Take Your Place!نموونە

Your Place of Rest and Peace

There are many benefits to being seated in your place next to Christ in heavenly places. One benefit is that it is a peaceful, restful place.

From your place at the right hand of the Father, you can gauge your life by peace. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” I like the way the Amplified Bible says it: “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds.”

Let God’s peace act as your umpire. What does an umpire do? In baseball, he is the one running the game. He is the person who decides which player is safe and which one is out. He is in charge and if there is a dispute among the players or coaches, he has the final say-so.

Let peace be in charge of your life. When deciding what to think about, make peace the priority. When making a decision, check your heart and make sure it is at peace. Let peace have the final say-so in every aspect of your life.

This kind of peace doesn’t come from circumstances or surroundings. It comes from the inside, where the Holy Spirit abides. It comes from God.

In John 14:27, Jesus promised to leave us His supernatural peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

We may think of peace as reclining in a lounge chair beside a beautiful mountain lake, a gentle breeze blowing as we sip a cool drink. But that isn’t the peace Jesus left us. His peace is on the inside! His peace can kick in when you’re stuck in a traffic jam, it’s 105 degrees outside, your car overheats and your kids are screaming in the backseat. That is when you need supernatural peace, and that is the peace you can call upon from your position in heavenly places.

It takes effort to keep your peace, but it’s worth it. Don’t give it up. Do whatever it takes to maintain your place in Christ and your place of peace.

(These devotionals are excerpted from Karen’s book “Why God Why: What to Do When Life Doesn’t Make Sense”).