peace to live by

The Word Dwelling Within Us, Part 2 (TMF:2825)

Friday, March 06, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Word Dwelling Within Us, Part 2 (TMF:2825) - Daniel Litton
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       Now what they had, it’s hard to say. We have the four Gospels, but it doesn’t seem likely that they had any of these Gospels. At least Matthew had been written by this point. But they had something, otherwise Paul wouldn’t have told them to let these words so dwell within them. This also goes to show that Jesus’ words are relevant for the church, though, it doesn’t seem a lot of people don’t think that they aren’t. But’s it not that because Christ’s words were spoken to the Jewish Nation that they have no relevance for the church; they certainly do. They are important to us, to all those who are Gentiles in the body. The indwelling of the word of Christ in us, as believers, then is gained from good teaching and even admonishing in all wisdom, according to Paul. Let’s note first of all, that the usage of the word admonish appears to be more along the lines of to counsel or to earnestly advise one another, rather than the idea of rebuking one another. That’s important because it changes how we may see the verse.

The Word Dwelling Within Us, Part 1 (TMF:2824)

Thursday, March 05, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Word Dwelling Within Us, Part 1 (TMF:2824) - Daniel Litton
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       Verse 16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (ESV). Speaking of the spiritual benefits we have received in Christ, we come roundabout back to Christ’s word, really, nowadays, the Word of God, and how we have that for our benefit. As we are aware, Paul talked a great deal about knowledge in chapters 1 and 2. For us now, in the twenty-first century church life, our knowledge of God and of Christ comes to us from the entirety of the Bible. The entirety of the Scriptures. The Colossian believers didn’t have that. The New Testament hadn’t been compiled yet. A lot of it hadn’t even been written by this point in time. But Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It seems almost as if they had some kind of copy of at least some of Christ’s Words—things he spoke about years earlier during his earthly ministry. We know Paul would refer to what Jesus said in his other letters.

And Being Thankful, Part 2 (TMF:2823)

Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Peace to Live By: And Being Thankful, Part 2 (TMF:2823) - Daniel Litton
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       Being in American society, where most of us are already wealthy to a certain degree, at least compared with most parts of the rest of the world, it can be easy to just understand our new relationship with God as having ‘spiritual benefits’ but not much else. Perhaps it has brought us a new church family, but perhaps we were already part of the church when we were saved. For the Colossians, there was no church family before. There weren’t those around with the common beliefs in Christ and the love that brings about for each other. There weren’t the benefits that come from being involved in that group. The average American has many, many churches to pick from, and no real commitment is even required a lot of times. Churches serve people from various different directions. Indeed, for us, it can be easy to take it the sum total of this for granted, and lose the real spirit of thankfulness that we are supposed to have as a church body. And Paul is going to come back to a way to practice this thankfulness in a minute.

And Being Thankful, Part 1 (TMF:2822)

Tuesday, March 03, 2026
Peace to Live By: And Being Thankful, Part 1 (TMF:2822) - Daniel Litton
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       The final part of verse 15: “And be thankful” (ESV). Putting ourselves in the context of the average Colossian’s mind, the whole new religion that has been presented to them, the whole experience of coming to know God, has undoubtedly brought a lot of thankfulness to them. To have come to know the real God must have just brought sheer joy to their hearts, and to be helped along in the all ways they were through Epaphras and the Apostle Paul. For us, as modern day Christians, we probably aren’t as aware of all the tremendous benefits that Christ has bestowed upon us, interestingly enough. Being in American society, where most of us are already wealthy to a certain degree, at least compared with most parts of the rest of the world, it can be easy to just understand our new relationship with God as having ‘spiritual benefits’ but not much else. Perhaps it has brought us a new church family, but perhaps we were already part of the church when we were saved.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 6 (TMF:2821)

Monday, March 02, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 6 (TMF:2821) - Daniel Litton
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       In view of the body of Christ, certainly so. In view of the great truths we have been talking about, that when we treat each other the right ways, there is peace inside our minds. When we are focusing on the bigger picture, when we are focusing on what is eternal, there is peace. When we have this ‘knowledge’ in the forefront of our minds, all that knowledge Paul was referring to in chapters 1 and 2. So that is how we “let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts.” It isn’t that it automatically rules, but we have to “let it.” It will automatically rule if we are acting in the right ways and thinking the right things. But it’s not some mystical state of peace that just settles into our minds and rests there. We have to let it come in. And come in it will, when we, as Paul told the Romans, in chapter 12, are not conformed to this world, but are transformed by the renewal of [our] mind” (12:2, ESV). Notice the word “transformed” and the word “renewal.” It’s something we have to do.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 5 (TMF:2820)

Friday, February 27, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 5 (TMF:2820) - Daniel Litton
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       If we are arguing over the minuscule, pointless things as pertains to the Christian life, as pertains to service times, music in worship, what believers are to wear to church, what positions there should be… things like these, then we aren’t in a peaceful environment. We’ve lost focus of what is truly important. If we have to, it’s best to set aside our own personal preferences for the sake of peace. In fact, there are going to be times each and every one of has to do that in order to maintain an order of peace. In the discussion of this external peace, then, is there in fact an internal peace that comes about for the believer? When Paul said, “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” is any of this ruling actually a feeling of peace for the Christian that he or she can count on in daily life? In view of the body of Christ, certainly so. In view of the great truths we have been talking about, that when we treat each other the right ways, there is peace inside our minds.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 4 (TMF:2819)

Thursday, February 26, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 4 (TMF:2819) - Daniel Litton
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       We “were called” to this peace, then, “in one body.” We learn two things at this point. It’s something that we are supposed to be practicing, note, the higher calling. The peace is a call. It’s not something, again, that occurs without proper actions toward one another, without properly treating one another with the forgiveness and love. It’s a collective call, and one that will fall into place when we are doing what is right. But the second thing we learn is that we are supposed to be “one body.” Just one body, and not two, three, or more. We don’t want divisions among each other, like Paul talked about with the Corinthians, and we don’t want to be treating others as special and others as not, as James referred to as regards wealth. We want to be one body, having one mind, all striving in the same direction. This promotes peace obviously. If we are arguing over the minuscule, pointless things as pertains to the Christian life, then we aren’t in a peaceful environment.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 3 (TMF:2818)

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 3 (TMF:2818) - Daniel Litton
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       He told everyone, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” He also stated that the believers need to put on love because it “binds everything together in perfect harmony.” So with the forgiveness and the love then comes peace. When we are forgiving each other in the body of Christ for any offenses that occur, instead of holding things against each other, and when we are practicing love, helping each other out when the occasion arises, it only makes sense that there would be peace. The two preceding areas lead to peace, but this peace too is something that we have to “let… rule in our hearts.” With the letting of peace rule then must come the awareness that it is present. It is realizing the contrast that we have within the church walls versus the rest of the world. Because we are following God the way we are supposed to within the body, the peace is present. Elsewhere, where proper ways of treating each other aren’t followed, there is not peace. What we have then in unique, and characteristic of Christians.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 2 (TMF:2817)

Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 2 (TMF:2817) - Daniel Litton
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       What is interesting regarding this is that really, if you stop and think about it, we were probably more enemies of God ourselves than he was of us. By that it is meant we were actually the haters of God. It was Jesus, after all, who died on the cross for our sins, who made a way for us to come into personal relationship with God. It is as Paul said in verse 8 here in Romans 5, just before the part we just read, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (ESV). It makes sense that Paul brings up peace in Colossians, and that peace ruling in the believer’s hearts. He just spent the last couple verses in chapter 3 of Colossians examining this whole concept, really. He told everyone, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” He also stated that the believers need to put on love because it “binds everything together in perfect harmony.” So with the forgiveness and the love then comes peace.

Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 1 (TMF:2816)

Monday, February 23, 2026
Peace to Live By: Letting the Peace of Chris Rule, Part 1 (TMF:2816) - Daniel Litton
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       Colossians 3, starting in verse 15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body” (ESV). Before we dive into some of the specifics behind this oneness of peace within the church body, let’s consider a ‘big picture’ perspective of what Paul is talking about. Let’s think about how this peace that we now have, or are supposed to have, came about. And in order for us to do this, let’s look at a couple verses from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, namely chapter 5. Let’s go to verse 10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (ESV). We understand, then, that at one time we were technically enemies of God, back before we were saved, before we were born again.