Listen:
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
Reflect:
The word let comes to me as a very key word in this verse. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. When I let Jesus’ peace rule in me, I am a different, a better person. Everything else becomes re-focused by Christ’s rule in me, his peaceful rule.
To this I am called: letting Christ’s peace rule in me. When that peace rules in me, the people around me are also re-focused. I am not a “consumer” of my relationships (i.e. I am not working transactionally) and this also includes my church relationships. I am called to let Christ’s peace rule in me as a member of my church body. This is, mostly, about my local church. But I think back to a recent trip I co-led in North Thailand and the sweet peace and unity the team of 9-10 people experienced. It was a gift that we let Jesus give us and we were so grateful!
That experience was indeed miraculous. Only God could have orchestrated that trip the way it ended up. Only God could give us the sweet fellowship we experienced with each other, in worship and prayer with each other daily and with those we visited. Only God could have given us the joy and laughter we experienced together. Only God could have allowed us to meet so many “key players” in the ministry we were focused on.
So, I am very grateful because we let Christ’s peace rule in us and that brought us to unity, and ultimately to love – for God, or each other and for those we met on our journey together.
Prayer of Response:
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you let us choose to allow you to rule in our hearts. Thank you that you give us your Shalom, which is so much more than what we understand. Thank you that you give us community and unity in that community. For this we are very grateful! Amen.
Questions to Ponder:
- How can you let Jesus’ peace rule in your heart today?
- Where have you seen God work in the recent days and weeks that brought unity in your fellowship?
- For what are you most grateful today?
—Submitted by Patty Jehle
Patty is a coach, supervisor, member care provider, spiritual director etc. As a Swiss citizen, born in the USA who has been living in Switzerland for almost 30 years, she knows a wee bit about life and culture. She is married to Patrik and has three adult children and one son-in-law. Earlier this year she co-led a vision trip to North Thailand for her local church. She attended the very first LSM and helped with LSM-Zürich (www.jehle-coaching.com ).