In his book entitled Victorious Living, E. Stanley Jones points out that "one of the most important things to learn is to live inwardly relaxed." Essentially this means being a person of peace - a person who remains calm on the inside even when external events become chaotic. Probably all of us would agree with this insight, but Jones goes on to point out in his book that the age in which we live "seems against it." He says, "Its whole demand is high tension, high pressure...high pressure until the boiler bursts." This is why we find many people today inwardly uptight, lacking peace of mind, and frantically overwhelmed with the day-to-day challenges of life. Clearly, a better way is needed!In his groundbreaking book entitled The Overload Syndrome, Dr. Richard Swenson says that "Stress is not the circumstance, it is our response to the circumstance. It is not 'out there' but rather inside us." In other words, stress is something that tends to develop within our own thinking as we react to the various situations that we face each day. Our response to events will either leave us feeling uptight, tense or panic-stricken - like the boiler is about to burst - or, we can respond peacefully, calmly and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why the apostle Paul said to the Colossians, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (3:15).
1 comment:
Great post Bill. I was reading this same verse over the weekend. The amp version says, "let the peace that comes from Christ act as the umpire for every questions that arises in your minds, deciding them with finality." The peace of Christ is the umpire..! Praise God. What a gift...!
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