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I was listening to a presentation this morning and this verse really caught my eye. We have read it before in an earlier presentation, but I wanted to take our time together to discuss one important word in today's reading. The Apostle Paul wrote 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. Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
The presenter was using this verse to show the fact that the abundant life that God promises through belief in Jesus Christ (see John 10:10 when you get a chance) is a life that can be filled with peace. Isn't that what the world needs today - a little more peace? I know I sure can use this ever elusive quality in my daily life.
When the presenter read this verse, he stopped on the word "let". It was as though he hadn't seen that word before in this scripture. I know for a fact this man has studied the Bible in ways you and I will never be able to in our lives. But, at that moment, I was watching God do something in this man's life, with one simple three letter word - "let". I love those moments. When they hit, they are a wonder to behold.
All day, after this presentation, I was thinking of the word "let." I decided to write on it a bit and this presentation is the result.
You see, the life of a victor is filled with the need to "let" life happen. That's the only way peace can be a part of who we are. I'm not talking about peace that we settle for when it comes to our life. The peace of a good paycheck, a good meal, a good relationship, good health or good anything is a peace that is valuable but, Oh so fleeting. Sure I want that peace in my life as much as you do. However, the peace I think Paul is talking about here is a peace that can be there no matter how good or how bad our lives are. I believe that peace is possible when the victor is in the place of letting life happen as I saw it unfolding in the presenter's life today.
There is no doubt that we have all been taught we need to "make" life be what we want it to be. The world is really good at proving this point day in and day out. Believe me, I know this to be true in so many ways in my own life. It isn't wrong to be in the business of making the good we want in our lives come about through our efforts. It is when we tie the results of our attempts to "make" happen what we want with who we are that victim thinking trouble can rear its ugly head and peace can go out the window.
The victor needs to come to grips with the fact that "let" trumps the power of "make" as far as identity is concerned. "Let" speaks to allowing something to happen. When the victor is in the position of letting life happen, it is like we come into contact with something greater than anything our own efforts could ever bring into reality. When we come under the authority behind "let" in our life, the efforts we "make" seem to be able to do more that we could have ever thought possible.
To get a better idea of what Paul was trying to convey in this verse about letting peace rule in our lives, I decided to take a look at some study tools that explain how the original language was used in these writings. To my surprise, the words "let" and "rule" are connected. I'm no Greek scholar, but it appears to me that they are the same word. It looks to me that when used together in a sentence it takes on a meaning quite different than what I would have thought the two words individually meant. Let me explain that a bit further.
As I said, the words "let" and "rule" are the same word in Greek. The meaning of the word has a lot to do with making a decision to award a prize to a competitor in a sporting event. In fact the word "umpire" was used in the definition of the word for "let" and "rule" in the original language. Very interesting - isn't it? What does all that mean? Here's what hit me today.
An umpire has to decide things. He or she has to take what they have seen, run it through the rules they follow and then decide what call to make. The umpire is, the judge who grades the performance of the competitor as they see the competitor's performance. If the umpire is a fair and just one, he or she isn't basing their call on how they feel or their connection to the competitor. The umpire objectively judges what they saw the competitor do based on what they know to be true about the event they are judging.
As I thought about this strange definition of the word "let" it hit me. We are the umpire when it comes to the peace ruling in our lives. We are the ones that have to take the input of the play we just witnessed and judge how it rates when it comes to the prize of peace in our lives. The play we just witnessed is the circumstances that come our way.
When the play is a lousy one - we have to decide how the peace that is to be there will impact our lives as we go through the bad times associated with that event. Same goes when the play is a good one. Good or bad, the prize is the same - peace unlike anything this world can offer up no matter now hard we try to "make" it happen.
You see, the word "let" to me has way more action to it that what I originally thought it would. To me "let" meant allow. In other words, all I need to do is sit back and allow peace to happen and, poof, there it is. That's just not what this word is trying to communicate to me, in my opinion.
"Let" is more about being in the game. It is about judging based on the rules we know are from God. Rules like His unconditional love and acceptance for us. Rules like we are victors no matter what our circumstance looks like. Rules that point out we are purposed no matter how much we feel floundering in this world. Rules that make it possible for us to see and understand who we are and fight for that identity in a world that wants to compromise that identity in so many ways.
When we judge life from that standing, the prize of peace is so much easier to have rule in our lives. Our reading today says that victors, members of the body of Christ, were called to peace. That calling is an invitation to step into something greater than anything we will ever be able to "make"happen in our lives. That calling is purposed with life changing direction and powerful motivation to move forward in all the circumstances the world might toss at us today. Isn't it time to be the umpire in your own life and step more fully into the calling of a life where we let peace rule in our every action of that life? I want that for my life and I hope you do as well.
By the way, this particular Greek word for our English word "let" is the only place in the entire Bible that it is used. I have found that when a word is used only one time, it was inspired in ways so as to make impact be a part of what is being communicated. Do you want to be impacted by peace in your life today? Then make it your mission to let peace rule. Filter all you do, all you see and all that happens to you today through the fact that you are a valued, worthy, loved, purposed and called child of the King's. Judging life from this perspective brings in that peace that is the hallmark of the life of the victor God sees you to be.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
The presenter was using this verse to show the fact that the abundant life that God promises through belief in Jesus Christ (see John 10:10 when you get a chance) is a life that can be filled with peace. Isn't that what the world needs today - a little more peace? I know I sure can use this ever elusive quality in my daily life.
When the presenter read this verse, he stopped on the word "let". It was as though he hadn't seen that word before in this scripture. I know for a fact this man has studied the Bible in ways you and I will never be able to in our lives. But, at that moment, I was watching God do something in this man's life, with one simple three letter word - "let". I love those moments. When they hit, they are a wonder to behold.
All day, after this presentation, I was thinking of the word "let." I decided to write on it a bit and this presentation is the result.
You see, the life of a victor is filled with the need to "let" life happen. That's the only way peace can be a part of who we are. I'm not talking about peace that we settle for when it comes to our life. The peace of a good paycheck, a good meal, a good relationship, good health or good anything is a peace that is valuable but, Oh so fleeting. Sure I want that peace in my life as much as you do. However, the peace I think Paul is talking about here is a peace that can be there no matter how good or how bad our lives are. I believe that peace is possible when the victor is in the place of letting life happen as I saw it unfolding in the presenter's life today.
There is no doubt that we have all been taught we need to "make" life be what we want it to be. The world is really good at proving this point day in and day out. Believe me, I know this to be true in so many ways in my own life. It isn't wrong to be in the business of making the good we want in our lives come about through our efforts. It is when we tie the results of our attempts to "make" happen what we want with who we are that victim thinking trouble can rear its ugly head and peace can go out the window.
The victor needs to come to grips with the fact that "let" trumps the power of "make" as far as identity is concerned. "Let" speaks to allowing something to happen. When the victor is in the position of letting life happen, it is like we come into contact with something greater than anything our own efforts could ever bring into reality. When we come under the authority behind "let" in our life, the efforts we "make" seem to be able to do more that we could have ever thought possible.
To get a better idea of what Paul was trying to convey in this verse about letting peace rule in our lives, I decided to take a look at some study tools that explain how the original language was used in these writings. To my surprise, the words "let" and "rule" are connected. I'm no Greek scholar, but it appears to me that they are the same word. It looks to me that when used together in a sentence it takes on a meaning quite different than what I would have thought the two words individually meant. Let me explain that a bit further.
As I said, the words "let" and "rule" are the same word in Greek. The meaning of the word has a lot to do with making a decision to award a prize to a competitor in a sporting event. In fact the word "umpire" was used in the definition of the word for "let" and "rule" in the original language. Very interesting - isn't it? What does all that mean? Here's what hit me today.
An umpire has to decide things. He or she has to take what they have seen, run it through the rules they follow and then decide what call to make. The umpire is, the judge who grades the performance of the competitor as they see the competitor's performance. If the umpire is a fair and just one, he or she isn't basing their call on how they feel or their connection to the competitor. The umpire objectively judges what they saw the competitor do based on what they know to be true about the event they are judging.
As I thought about this strange definition of the word "let" it hit me. We are the umpire when it comes to the peace ruling in our lives. We are the ones that have to take the input of the play we just witnessed and judge how it rates when it comes to the prize of peace in our lives. The play we just witnessed is the circumstances that come our way.
When the play is a lousy one - we have to decide how the peace that is to be there will impact our lives as we go through the bad times associated with that event. Same goes when the play is a good one. Good or bad, the prize is the same - peace unlike anything this world can offer up no matter now hard we try to "make" it happen.
You see, the word "let" to me has way more action to it that what I originally thought it would. To me "let" meant allow. In other words, all I need to do is sit back and allow peace to happen and, poof, there it is. That's just not what this word is trying to communicate to me, in my opinion.
"Let" is more about being in the game. It is about judging based on the rules we know are from God. Rules like His unconditional love and acceptance for us. Rules like we are victors no matter what our circumstance looks like. Rules that point out we are purposed no matter how much we feel floundering in this world. Rules that make it possible for us to see and understand who we are and fight for that identity in a world that wants to compromise that identity in so many ways.
When we judge life from that standing, the prize of peace is so much easier to have rule in our lives. Our reading today says that victors, members of the body of Christ, were called to peace. That calling is an invitation to step into something greater than anything we will ever be able to "make"happen in our lives. That calling is purposed with life changing direction and powerful motivation to move forward in all the circumstances the world might toss at us today. Isn't it time to be the umpire in your own life and step more fully into the calling of a life where we let peace rule in our every action of that life? I want that for my life and I hope you do as well.
By the way, this particular Greek word for our English word "let" is the only place in the entire Bible that it is used. I have found that when a word is used only one time, it was inspired in ways so as to make impact be a part of what is being communicated. Do you want to be impacted by peace in your life today? Then make it your mission to let peace rule. Filter all you do, all you see and all that happens to you today through the fact that you are a valued, worthy, loved, purposed and called child of the King's. Judging life from this perspective brings in that peace that is the hallmark of the life of the victor God sees you to be.
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