Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

This is one of those fairly well-known verses that is an encouragement all by itself. But we need to see it in context to fully understand it. Starting a few verses earlier (v. 12), we’re told to “put on…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”. Then we’re to bear one another and forgive others as God has forgiven us (v. 13). Then, we’re told to “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (v. 14).”

Those admonitions can be quite a challenge sometimes, as we take on the character of Christ, especially in relation to others (anyone out there also have a problem bearing with others, and forgiving others?) But as we become compassionate, kind, humble, meek and patient, and as we bear with and forgive others and then reach the point of letting His love flow, there is something waiting for us.

That something is peace.

I have two thoughts on this peace and its placement in this group of Scriptures. One is that this peace—which everyone wants but few know how to get—is what’s available to us as we follow vv. 12-14. The peace isn’t something we can plug into directly. It comes from God when we have cleansed what has clogged up our hearts in terms of letting His love flow through us to others. His peace is “next in line,” a byproduct as it were, as we rightly position ourselves before the Lord by being compassionate, forgiving, loving, etc. Many of us haven’t experienced this peace because we haven’t dealt with the heart issues addressed in vv. 12-14. God is so gracious that in these verses He shows us how to get to that peace, the glorious indirect result of having “done the work” addressed by those earlier verses.

Secondly, once we have “done the work,” we can “let” peace flow. Remember, we can’t work to get peace directly, as that doesn’t work. But once we’ve done what we are called to do and have come to the point of love, there is peace ready to be received from the Lord. Peace is awaiting us, and God wants us to experience it! When we have worked through to love, we can and should “let” that peace come in and rule our hearts.

This whole dynamic is similar to the greatly misunderstood verse, “The truth shall set you free.” The full understanding of that verse comes from understanding what comes before it : “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and [after that, added by me for emphasis] the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32) We have to abide in him and be his disciples before getting the truth, and then the truth will set us free. In the same way, to have God’s peace ruling our hearts, we must first work through whatever it takes to get our hearts right with others. As we walk in His love, we inherit His peace.