"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
Colossians 3:15
Part 2
Yesterday:
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,” (a)
For the believer, God’s peace is the umpire that rules our inner man.
Today:
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,” (b)
“In your hearts.” We, humans, are good at pretending. Have you ever had a smile on your face, but a storm brewing in your heart? David has seen it, and he understood this very well when he said,
“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords” (Psalm 55:21).
Paul grasped the idea that God expects His peace to be the umpire in our hearts so that we are not hypocritical in our dealings. Our faces can honestly convey the peace that is in our hearts.
“No heart is right with God where the peace of Christ does not rule; and the continual prevalence of the peace of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart is right with God. When a man loses his peace, it is an awful proof that he has lost something else; that he has given way to evil, and grieved the Spirit of God. While peace rules, all is safe” [1] (Clarke).
“To the which also ye are called in one body;”
At our salvation, the Spirit of God placed us within the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Before redemption, we were lost, and alone, now we are part of God’s family with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4).
“And be ye thankful.”
How can we not be thankful? Look what He has done for us, we have God’s peace in us, and we now belong to the body of Christ! We must be thankful to Him.
This word translated as thankful is an adjective that means we are “mindful of favors, grateful, thankful… pleasing, agreeable… acceptable to others, winning, liberal, beneficent”[2] (Thayer). According to Romans chapter one, these are not the norm for our human condition. Since Christ has given us His peace and placed us in His Body, we are becoming like Him. Thankfulness is a part of our great transformation.
Dear Lord, I thank you for your peace and for placing me into your body!
[1] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.