9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. ~ Philippians 4:9NLT
Oftentimes, we get so caught up in grace that we forget that we are expected to do something to keep that relationship with God. We forget that it’s up to us to run the race set before us. It’s up to us to fight for our souls. It’s up to us to pray for ourselves, our loved ones, and the Church. Once we hear the Gospel and accept it, it’s up to us to put it into practice and build a relationship with God.
Just look at what Paul said; he didn’t say that if we accept Christ, then the God of peace would be with us. He didn’t say if we believe in Christ, the God of peace would be with us. He said that if we practice all that he has taught us, THEN the God of peace will be with us. We have to practice all that we’ve learned from the Scriptures and put it into practice.
We, the sheep, have to follow the Shepherd, and here on earth, God has given us many shepherds to teach His flock while He is away. But that doesn’t mean we just blindly follow anyone. We have to pray and seek God for discernment. We have to read our Bible to make sure that everything that our pastors are preaching to us is Biblical. Then we have to put it into practice. Christianity isn’t a quick pill that you can take that will fix every problem you have overnight.
Christianity is a long, hard road that is set before us. This is why Paul says that if we follow the commands of God, if we follow His teaching, then He will be with us. Then God will give us the peace that passes all understanding. Then the road that once seemed so daunting, tedious, hard, and unbearable will be joyous and fulfilling because it’s no longer us running by ourselves; it’s no longer according to our own power. When we follow the commands of God, then we run according to His power. Then we run with peace, knowing that God is with us always.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Run With God.