Dwell Among You
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word of deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:15-17
Insight
Have you ever experienced something so frustrating or stressful that it consumes you? It is the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about as you fall asleep?
Maybe it is just me, but there have been instances like this when the frustration of my circumstances took rule in my heart instead of the peace of Christ. I look back and see that gratitude wasn’t on my radar. I wasn’t consistently giving thanks to God the Father as the verse above tells us to. Yet, even as I know this and can look back and reflect on where my mind went astray, when it comes to relational tension, I am so quick to jump back into all the frustrations and mull over certain circumstances again and again. I begin to write stories, so the frustration breeds into a bigger and bigger deal as I allow stress to captivate my heart.
So how do I follow what is said in Colossians 3? How do I let the peace of Christ rule in my heart when my mind is running circles about what should have been or what could be? The longer I have followed God and the more of these experiences I have found myself in, I have learned that it is so much less about getting answers and so much more about submitting.
It’s submitting to the authority of God and submitting MY way to His way. His way says to forgive not 7 but 77 times (Matthew 18.) His way says that every person is fearfully and WONDERFULLY made (Psalm 139.) His way says that I should love others just as God loves me (John 13.) His ways are not of the world, they do not follow fairness as culture does (Romans 12.)
Today’s verse says to let the message of Christ dwell among you richly. The message of Christ is one of grace and love and forgiveness. It doesn’t matter how frustrated or justified I am, God calls us to love above all else. This doesn’t neglect responsibility or accountability and it also doesn’t mean to let others walk all over you, however it does direct us on how we respond.
The end of today’s verse says, and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. How often do we act out of our anger or respond out of frustration instead of acting in the powerful peace that God provides?
To let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, I need to look to God’s word and talk with Him before venting to friends and writing stories in my mind. I allow Christ to dwell amongst me richly when I actively choose to respond in love verses proving my point. I believe that God’s peace is readily available. We must step in obedience rather than passively sitting back and hoping it comes. We must engage with Him and invite Him to do the work in our hearts that only He can do.
Reflection
Where do you need to let the peace of Christ rule in your heart and mind?
Prayer
God, thank you for loving me at my lowest and giving me grace as I daily need it. Thank You for the peace you give us. I pray that as I find myself frustrated or stressed, You would be the first place I look. I pray that when I’m caught up in my own thoughts, You would send me gentle reminders to look towards You. I pray that You would work in my heart to love others, even those who are hard to love. May I love others like You love them. Amen.
Katie Robinson, Children's Ministry Home Coordinator, wrote today's devotional.