Col 3:13 Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the uniting bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.
[Part 1 of 3] The Greek term for arbitrate can also be rendered umpire, preside, or be enthroned as a ruler and decider of everything. The arbitrating peace of Christ in our hearts dissolves the complaint mentioned in verse 13. The relative pronoun “which” in verse 15 refers to the peace of Christ. We were called to this peace in the one Body of Christ. For the proper Body life we need the peace of Christ to arbitrate, to adjust, to decide all things in our heart in the relationships between the members of His Body.
Our having been called to the peace of Christ should also motivate us to let this peace arbitrate in our hearts. In this verse Paul also encourages us to be thankful. We should not only let the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts, but we should also be thankful to the Lord. In the Body life our heart should always be in a peaceful condition toward the members and thankful to the Lord. [Continued tomorrow]
Prayer Confession Heavenly Father thank you for this word. Thank you for giving me your peace that presides in my heart. I continue to live a peaceful life manifesting the peace of Christ daily that I may affect my fellow members in the name of Jesus, Amen
