Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul writes a letter to the church of Rome, communicating the foundation for the Christian faith. In one passage he shares, “I do not understand what I do; for I don’t do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15). Although he was a devout man of God, he still struggled with sinful desires. We can relate, right? The choices we make do not always bring about a positive outcome. Despite our best efforts, we still fail. Perhaps it is because we are focused on doing life under our own strength. In studying the scripture from Colossians, the word “rule” within that context is defined as an umpire or referee. When we struggle with our feelings or desires, our earthly nature clashes with the desires of the Spirit. We are trying to be the referee between right and wrong. Think about it this way, in football, what would a game be like if the coaches played the role of referee? Well, the game would never end and there would be conflict between the teams.
Rather than making decisions based on how we feel, we instead allow God to referee our hearts. We do this by allowing the peace of God, which is beyond our understanding, to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). We no longer have to decipher the rule book, but we can be grateful God does – if we allow Him to.
