"Let the Peace of Christ Rule in (Our) Hearts..."

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (rf. Col. 3:15 ESV)

            We no doubt face hard and difficult times in life. Some who read these words at this time are going through a rough patch, possibly finding it painful to even think of seeing something good in their lives for which to give thanks. It is easy, as we well know, for us to get caught up in the negative circumstances that surround us. When we do, they overwhelm our souls as well as our senses, dragging us down quickly to the pit of despair. Yet, as the Apostle Paul intimates, this is not what God wants for us. He has a greater desire for His people.

            In this passage, Paul uses strong language to show that the Lord wants His followers to experience very important things in their lives on an ongoing basis: peace and thankfulness. To this end, the Lord Himself has “called” us. Let’s explore this concept for a moment. To the modern mind, the idea of “calling” is one that allows for the opportunity to turn away from such an action, to rebel against it so that one can follow his/her own path. There is an inbred antipathy toward “calling” because it speaks of One who knows better than we do what our future should be, what our best interests are. Thus, we tend to turn away from Him who provides us the very best of what could be ours if we would only follow His directions.

            In this case, our “calling” is two-fold. First of all, we are “called in one body”. So, we must understand the “calling” to which Paul is referring is not an individual “calling”, but a corporate one. It belongs to all who are members of Christ’ Church, to all who have experienced His true salvation. Secondly, we are called to “let the peace of Christ rule in (our) hearts”. Notice that we are not merely to ask that His peace come into our hearts, but that His peace “rule” there. Just like a king upon a throne, His peace is to exert its “rule” over us in every area of our lives. We should submit ourselves to this peace always. Only then will we know and experience this “calling” of Christ.

            When we do, we will “be thankful”; we will know and understand the full extent of thankfulness. As His peace pervades our hearts and minds, we will have the opportunity of appreciating what it means to be at peace with ourselves, with others, but, most importantly, with God Himself. The longer His peace rules us, the more we will grow in that appreciation and the greater our level of thankfulness will become. 

            We definitely need more peace and thankfulness in our day. It may be that we need to revisit Paul’s words to us in this passage and apply them. If the issue is one of control and our need to rule our own lives, thoughts, and motivations, then this might be a good opportunity to review our own relationship with Christ since we have not submitted our own selves to Him, obviously. For the age-old dictum is very true: no Christ, no peace; know Christ, know peace. In this case, to know Him and to have His peace rule our hearts is to experience thankfulness as He has designed. May this be each of our experience with Him today.

God Speaks to Our Anger and Bitterness

“For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.” (rf. 2 Sam. 13:22 NKJV)

            The above passage reflects one of the saddest entries in Israel’s history. David’s son, Amnon had fallen in love with his half-sister, Tamar. Tamar was Absalom’s full sister. Both he and his sibling were the children of a marriage borne of political advantage, King David joining Israel with the king of Geshur by wedding his daughter, Talmai (rf. II Sam. 3:3). Amnon, however, through deceit, took advantage of Tamar and raped her. This act of violence came to light to both Absalom and King David. Yet, because Amnon was son of the king, no justice or negative repercussions came his way, much to Absalom’s consternation. Because of this inaction on David’s part, great bitterness grew in the heart of Absalom. Like all grudges, this one bore fruit later with his murder of Amnon and his rebellion and attempt to overthrow the reign of his father, King David. These actions led to his own violent death (rf. II Sam. 18:14-18). Who needs soap operas? The Bible has its own sordid dramas.

            What this excerpt shows in glowing detail is the powerful nature of inhibited anger and bitterness over time in the heart of an individual. We were never designed by God to keep our hurt bottled up nor were we created to address such deep, penetrating pain ourselves. He alone has the capacity to shoulder our griefs and heartache (rf. Is. 53:4) and to deal with them in a right manner. When we try to handle them ourselves, we only come away with a heart full of bitterness and strife, living in a perpetual downward spiral of negativity, always fighting an inward battle of bad memories and harmful, damaging self-images. This is not to mention the adverse and destructive effect our inward feelings have on our outward relationships. One cannot harbor bitter feelings and they not leak out of our pores onto those around us!

            The Scriptures themselves bear out these truths. They tell us that our anger can never produce God’s righteousness in our lives (rf. Jas. 1:20). We are told to disperse our anger on the same day that we feel it, but to do so constructively, not destructively, because to harbor it creates a heart full of bitterness (rf. Eph. 4:26). Indeed, the better course, according to God’s Word, is to avoid bitterness and anger altogether; get rid of it if it is present (rf. Eph. 4:31). Be honest with the Lord as to its true cause and nature. He knows what it is already, but He wants us to be accurate in our assessment for our own benefit in our confession to Him. Only then will our request for forgiveness be genuine and thorough. Then, when we are cleansed from the bitterness in our hearts, we should make the commitment to avoid taking that downward spiral ever again by addressing our anger forthrightly when it occurs in the future, sharing it and its cause with the Lord at the outset. He is the One who has promised to take care of all issues regarding His people. That includes matters of the heart and of justice, as needed (rf. Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30).

            When our hearts are thoroughly emptied of bitterness, negativity, hurt and pain, we will find ourselves refreshed and renewed in ways far beyond the scope of our comprehension. We will see life as the Lord desires for us to—abundant, new and free from the past. We will then be able to pursue Him and His will with a vigor that we have not experienced before. 

            If your struggle has been with such a burdened heart, my hope is for you to find peace and joy. May the encouragement given be a step in that direction.