To live only to get bread and clothes - is a groveling aim. To live only to make money, to get on in the world, is an unworthy aim for an immortal being. We live worthily - only when we live to grow into beautiful character and to do beautiful things of love. Peace is the highest mark of spiritual beauty.There is a German legend of the origin of the moss rose. One day the angel of the flowers, weary in his ministry in the heat of the sun, sought a place to rest - but found none. Turned from every door, he lay down under the shelter of a rose, and slept and was refreshed. He thanked the rose for the pleasure and comfort he had enjoyed in its shade, and then said that, to reward it, he would adorn it with a new charm. So soft, green moss grew around the stem, and those who looked at the flower saw the beautiful moss rose, loveliest of all the roses. So to those who are faithful to Christ, He gives a new charm, life's highest and most heavenly adornment, peace.We should be at peace with all men. If there is bitterness toward any human being, our peace is not Christ's peace. No matter what wrongs Jesus suffered, how unjustly or cruelly He was treated - He kept love in His heart. It is easy to cherish resentments. We like to say we have a right to he angry. Yes - but that is not the divine way. God forgives and forgets and loves on. Suppose God never forgave! Suppose He cherished resentments and refused to love us and to bless us! Let love heal all heart - hurts. If we think we have been treated wrongfully, let us forgive, and new beauty will come, instead of a scar. The storm made a great gash on the mountainside - but grass, moss and flowers came, and the mountain was never so beautiful before as now it became.<div class="center-it mtb10">We should have peace also in our own hearts. Why should we go on in the old restlessness and strife a day longer? Why should we worry so and fret - when Christ offers us His own serene peace? No matter what may come to us in any possible future, nothing will come which could break our peace, if only we are obedient and true to God. There will be mysteries, contradictions, perplexities, disappointments - but in all these a divine Hand will move - and nothing can fret us - if we are truly Christ's. "The peace of God ... shall keep your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).</div>

John 20:19;John 20:21;John 20:26

"Peace Be unto You!"

It is possible that by the peace of God is here meant the friendship, the amity of God. To get anything like a conception of the peace of God, it is needful to know the barrier of enmity once existing between you and God. We may view the barrier which you erected around yourself to hinder God from approaching you, to exclude his messengers, his word, the voice of his providence, his law, his summons to judgment, every remembrancer of him. Or, we may contemplate the tremendous rampart, higher than the highest heaven, deeper than the lowest hell, built by the perfections of God around his inviolable majesty, forbidding every transgressor even to look upon him; of which not the combined force of all angels within, or of all devils without, would ever have removed one stone. But this mighty middle wall of partition, Christ, designated the Breaker, hath pierced with gateways, adorned with gates of pearl; and every several stone, once breathing defiance, is now made transparent for the smile of God to come through to you, and for the vision of your everlasting inheritance to stream upon you. Truly such a peace as this absolute peace between the most Holy One and you, a once rebellious worm, passeth understanding. This amity is not a merely negative thing, not merely the removal of wrath. This peace of God is like music. Harmony is the perfection of sound, not the absence of sound. The return to the soul of God, in peace, leads at once to an ineffable discourse, a melodious commerce of the two spirits finite and infinite. And not only so; but this peace begets another peace (if it be another) between the various souls thus reconciled to God. They are so brought together in harmony that a marvelous correspondence of love spontaneously commences. Separated formerly by a multitude of individual interests, they now love one another in fervor and purity. There is a harmony in the different powers and appetites of the individual soul. There is peace within; peace with God, peace with the people of God. This spiritual music beginning at the throne of God and flowing through all godly souls in heaven and in earth, and returning to the great source again, is by the unreconciled unheard, unsuspected; it passeth understanding.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

"The peace of God which passeth all understanding." - Philippians 4:7. 

"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 No care but all prayer. No anxiety but much joyful communion with God. Carry your desires to the LORD of your life, the guardian of your soul. Go to Him with two portions of prayer and one of fragrant praise. Do not pray doubtfully but thankfully. Consider that you have your petitions, and therefore thank God for His grace. He is giving you grace; give Him thanks. Hide nothing. Allow no want to lie rankling in your bosom; "make known your requests." Run not to man. Go only to your God, the Father of Jesus, who loves you in Him. This shall bring you God's own peace. You shall not be able to understand the peace which you shall enjoy. It will enfold you in its infinite embrace. Heart and mind through Christ Jesus shall be steeped in a sea of rest. Come life or death, poverty, pain, slander, you shall dwell in Jesus above every rolling wind or darkening cloud. Will you not obey this dear command?

Another classic from the pen of C.H. Spurgeon that will challenge and inspire you on your daily path to Heaven.

Charles Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook

Prayer, Thanksgiving, Praise

For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 1:1-14What is it in the heart of most men and women that rejects the idea of God's free and generous offer of salvation? It is pride, the deadliest of all the deadly sins. Bernard Shaw, an example of a modern-day thinker, said: "Forgiveness is a beggar's refuge. We must pay our debts." But we cannot pay our debts. As our spiritual fathers saw so clearly, the only language we can use in the presence of a God who demands so much and whose demands we are unable to meet is: Just as I am without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. In response to our coming, the free unmerited favor of God flows down to us, cancels our debt, imputes and imparts Christ's righteousness to us. How can Christ's righteousness be imputed and imparted to us? It's His righteousness, not ours. A simple illustration may help to illuminate this point. A dull little boy came home from school one day and said to his mother: "We've won a holiday." The truth was another boy had come top of the region in the examinations and the head teacher decided to give the whole school a holiday. Yet the dull little lad said: "We've won a holiday." Grace is like that. God permits the righteousness of Jesus to cover us and then, as we open ourselves to it - to enter us. He did it, but we benefit from it. Isn't grace really amazing?O Father, as I contemplate still further the "riches" of Your grace, once again I have to confess it's truly amazing. No wonder men and women use that term to describe Your grace. No other adjective will do! Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Philippians 4:1-19</li><li>1 Timothy 1:14</li><li>Titus 3:6</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What has God promised?</li><li>What did Paul testify to Timothy?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"In him we have  the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace " (v. 7)

For Reading and Meditation:      Titus 2:1-15Today we go a step further and affirm that no one can be spiritually or mentally healthy until they know what it means to have peace in their inner beings. A psychologist says: "If we could only measure the amount of emotional energy that is dissipated within the human personality by lack of peace, we would be surprised to find that physical, mental and emotional loss would represent our greatest deficit within the human economy." He is simply saying that inner conflict tears us apart - physically, mentally and spiritually. The intriguing thing is that as we make peace with God, a change comes about in our own lives and this, in turn, is reflected in the lives of others. We are not only at peace - we become peaceable. But even more - we become peacemakers. To be a peacemaker means, quite simply, that we become reconcilers. We reconcile people to God and to each other. We should be careful not to misunderstand the meaning of the word "peacemaker", so let's examine for a moment what it is not. Peacemaking is not just keeping the peace. Some strive to keep the peace because they do not wish to risk any unpleasantness that might be involved in trying to put matters right. They avoid a conflict by smoothing over the surface, but this is not peace. The true peacemaker sometimes has to be a fighter. Paradoxically, he or she is called, not to a passive life, but an active one. Those who pursue this ministry must realise that peacemaking is not patching things up, but getting to the roots of the problem. Peacemakers sometimes have to stir up trouble before they can resolve it. Father, thank You for reminding me that peacemaking is not cowardice or the love of quiet. Give me the courage I need to risk any unpleasantness that may be involved in the cause of putting matters right. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 6:1-15</li><li>Psalm 119:165</li><li>Philippians 4:7</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What is the essence of the gospel?</li><li>What keeps our hearts and minds?</li></ul></div></div>

"Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you." (v. 15)

For Reading and Meditation:      Philippians 4:2-9We continue to look at the dramatic change in the life of the psalmist when he entered into the sanctuary. It is important to realise that it was not merely the physical act of entering the sanctuary that brought about change. That was important, but something else happened that was even more important. Listen again to how he puts it: "[When] I entered the sanctuary  then I understood their final destiny" (Psalm 73:17). The word to note is "understood". In the presence of God the psalmist was given clear understanding. This is an extremely important point and one which cannot be emphasised too strongly: what he found in the sanctuary was not merely a nice feeling but a new understanding. He was put right in his thinking. He did not merely forget his problem for a little while - he found a solution. The idea that many Christians have of the house of God or Christian fellowship is that it is a good place to go in order to forget one's troubles for a while. They are soothed by the music and the singing, or perhaps, in some churches, by the beauty of the architecture, and they come away saying, "What a lovely feeling I get whenever I go to church." There is nothing wrong with that as far as it goes, of course, but the real issue is this: has anything happened to their minds? The psalmist was not changed by the architecture of the Temple; he was changed when his thinking was put right: "Then I understood their final destiny." If the practice of our faith does nothing more than excite our emotions and fails to give us a better understanding of God and His ways, then we will be lop-sided Christians. O Father, save me from becoming a lop-sided Christian. Give me not only joy to thrill my emotions but understanding to guide my intellect. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Psalm 48:1-9</li><li>Psalm 119:59</li><li>1 Samuel 12:24</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did the psalmist meditate on in the Temple?</li><li>What are we to consider?</li></ul></div></div>

" if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (v. 8)

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Philippians 4:7 KJV

Philippians 4:7 KJV

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