Day 3 - Week 74 - Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

Do you consider yourself a calm person?  As people of Christ, allowing the peace of Christ to rule within us, we should exhibit a calm demeanor...not easily ruffled, not overcome with anxiety, and certainly not given to outbursts of anger or the very worst behavior that I can think of, an adult "temper tantrum". 

Listen to this quote from Frederick W. Robertson, "The real strength and majesty of the soul of man is calmness, the manifestation of strength, the peace of God ruling."

When you ponder that quote, doesn't it make calmness a much desired attribute?  Sometimes we equate calmness with blandness...to be an intriguing person you have to have some outbursts of emotion.  But when you think of the most intriguing people you know, if you're like me, you will probably think of those who aren't the ones who are demanding the attention, but the ones who sit back and calmly insert the most profound statement of the night, or the dry wit that throws just the perfect sentence in at the precisely right time that completely cracks the room up.

Or, on a much more serious note, you think about Jesus, who maintained such a perfect sense of calm through His life.  No matter what the circumstance, Jesus was in control.  Now I can hear someone saying, "What about that time in the temple when He overturned the tables?"  I think we've had a picture in our heads of Jesus "losing it", but when you actually read the story, it seems to me that Jesus went into the temple with a purpose, which He accomplished.  He definitely wanted to make a point, which He accomplished.  There is a time and a place for a planned moment and to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.  Jesus wanted the people to see that His Father's house was to be a place of prayer - and definitely not a place where people were able to take advantage of others.  (Read text in Matthew 21:12-16, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-47,  or John 2:13-16.)

But read this scenario of the perfect calm of Jesus as written by Robert J. Morgan:

In Luke 4, Jesus was asked to preach in His hometown of Nazareth.  After reading his text in Isaiah 61, He closed the book and announced that He Himself was the one of whom Isaiah was speaking.  Isaiah's majestic words, written seven hundred years before, amounted to a specific prediction about the hometown boy who stood before them now.  The Nazarenes, Jesus implied, were seeing the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy before their very eyes.

It triggered a riot. Thinking Jesus was speaking blasphemously, the worshippers exploded in fury and indignation.  The crowd was on its feet, and angry hands grabbed Jesus and shoved Him out of the synagogue, pushing Him, pulling Him toward a nearby cliff.  They intended to kill Him on the spot.

But as Luke laconically puts it, 'He passed right through and went on His way' (Luke 4:30).  We don't know if this was a miracle or not.  But we have the distinct impression that Jesus was unruffled, steady, composed and self-possessed.  I've often visualized Jesus passing calmly through these walls of liquid indignation like the Israelites through the Red Sea.  There was about Him an authoritative calmness.
 

I think that's the same thing that could be said about Jesus in the temple with the crooked merchants, He had an authoritative calmness, even as He was turning their tables upside down and driving them out with a whip! 

The Biblical definition of "peace" as used in our verse is "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is."  That's what we are called to...knowing who we belong to, where we are going, with nothing to fear.  That's the peace and calm that Jesus possessed and exhibited. 

That's the peace that we are to allow to rule in us.
 

Day 2 - Week 74 - Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

We, as Christians, are called to peace.  And we, as Christians, are to allow Christ's peace to govern our hearts.  And we, as Christians, are to be thankful.

We are to be a peace-driven people.  Why?  Because Christ, and His Spirit living with us, is our driver.  And when you look at the life of Christ you see peace.

Robert J. Morgan states, "Peace can be defined as God-given tranquility.  It's the ability to be patient instead of panicky, to be mature instead of impulsive, to keep our cool when others are losing theirs.  It's a quality that few of us come by naturally, but it came perfectly to Jesus."

Jesus was at peace with His Father because He knew Him so well and was completely submissive to His authority.  He never wavered in His desire to fulfill the mission that His Father had sent Him on.  He prayed for deliverance from the agony of the cross, but He knew that wherever His Father took Him, He would be ultimately delivered and once again home.  Peace comes through faith.

When you read the preceding verses in Colossians, you see that Paul is telling us that as Christians, we are to "clothe" ourselves in a particular fashion...and it's not what you'll be seeing on the runways this fall!

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. - Colossians 3:12-14

When I read this, I see someone getting dressed and putting on all of these pieces of attire: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience...and then putting in their pocket a handful of forgiveness, a gift that they have already been given and that they have ready to hand out to anyone who might need it.  And right before they walk out the door, they put on their coat of love, covering all.

As I dress today, that's what I'm going to think about.  And I think I might just put some kind of token in my purse or my pocket to remind me to be very ready to forgive as I've been forgiven. 

Following on those verses, Paul then tells us to let Christ's peace rule over us, and to be thankful.  It's hard to be unthankful when you are allowing Christ's peace to have control, isn't it?  After all, when you submit to His peace in your life, you remember that you have been given the greatest gift of all...salvation.  When looking through eyes that have been reborn, and that are filled with the peace of God, all that can be said is, "Thank You!"