By Steve Horn
Everybody knows what tomorrow is. Do you know what today is? Today (November 7) Billy Graham turns 98 years old. In 1953 he wrote a book he titled, Peace with God. In that book Graham wrote, “Until you actually possess true peace with God, no one can describe its wonder to you.”
Colossians gives us a good word about peace as we go to the voting booth tomorrow. “And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.”
As believers in Christ, we can and should have peace. Think about four truths we discover in this one verse.
• Real peace comes through the message about Christ.
This thought about peace begins with the words, “And let the peace of the Messiah.” The route to peace is very specific. Jesus spoke about this peace just before His death. He told His disciples. “I have told you these things that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” These things refer to the place called Heaven that He has prepared, the power of prayer that He invites us to, the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that He promised, and the specific plan that He gave us to go to Him. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Then, Jesus modelled that peace on the cross. At his last, He prayed, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”
• Real peace is the calling of the members of the body of Christ.
This verse calls us to an individual peace, but this verse also calls us to a corporate—collective—peace. This is our calling. We are to experience peace, and we can through the message about the Messiah. But, understand that we are called to peace. The church is called to exhibit peace. The church ought to be leading the way in peace. I’m afraid that too often we lead the way in a collective panic. Think about this. If we—people who have faith, people who pray, people who believe that God hears, people who believe that God is the One ultimately in control—if we do not exhibit peace, who can?
• Real peace controls the mind of the Christian.
The idea of control in this verse is pulled from the sporting world in the ancient Greek culture. It has the connotation of “umpire” so that we could literally read “Let the peace of Christ be the umpire in your hearts.” Umpires are decisive. You don’t see umpires hesitate. Umpires are confident. Umpires are most necessary when they have to make hard and close calls.
The peace of God should control our minds in that same way.
• Real peace causes thanksgiving that is a mystery to others.
After the imperative of “letting peace control our hearts” we get the imperative to “Be thankful.” The route to thanksgiving is peace. Our thanksgiving should be the result of the kind of peace that Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:7. “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought (understanding), will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The only way to have the peace of God is to have peace with God.
You can look for peace everywhere. You can look for peace in the pleasures of this world, in other people, in possessions, in power, in politics, even in religion, but you will only find peace in Jesus. Until you turn away from your sin by turning to Jesus for peace in this life and for the certainty of eternal life, you will never know peace. Peace is knowing Jesus for abundant life on the earth and eternal life in Heaven.
I don’t know who wins Tuesday, and I don’t know the ultimate consequences of what happens because who wins, but I do know who wins in the end and what those ultimate consequences are.
(This post is based on the message “The Peace that Holds It All Together” which you can watch at fbclaf.org/video)
Steve Horn is pastor of First Baptist Church in Lafayette and a former Louisiana Baptist Convention president.
