“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, NIV
“Emotionally healthy people understand the limits God has given them. They joyfully receive the one, two, seven, or ten talents God has so graciously distributed. As a result, they are not frenzied and covetous, trying to live a life God never intended.“1
We are called to peace, but we don’t always answer that call. Often our source of discontentment is simply not being in close fellowship with God and not understanding His desire for our lives.
The word rule in today’s Scripture is translated from an athletic term meaning umpire. Peace is supposed to “umpire” our hearts, guiding our decisions and instincts. When we lose our inner peace, we often go off in directions outside the will of God, trying to live a life God never intended for us.
To compensate, we try unhealthy and destructive behaviors to escape.
But we can’t escape from ourselves.
But we can’t escape from ourselves.
The healthiest, most peace producing thing we can do is surrender to God, confess, and repent of trying to do and have what we don’t need— and believe in His forgiveness.
Then start accepting yourself as God made you. Look at Jesus as your example. He had a specific mission, a specific, God-ordained purpose. He didn’t travel the world, gather more than twelve disciples, or minister personally to everyone around Him. Yet, at the end of His life, He prayed, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).
Let peace rule your heart—then thank God for all He has given you. It’s a much healthier way to live!
1. Scazzero, Peter, The Emotionally Healthy Church (Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2003) p. 132.
