DOES THE PEACE OF CHRIST RULE YOUR HEART?
Paul said that we are to let the peace of Christ “rule.” The Greek word translated “rule” is “brabeuetō.” It literally means to “umpire, arbitrate, to let make the call.” When difficult circumstances come that bring anxiety, we are to let the peace of Christ act as our umpire, determining what’s in or out of bounds in our thinking. In this way, Christ filters how we respond to life’s challenges, so that we always walk in His peace.
This peace of Christ is available to us when we put on Christ, “clothing” (Col. 3:12) ourselves with His spiritual attributes, chief among which is love. When we begin to worry and fret, we can look to the peace of Christ as an umpire to help us examine our souls to see whether we are walking in the Spirit of Christ or in the flesh. For this peace is the mark of walking in the Spirit.
Remember what Jesus said when His disciples were worried and afraid that their boat would sink when a terrible storm came upon them? Jesus, who had been asleep in the stern of the boat, awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39).
Have you learned to let the peace of Christ say, “Peace! Be still!” to your stormy heart?
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the Spirit of Christ which always abides in us to rule over our hearts. We do not want to respond to the difficulties of this life in our own fleshly manner, but with the constant, over-ruling peace of Christ. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.