Do you have the peace of Christ?

Read Colossians 3:12-17

Did you know that the peace of Christ passes all understanding and our gratitude produce the peace that supports our spiritual growth along with the church's health, hope, and connectedness?

This means God calls us to salvation and then binds us to Him and to one another. This refers to salvation as well as the practice of unity “among one another” as in the practice of God's love, reconciliation, grace, and forgiveness that give us eternal rest as well as peace and security for today. This is what He did for us; as Christians, we are to show who we are in Christ—the example being how we are to others. When we practice His precepts, we are modeling Christian community and unity that shows a broken world our Lord and what He can do for them (Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:6-7; Heb. 6:1)!

In context this also means to have Christ as our “supreme umpire” to live in us. This is the picture of our abundance and unity in Christ and His promise to reside in us. He is in charge so we can be at peace. The Colossians had a skewed understanding of the goodness and sufficiency of Christ. Both they and we need to know that it is Christ Himself living in us; we are motivated by Him to bear and bring Christ wherever we go. This is a powerful conviction and motivation and blessing. We are to live out our Christian walk with joy and the responsibly of His power, conviction, clarity, and truth, because He is not in heaven, aloof, or just watching. He is residing in us now (Psalm 119:11; Matt. 13:9; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17; 5:18-19; Phil. 2:16; Col. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:15)!

This is a call for us to heed that will allow the Word of God to impact us, live in us, and “referee” us so we can live joyfully, worship God, and love others more effectively. With the understanding of what Christ did for us, we can have the hope and confidence to trust and obey Him. These are the attributes that produce character and spiritual maturity that in turn show that we are representatives of Christ. This total life transformation will not only change us from the inside out, but also allow us to have an impact on others for the Kingdom!

When we are focusing on the heavenly things, the earthy things seem small, insignificant, and worthless. His precepts are much more needed, precious, and positively impacting. What is often missed in this passage is the call to admonish. This means we are to take to task with gentleness and love but still do it earnestly, counseling others when they stray from God's path. We are to sharpen one another, help one another avoid sin so we can help one another put off what holds us back. If by not admonishing one another we think we are being kind, we are, in fact, being mean, negating our responsibilities, allowing a brother or sister in the Lord slip into the ways of the world so they lose out on opportunities and rewards, and gaining meaninglessness and bitterness. We are indeed to remind each other His tender mercies by our own behaviors and spur on The Kingdom.

Q: What do you need to do to allow more of the Word of God to impact you, live in you, and umpire you?

Q: How can Peace help make you more joyful and content?

Q: How can Peace help you worship God and love others more effectively?

What do you think?

Read more here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=53776&columnid=3803