A time to ponder...

I had my time with the Lord this a.m.  We were in Colossians.  I say, "We", because He is in me and I am in Him. He speaks to me through His word and I was in His word this morning - the book of Colossians.  I read.  I listened.  There were several things that I felt the gentle nudgings of God's Spirit in my heart and then one thing hit me a bit more than some others.

     "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called, in one body.  And be thankful."

                                                            -Collossians 3:15 ESV

The Peace of Christ.  That is my hope and my prayer more days than not.  That His peace would reign....that He would rule in me...and in my heart - that I would trust and love and follow Christ in all my ways.  That all I do would be about Him and His love.  That I  would love Olivia and Wyatt and Boone in a manner that simply reflects Jesus.  That all I do and say to anyone and myself comes out of the overflow of Jesus Christ...in me!  For me, to let the "peace of Christ rule.." in my heart is to allow Jesus to take over.  However, it isn't as simple as it might seem.  It is a commitment, following Christ.  To allow His peace to rule means I must trust Him in all I do.  It is my hope for sure - it is my passion; but, I do not always submit my ways to Him.  He is my rule...the RULE in my life is in Christ, certainly.  So, shall I be guilted in time or lack thereof with Jesus?  Shall I be so excited I can not see straight that He rules in me and I have Him therefore I have eternity with God the Father and because of Jesus I have been redeemed...that my sins have been "set aside...and nailed to the cross" (Collossians 2)

There is no guilt in Christ.  He is my rock.  He  is my ever-present help.  I have been called to Him, by Him...and called to His peace - a peace that means "freedom from disturbance" and to be a part of the body of Christ.  It is freeing to remember this....to be reminded of His love and to be freed from guilt = faith in Jesus Christ.  He has set me free.  I will not give anything else a foothold because I belong to Him.  Perhaps there's something to this...perhaps this is a message that all might ought to consider??  I agree.

 

I was reading Don Miller's book, "To Own a Dragon" this morning and on one occasion, where he was backpacking in the Grand Canyon, he began a small journal entry.  In that entry he said this, "..If you can't buy a nice car for your family or anything, don't worry about it.  Just go into your kids' room and kiss them on the forehead, okay, 'cause there is all kinds of beauty and it doesn't have anything to do with having some stuff."  When it comes to the things that matter and the question of "Am I good enough?" - for you...or for me..or anyone asking, I believe it may be helpful to consider this quote.  Don Miller had been writing to himself in his journal - a note to encourage himself twenty years down the road from the time he hiked the Grand Canyon.  It was as if to say that being tempted to being relevant and successful is a bit of hogwash.  The true beauty in life is rooted in love.  Do you tell your kids you love them?  Do you give them kisses...or do you give them one hundred dollar bills?  Do you let them know they matter like nothing else?  Do you do the same to your spouse?  Do you simply love?  Or do you compare and wonder if you will be good enough? Rich enough?  Fast enough?  Eloquent? Good looking?  Status quo?  This list goes on....but something in Don Miller's note to himself struck a cord in me.  It is that I can have no fear - that the the joy in knowing Jesus Christ is that I can have no fear - that death has no final power on me and that nothing outside of love (which comes from Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith) really matters.

 

May your day be rooted in Love.

 

Blessings.

-ao