Colossians 3:15

NASB	NLT	VOICE
15 Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.	15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.	15 Let your hearts fall under the rule of the Anointed peace (the peace you were called to as one body), and be thankful.

Your Peace Helps Your Community

The “peace that comes from Christ” describes that inner calmness and harmony that comes from our relationship with Jesus. It’s not an absence of conflict in our life, but it’s an extreme sense of our well-being and assurance that comes from the redemptive work of Jesus. To let this peace rule in your hearts means that it should be the filter that our decisions are made through, to let it guide what we think, say, and do.

Christians are called to live in peace as part of our role in the Kingdom of God. It’s done through community. It’s done through bringing people into a relationship with God. This role is a privilege and a responsibility. It’s not one we need to take for granted nor let the power go to our head.

Each member within the body of the church has a unique role. That role and function contribute to overall health and harmony of the community you are in. There will be thanks for what you are able to contribute, and you can share thanks to go for the activities that you are eligible to contribute. In the cultural context of the Greco-Roman world, gratitude was valued. Paul elevates this gratitude to God for His power and goodness.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: The peace of God is something that is supposed to guide our hearts through our thoughts, words, and actions in our community. How can you lean on God to provide this peace in the middle of your struggles and conflict?

Grateful For Our Struggle

I don’t feel like I talk about it much, but let’s focus on your thoughts on gratitude. I’m not saying to start saying thank-you to everyone about everything all the time. I mean that we start to find moments of thankfulness for what God has done and not done in our lives. I mean we start to thank God for the delays, the impatience, the stress, the arguments, and all the things that tend to make us uncomfortable and uneasy.

The concept of this is probably bringing on discomfort to you. “You mean that I must thank God for my divorce? You mean I must thank God for the abuse I went through? You mean I must thank God for the addiction that I’m in?” No – but also yes. What do I mean? We don’t have to thank God for the abuse or addiction; we can, in time, thank God in the middle of what we’ve survived and for the ways God is at work bringing endurance, character, and hope out of what should never have happened Paul says this in Romans 5:3:

3             We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

Our problems and trials help us build our endurance in our suffering. No one wants to suffer. No one deserves to suffer. God does not send us this suffering to build our endurance. God is right there with us in the journey through the stress, the fear, the anxiety, and the panic – but that endurance build our trust in God’s power and provision. Listen to what Romans 5:4-5 says:

4             And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

5             And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with love.

Our ability to sit in our suffering, trusting that God will get us through to the other side of our problems and trials. The more we sit and trust, the more our character develops. The more that we develop our personality and mindsets around the character of who God is. The more we start to replicate God’s thoughts and ways into our own life. The more we build this character, the more we trust in the mission of Christ altogether. We won’t be disappointed in the mission, for it’s built on love. God loves us so much that He gifts us all these ways to help us overcome our trials and tribulations.

Here’s one way I’ve come to view the trials I’ve faced. I believe that our trials, while not our choice, is something we go through so that they can help someone else. Why you? Because God knows you need to be a role model in the life of someone else that is going through the same thing. They need to hear it in your words and your tone and your kindness and your love. They don’t need a self-help influencer to say it. They may not even need a therapist to say it. They need your words and your guidance. They need you.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Think about the most recent thing you are going through right now. What could you tell someone else about it to help them get through it?

PRAY Action

Praise God for the gifts and skills you were gifted with at your creation. You may not know what they are, but we can thank God that you are here with us to learn about them.

Read Ephesians 4:1

Ask God for clarity on our gifts as to how they are used in our lives. Ask God for how we can view our trials and hardships as moments of gratitude

You are not these hardships and trials. You are not a punching bag against the world. You are a child of God, walking through a fallen world together.

Next slice of manna: Finding Strength and Peace in God’s Promises || Psalm 29:11 || Manna for the Mind #337