January 19, 2021
Colossians 3:15 Have you ever watched people interacting and thought, “They need a referee?” Maybe you have been in a situation where you needed some principle to help you respond constructively, intentionally, and instead of foolishly, haphazardly, and destructively? Here, we find the umpire for our hearts as we deal with life and others.
Peace of Christ as Umpire in our Hearts – We need to connect with the Jewish concept of peace, which dealt with wholeness and well-being, not just lack of conflict. Also, we might think of the peace of Christ between us and God, the peace of Christ as well-being in our spirit, the peace of Christ between believers, and the peace of Christ with the expansion of His Kingdom, although I suspect the main peace referred to here might be the peace within us and between us. Bringing in the role of an umpire, we might say, let the peace of Christ oversee things; call fair and foul; arbitrate, govern words, actions, attitudes, intentions, and interactions; and enforce for you the “rules of the game.” And, note, this is at the core level – our heart.
Bringing This Into Everyday – The truth is, we have many “umpires” in our hearts, and it helps to know what they are, since they sometimes are at odds with the Bible and Christ’s purposes. Occasions to practice letting the peace of Christ umpire include deciding what to feed our mind on, disagreements about politics, when we are frustrated or in a bad mood, when we have a misunderstanding, and many other times and circumstances. Note here the “one body” connection among Christians and the instruction to be thankful, which I think makes it easier to let the peace of Christ umpire. Who’s your umpire?