And Be Thankful!

 

 

Col 3:15

 

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

NKJV

 

Sometimes the way Scripture is put together gives me pause.   Take today's verse, for example.  It spends most of the verse talking about the peace of God, and at the end? An imperative "...and be thankful." (!!!)

My mind immediately wonders, what is the relation between the two?  I know that the mind and heart of a Christian should be at peace.  I see the wisdom in allowing peace to "rule."  In fact, I try very hard to avoid doing anything that my heart does not rule is in keeping with peace.  If I am not at peace in a situation, I try to drop it.  This allows me to stay in God's will and avoid many pitfalls.  Furthermore, I try to retain my  peace,  and when it starts slipping, I begin to ask the Lord to show me where I have failed.  All of this is a great benefit of being born again- and for my (and your) good.

I love how this is portrayed. We were called to peace as one body.  This could be confusing until we remember that we are baptized into the body of Christ.  Once we are saved, we are ”positionally" located in Christ in the supernatural realm, even while our bodies remain on  Earth.  It is a mystery for our minds, but a great truth- us in Christ, Christ in us! 

So now that we understand that we are in Christ, then we are, by virtue of our placement, in peace.  Scripture records that He himself is our peace (Col.  3:15)  Being in Christ indicates that we have become a part of His body.  In His body is our peace.  Thus, we are in peace and peace is in us.  What beautiful prepositions!  Ours is a glorious inheritance in Christ.

Therefore,  we must remind ourselves to be thankful.  And of course, remembering that He has purchased our peace, gives me a reason to give thanks!

Dear Lord, I am thankful today for my peace.  Thank you for endowing me with Your peace and for allowing me to be led by peace.   I am  truly grateful of the way you take care of me.