Good. Gracious. Me.
This past Sunday’s sermon, “The Peace of God” spoke perfectly to my recent meditations on graciousness.
Based on Philippians 4:4-7
4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Here’s what caught my ear about verse 5:
The full meaning of “moderation” is found in the greek word epieikes, which means appropriate, mild, gentle, patient.
Pastor Russ explained that this includes forbearance, sweet reasonableness, big-heartedness, and a seeking of what’s best for others despite the cost.
This gentleness must be made known to everyone… including our enemies.
The “why” and the “how” of living with a big-hearted sweetness is provided in the rest of the verse: “The Lord is at hand.”
Dwell in the recognition that God is near, and you’ll discover yourself in a posture of peace and generosity.
You might enjoy listening to the sermon this afternoon.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Laura -
I’m still keeping up with your posts (love them!). Nate and I moved to NY as he’s pursuing his MBA at Cornell. I clicked on the link and saw that you must now be attending Oakwood! That’s great. We miss Oakwood so much. Russ has such a gift for preaching, teaching, etc. I download his sermons each week and listen to them in the car. Thanks for sharing! We hope to get back for a visit soon and hopefully we’ll see you there. =)
February 5th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Rebecca! Hello! I had no idea that you stopped by. Yes, we really appreciate Oakwood… enriching. May NY be blessed because you’re there!
February 15th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Verses six and seven are some of my favorite, ones that I needed to commit to memory!