Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

The Lord is near.

 

The Lord is near. - Philippians 4

What is near you will have a significant impact on you. Have you ever watched an old school scary movie? I can visualize those scenes where the child or character in the movie is under the bed, completely in a panic and scared because the bad guy is near. What about if you are out on a nature walk and you walk up on a rattlesnake? Same feeling, right? Panic, anxiety, and scared. 

The opposite of those examples is also true. Maybe you were out on that walk, and your navy seal guide was with you, and he created a complete sense of peace and calmness with his presence. Or, maybe you grew up with a loving, caring, and gentle father or mother who, no matter what was going on in your world, could take hold of you and bring an overwhelming sense of calmness and comfort with a gentle hug. What is near us impacts us significantly! 

Paul in Philippians 4:5b says this: “The Lord is near.” Four words that change everything, words that make the words all around those four words have profound impact and meaning. Please understand, no matter your situation, circumstances, or condition right now, the Lord is near. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Because the Lord is near, we should rejoice, and let our gentleness be evident to all. I love this, and it rings true all through the Bible. We should be an overflow, serving and doing for others, not just receiving for ourselves. Let your gentleness be evident to all, and this happens because we are doing something with our rejoicing. 

The Lord is near, and since He is near, we should not be anxious about anything. Just like we would have a warm embrace of a parent or the comfort the marine guide would bring, the Lord being near should draw us close to Him, falling into his arms and leaning on Him for peace and comfort. Isolation is not a place of comfort and peace. Leaning on our self is not a place to rid anxiety, stress, or worry. Paul makes it crystal clear here that we fall into the arms of God, and bring all our thoughts, requests, needs, fear to him in prayer and petition. Let’s not overthink this, prayer and petition is a discussion, and it is talking to God and sharing with Him, nothing more. It’s not some fancy words or scripture memorization or delivering a sermon to God... it's talking to him and if you were out on a walk in your neighborhood with a friend. Reread it. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Take a walk with God, He is near. Talk with Him, share with him what is going on and what is worrying you, and causing deep anxiety. What about this Covid-19 crisis is causing deep anxiety and worry? Walk with God and talk with Him. Trade your worry for His peace. Let verse 7 be truth in your life today. The peace of God transcending all our understanding, and the peace of our Heavenly Father guarding our heart and our mind. 

The Lord is near. Whatever is near us has a considerable impact on us. The Lord is near, allow Him to shift and alter our thinking. See, Paul said guard our hearts one our minds in Christ Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts, not the things of this world. The Lord is near; let it draw us to Him physically and mentally. 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our physical body is made up mostly in part of what we consume and eat. Pretty simple. Our mental and emotional state is made up of our thoughts. Also pretty simple. What are we thinking about, what are we feeding our minds, what media are we consuming, reading, taking in? What is the food and fuel source we are feeding our minds, that is, become our thoughts? If all we do is feed our minds with things of this world, how can we have the peace of God? I don’t think we can, and Paul makes it pretty clear here that he doesn't recommend it. The peace of God will be with us if we think about, and put into practice and think about true things, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and excellent. Are you doing this?

The Lord is near, do not let your situation or your circumstances blind you from seeing Him and drawing near him. 

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul did not connect his situation or circumstance to his contentment. Paul drew his contentment from knowing the Lord is near, and that gave him strength. I hope and pray that today you take a walk with God, share your thoughts with Him, open your heart, and be transparent with Him about what is worrying you and causing anxiety. The Lord is near, draw close to him. This is my prayer for you, and for me.

“...God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:19-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch