His Peace, Our Thankfulness
By Brenda Franklin-Strout
The peace of Christ. *exhale* It sounds so sweet, doesn’t it? Wait...what about storms and trials of life and…and…The peace of Jesus. *exhale* Just saying “The peace of God” recalls word images of the garden of Eden. It brings to mind for me the moments after 40 years of wandering; the Promise Land was entered. What about the moments in the stable…the manger…the Peace of Jesus. What are moments in your own life that you can recall feeling the peace of Jesus? I encourage you, as you read this, to recall your own moments of God’s peace in your heart and life. I promise it’s there, no matter the tempest that may currently be raging in your circumstances. He promises it, Friends, and in this section of scripture that we are navigating today, Paul reminds us not only of the peace of Jesus but the promise of that peace and our role in it.
Colossians 3:15-17 (ESV)
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
And the same verses in The Message Paraphrase:
15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Let’s break this down as Paul is clear that “Let the peace of Christ rule” is a command, it requires choice/actions. We have the certainty that God will give us exactly what we need to receive His peace.
Let the peace of Jesus rule in your heart, to which indeed you were called in one body.
Be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.
Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Do these things with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed…Do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The peace of Jesus is ours to grab hold of, Church. The peace of Jesus is ours to walk out in our daily life with one another, doing everything in the name of Jesus. It’s what Paul was telling the church at Colossae amid divisiveness due to outside influence. In this letter, Paul reminds the church at Colossae that Jesus is supreme and everything we do is unto Him. His peace will be obtained in that choice to do all in Jesus name. What a sweet promise we have in these verses. His peace is not elusive, Dear One. He does not withhold His peace from you. On the contrary, He invites each of us into the command to let His peace rule. And to be thankful for it. I find it no coincidence that three times in these passages that Paul says to be thankful, do with thankfulness and give thanks to God the Father. Be, Do, and Give. It requires the daily choice to Be, Do and Give thankfulness for the peace of Jesus that rules in our hearts and minds and within our relationships with one another and the Body of Christ. Thankfulness reminds us of all that God has done instead of worrying about our circumstances. In our thankfulness is the peace of Jesus. Grab hold of it today, Friends!
Call to Action:
Read and reflect on the following scriptures this week:
Reflection Questions:
When you were encouraged to recall your own moments of God’s peace, what were the occasions that came to mind?
What is one challenge of letting the peace of Jesus rule in your heart and how can you overcome that challenge this week?
What can you do in your church or your group of friends to show thankfulness and exhibit Jesus’ peace?
If you were to write a short note of thankfulness to God the Father, what would it say? Possible Action Step: Take five minutes to write a note of thanksgiving and slip it inside your bible in Colossians 3.
