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

Peace is a gift from Jesus to His disciples. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” (John 14:27). If we don’t have peace about something, then we are not walking in the peace we have been given. In such circumstances, the Apostle Paul said we should make our requests known to God and then “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:7).

In our verse for today we are told that peace is the standard operating emotion for members of the body of Christ. We have been called to peace. That is, Jesus called the members of His body to walk in peace with one another. If there is a lack of peace in the body, then we are not fulfilling Christ’s call, and we are not walking in the peace we have been given. Again, in such circumstances we should follow Paul’s injunction and make our requests known to God so that peace can be restored to the body.

Since the members of the body are called to peace, we should let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Peace should motivate what we say and do as members of the body of Christ. If we don’t have peace about something we plan on saying or doing, then we should refrain. Peace, then, will have functioned as the ruler over our hearts.

Whether we have peace about something is a good indication of whether that something is in the will of God. Since God is a God of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), and since Christ has given us His peace, we should expect to be at peace about the leading and guidance they give us. Even if what they lead us into is difficult, we should expect to be at peace about it.