A signature
of the Apostle Paul’s writings is that he includes a blessing for the grace and
peace of God. The Greek for the word
grace declares it to be a divine influence on the heart that is reflected in
one’s life. The grace of God always
influences His children to act in the love of God toward others. Acting in the love of God toward others is a
reflection of our acceptance of His Lordship and positions us to experience His
peace. He emphasizes this truth in the
following verses from his letter to the Colossians.
Colossians 3:14 And above all these things
put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
I couldn’t
help but think of my ongoing study in 1Corinthians with this verse. In chapters 12-14 Paul is teaching on the
giftings of the Spirit, their purpose and proper use. The believers were eager to possess these
miraculous abilities, but Paul very emphatically establishes that unconditional
love for the brethren is the possession we should most desire. As with spiritual gifts of the Spirit, the
character traits discussed in the previous post are important and to be
desired; but again Paul emphasizes that unconditional love of the brethren is
the most valuable trait of all. This
type of love is what allows one to most effectively utilize his/her gifts and please
God in the process and is the heart foundation from which the traits listed
above can most easily flow. This type of
love is the uniting factor for these traits in the believer to produce moral
excellence as well as the uniting factor in the body of Christ to bring us to
maturity and completeness so that we lack nothing. When we are acting with unconditional love,
the church as a whole benefits, because the Spirit has provided for our every
need through His working in the life of every individual that makes up the
whole.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also
ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
The peace of
God is a result of our hearts being “at one” with Him again, our fellowship
with Him has been restored. Through that
restoration we can now benefit from His provision for us through the Holy
Spirit. With the empowerment of the Holy
Spirit we can now control our thoughts and feelings toward one another. That empowerment will always lead us to
thoughts and actions that are in line with God’s thoughts and actions. Christ is the head of the body (the church),
and the body should always act in accordance to the directions from the
Head. When we yield to the working of
the Spirit in our lives, we are allowing the peace of God to rule in our
hearts.
Isaiah tells
us that those who are called by His name have been created for His glory.
Isaiah 43:7 “Even every one that is
called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea,
I have made him.”
Isaiah was
speaking to the Israelites, but the truth is just as applicable to the
church. Just as Israel, we are
privileged to have been chosen to be identified with His name. When we fulfill that purpose, we have great
cause to give thanks. Not only does it
glorify God, it benefits us individually and as a body.
(to be
continued…)
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