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How to live a full and peaceful life

There is a lot happening in the world at the moment that can make us worried and anxious, whether here in Australia or overseas or in our local neighbourhood. You only have to tune in to the news to know that our world is in great need of peace, compassion and justice.

In the final chapter of his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul offers several pieces of wise advice on how to deal with our anxieties and worries. The remedy according to Paul has several strands that when woven together will keep us strong, both mentally and spiritually. While we tend to read this advice in an individual way, it is actually addressed to the whole community as steps they can take together.

The first strand is to stand firm in the face of difficulties and challenges, relying on the faithfulness of God who will bring to completion the good work that God’s Spirit is already doing in our midst. The next strand is to be united, to share the same mindset of Christ and the same hope, focusing on what we share in common rather than on what divides us. Then we are called to rejoice, to lift our praise to God that will help shift our attention from things we cannot control to the one who gives us strength and endurance. The final strand is to name our concerns before God in prayer, remembering to be thankful for the many blessings we have.

These suggestions are not like a magic wand that will automatically fix all our problems and difficulties. Rather they will give us a renewed and godly perspective that will give us peace in our hearts and our minds, peace that comes from God. Then we will be strengthened in whatever circumstances we face, not relying on our own strength, but rather relying on the strength that comes from Christ and from God’s Spirit.

From the Minister

Priorities

We all have priorities in life, whether we fully recognise them or not. We may have a priority in keeping fit, for instance. Whether this is really true will be shown by how many hours in the week we spend on activities to keep us fit. Or we may have a priority to reduce our carbon footprint on the earth. Again, whether this is really a priority will be shown by what we are prepared to give up to make this happen (e.g. stop eating red meat, no more plane flights, steadily reducing and replacing our use of fossil fuels like petrol and gas).

Doing an audit of how we spend our time and how we spend our money will reveal our true priorities … and we may be surprised or disappointed with the results. Scrolling through social media or watching Netflix might actually turn out to be our priorities.

Whether you love or struggle with the writings of the apostle Paul, his letters give insight into his priorities, none more so than in chapter 3 of his letter to the church in Philippi. Raised as a faithful and zealous Pharisee, Paul’s priorities focused on keeping of the Jewish Law. But after encountering the risen Christ, Paul’s priorities changed completely. The things he valued previously he now regards as worthless – garbage – compared with the greatness of knowing Jesus.

Paul is very clear that he will put aside those parts of his life that don’t contribute to this goal of knowing Jesus Christ. Instead he will focus all his energies and abilities on furthering his relationship with Jesus and helping others also come to know Jesus. He compares himself to a runner in a race who has their eyes focused on what lies ahead.

Perhaps you find Paul’s priorities and passions rather intense and even intimidating. Perhaps Paul didn’t have a regular job to take up his time or a family to look after. But perhaps Paul grasped – or had been grasped by – a person so attractive that this reset his priorities. What would it take for us to be grasped in a similar way? And how would this change our priorities?

From the Minister