Good morning people whose lives are not the fruit of mere circumstances.

Colossians 3:15 NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 

There are times when a single verse can impact your heart deeply. This is one of those as I read it just now. Father, please speak to us I pray.

We live in a time when true inner peace eludes many. Actually, I believe it eludes most. The reasons for this are many and varied. They range from disappointment and hurt, to unfulfilled dreams and unmet expectations, to pain and suffering, to betrayal and loss, to fiery darts of the enemy, and to mental confusion and busyness in our minds. And I am only scraping the surface.

Paul writes the Book of Colossians from a prison cell. He is not writing this on vacation by the beach with no worries or concerns. Paul writes this amidst great pain and injustice. Paul writes this during a time that there must have been questions around his calling to travel and minister to many people. And yet he writes the following.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 

The word peace means prosperity; quietness, rest, to set at one again. I find this insightful as it does not speak about circumstances at all.

Our environment is not a determinant of peace.

What I just wrote is so important. Our environment is not a determinant of peace. To believe it is, is to reduce God’s sovereignty down to second place. There is nothing greater or more powerful and personal than our Emmanuel; our God with us!

I’m going to leave it here today and come back tomorrow on this same verse. There is so much life and hope for us in these words from our heavenly Father through Paul.

May the peace of God rule in your heart today.