THANKFUL

Friday, May 20, 2022

Lord, You said to “let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts … (Colossians 3:15).  Who wouldn’t want that? Then why do many Christ-followers fail to have Your peace? That three-letter word ‘let’ in “let the peace …” speaks volumes. It means ‘allow.’ I must ‘allow’ the peace that comes from Christ to rule in my heart. Is this implying the Holy Spirit has to have my permission to let God’s peace rule in my heart? Does this mean my whole heart and not just the parts I want God’s peace to rule?

So what blocks Your peace from ruling in my heart? Perhaps I’ve failed to obey Your command to “as the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others who have offended you”? How I follow this command determines how I keep the other mandates You outlined in Colossians 3 on how to live a peaceful and meaningful life amid the chaos of this broken world.

Unforgiveness is ugly. It just destroys the one harboring it. The bitterness, resentment, often jealousy or envy follow along. Unrepentance isn’t far behind either. How can God’s peace rule one’s heart unless one allows the Holy Spirit to sweep it clean, regardless how painful it may seem at the time?

Lord, help me remember others are like me: flawed, imperfect, slow to listen, quick to speak before engaging my brain. And Lord, to my shame, judge others without knowing the whole story. Because I share my humanity with others, by Your help, I will order my soul to forgive them when they offend me. Whatever consequences they suffer will be on them, but my soul will be free to ‘allow’ Your peace to rule in my heart.

Lord, reveal any unforgiveness I may harbor, especially if I haven’t forgiven myself. By Your grace, I’ll allow Your peace to rule in my heart. Amen.