Peace of Christ Colossians 3:15 Devotional

The peace of Christ is more than a concept we learn about in church. It’s something we can feel deep in our hearts every day. In this devotional, we’ll read the scripture from Colossians 3:15 and discover how to let the peace of Christ rule in your heart today.

What does the Bible say about the peace of Christ?

Finding Peace in Chaos

The alarm goes off and immediately I’m struck with a feeling of dread. There’s so much to get done today and not enough time to do it all. Stress takes over and fills my heart with worry.

We’re all running the race against the clock. With all of the responsibilities we have, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

Work, school, and church obligations. Finding time to spend with family and friends. The emergency that pops up in the middle of an already busy day. Plus, a million other little things. They all add up and take a piece of our peace away from us.

Somehow, we manage to get most of it done. Maybe not everything, but the most important priorities get checked off the to-do list. The rest will be waiting for us tomorrow when we do it all over again.

Does this sound like your life? Are you at the end of your rope? Are you wondering how you’re going to make it through yet another crazy, busy day?

There’s a better way.

Instead of a stressful day filled with chaos, we can have a peaceful day filled with the peace of Christ.

There is Peace in Christ

When it’s crunch time, peace may be the last thing on our minds. But at the end of the day, peace is what we want to find.

So, how can we find peace? The answer is found in the message of this popular Bible Verse…

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Colossians 3:15 NIV

I’ve read this verse a thousand times over the years. And you would think the meaning would be simple to spot.

I guess I focused solely on the word, peace instead of where to find it. And I should have been looking at the One who gives us peace in the first place. Because there is peace in Christ and in a loving relationship with Him.

What rules your heart?

When I read Colossians 3:15 this time around, God whispered something that hit me like a ton of bricks. “What rules your heart?”

Unfortunately, for me, the answer always seems to be stress and worry. I guess I’m a bit of a worrywart.

But the truth is, worry gets us nowhere fast. It makes me feel like a hamster on a wheel with no way off. And the worst part is, all the stress and worry rob us of the lasting peace of Christ.

But instead of making us feel worse than we already do, God wants to show us how to let go of the worry and experience the peace of Christ in ways we never have before.

Do Not Worry Bible Verse

Let’s look at the comforting words of Jesus in Luke 12.

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!

Luke 12:25-28

When Jesus spoke these words, He knew that we would worry. And He knew we needed to be reminded of God’s love and peace.

So, why do we worry and stress when God promises to take care of us?

I don’t know! It just happens sometimes.

We conveniently forget all of the times God has taken care of us in the past and choose to toil and spin instead of having faith in God and His love for us.

This is the moment when we need to take a step back and realize that we don’t need to worry. We can trust God. Because if He cares about the grass and the flowers, then surely, He’s going to get us through today.

Maybe for you it’s not worry but something else that is keeping you from having the peace of Christ.

It could be family drama, work problems, troubled relationships, fear of failure, a longing for something different in life, or so many other things.

Whatever it is, Jesus wants you to have the peace that only He can offer.

So, take a step back, put your trust in Him, and see Him reaching out to you offering peace.

Jesus is our Peace

So, how can we find peace?

If you’re a Christian, then you already have peace in the person of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Himself is peace! And He gives us His peace!

The Amplified Bible describes this kind of peace as “an inner calm”.

Isn’t that what we all want? To have an inner calm when life hits us hard? And to feel peace in the midst of chaos?

This peace is a spiritual peace that comes from the confidence of knowing Jesus. And it’s with us no matter what our outward circumstances are.

Emotional peace is more elusive. It’s that feeling we’re looking for when the chaos of life takes over and leaves us overwhelmed.

But we can find it by doing two, simple things.

How can I experience the peace of Jesus?

Pray

This scripture from Philippians 4 gives us the first step to experiencing the peace of God.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

God is very clear… if you’re anxious and worried, take those fears to Him in prayer and He will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. And God’s peace will help you focus on Jesus and His eternal truth.

Read the Bible

The second step to experiencing the peace of Christ is found in Psalm 119.

Your word I have hidden in my heart.

Psalm 119:11 NKJV

In this great Psalm, we are instructed to hide God’s word in our hearts. The fastest way to know God and experience the peace of Christ is through reading His Word and storing it in our hearts.

Earlier, I told you God asked me what ruled my heart. And my answer should have been God’s truth.

That’s why God asks us to store His Word in our hearts. It’s for those times when life is just too hard and we don’t know what to do.

Jesus promised us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance His Word and instructions in those moments. This is our gift of peace from the Savior.

So, start reading the Bible keep it hidden in your heart today.

Go Back to the Basics

Finding the peace of Christ in our daily lives sounds so easy. But when we’re in the thick of it, it’s so hard.

Yes, these two pathways to experiencing the peace of Christ, prayer and reading the Bible, are simple. But there’s nothing wrong with hitting the reset button and going back to the basics when you need to.

And you can never go wrong when you practice these two elements of the faith. They are the foundation for a reason.

Let Christ Rule in Your Heart

It is easy to get caught up in everything we need to do and forget to make time to spend with Jesus. But if we want to experience the peace of Christ, we need to choose to make Jesus the focus of our life and walk with Him every day.

When we do, the peace we are looking for will come.

I truly hope this short devotion on the Peace of Christ has helped you see the way out of worry and chaos and into the peace God has in store for you.

And my prayer for you today is that you will let Christ rule in your heart!