Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)
Is your heart at peace? That’s hard. Peace for your heart is hard to find. It’s easy for your heart to flutter—with worry and anxiety and fear. It’s easy for your heart to sink—with guilt or sadness or depression. It’s easy for your heart to break—because of death or divorce or rejection. Don’t we constantly long to find peace for our hearts? That’s hard.
It’s not that we haven’t tried. We’ve tried out all the different kinds of “peace” that the world offers. The problem is that they don’t offer what they promise. If you look for world peace to rule in your heart, you’re going to be waiting a long time. World peace always escapes us in our sinful, warring world. If you look for financial peace to rule in your heart, that will depend on the stock market. Or the job market. So unpredictable. If you look for relationship peace to rule in your heart, you will always be at risk of a broken heart, because every person can let you down. Where can we find true peace for our hearts?
In Christ. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Christ came to bring peace for your heart. He promises that even as nations war against each other, you have peace with God through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for your sins. He promises that when we trust in God, God will make sure we have everything we need for life too. He promises that even if other people forsake us, he never will. It might sound too good to be true, but your heart can be at peace through Jesus.
Notice one little key: “And be thankful.” A key to peace for your heart is gratitude for God’s good gifts to you. In fact, on all those days when your heart is fluttering or sinking or breaking, lift your eyes to Jesus and look for all the reasons great and small that he gives you to be thankful: For forgiveness. For salvation. For heaven. For food. For Christian churches. For heat or air conditioning. The list goes on…
What practical words! “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.” There is peace for your heart in Christ.
Dear Jesus, I allow so many things to rule in my heart. I’m sorry. Instead, let your peace rule in my heart, and give me a thankful spirit that sees your gracious blessings each day. Amen.
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