“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace” Philippians 3:15
“Let”. Now, that’s an interesting word. In fact, in the Greek the word is not so much “let” but “let rule”.
I didn’t know we had the power to “let” the peace of Christ “rule”. I kinda just figured that God had all the power to do whatever God wanted to do. But here’s the thing, peace of Christ doesn’t just rule in our hearts. Christ doesn’t force his peace on us. We have a choice. We have to choose the peace that Christ offers.
And choosing Christ’s peace means letting go of our anxiety, uncertainty, and our need for control.
These things – anxiety, uncertainty, our need for control – are the antithesis of the peace of Christ because the peace of Christ is only available to those who place their trust in Christ. The problem with anxiety, uncertainty, and our need for control is that they want to rule us. And for Christ-followers, there can only be One who rules us.
This simple word – “let” – literally means letting go of our anxiety, uncertainty, and need for control and instead choosing to trust Christ who is our Lord and Savior that Christ loves us and knows what is best for us so that the peace of Christ rules in our hearts.
Finally, if you are a Christ-follower, that we do this is not a choice. The Greek word for “let rule” is in in the imperative. That’s an order!
Let go of:
- all that causes us anxiety
- all uncertainties
- our need for control
Instead, lean into the peace of Christ by trusting that God loves us and knows what is best for us. That’s when Christ’s peace begins to rule in our hearts.
Praxis: Faith in Action 