Let The Peace
Col 3:12-15 NKJV
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
I love this chapter. Colossians chapter three is one of the chapters that I frequent often. It has depth and a wealth of practical wisdom that applies directly to our lives as believers. Today I want to look at a topic that is often compartmentalized, but in doing this, we may miss the connection. The topic is the peace of God.
I have often heard verse fifteen taken alone and preached. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” Love this topic, but I think if we simply take it as a stand-alone verse, we lose the “how” of letting the peace of God rule.
To get to the “how,” we must back up to the twelfth verse. As the elect of God, those who have been made holy and beloved because of the union with Christ, there are some things we must do. “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering.” And Paul did not stop there; we are to bear with one another and forgive one another in the event of a complaint. We are to forgive, even as Christ forgave us.
And Paul is still not finished. Or we can easily say that the Holy Spirit is not finished. Paul was writing by inspiration. And above all the things that have been listed, put on love. Love is the mark of maturity in Christ. One translator calls love the binding factor of completeness. I told you, this chapter contains some spiritual depth. There is absolutely no way a person can read the New Testament and walk away wondering if the divine God-kindof love is important.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. After all these character traits we are to put on as believers, we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. One translator renders this as, Let the peace of God act as umpire in your hearts. In other words, we are letting peace call our actions. Following peace becomes a much clearer objective. Think about it. Are we going to be able to discern God’s peace if we are harboring unforgiveness? How about if we are walking in selfishness and harshness towards other people in the body of Christ? Do you see why I believe the peace of God is not a stand-alone concept, but rather a culmination of walking as the new creations in Christ that we are. It’s hard to walk in the peace of God when there is no peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. And if we really want to get into this chapter, the first eleven verses are also filled with instructions as to how we are to live since we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
So begin to act as the elect of God, holy and beloved, and let the peace of God rule in your heart.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for Your peace. And even more, thank You that I have the capacity to walk as one of Your elect chosen ones in the earth.