AN UMPIRE FOR YOUR MIND AND EMOTIONS
by Lemuel Niere
“And the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” Colossians 3:15.
Have you ever had one of those days when there was so much confusion whirling around your head that you felt like screaming, “STOP”?
Everyone has that kind of day. And when you do, your temptation is to either get in the flesh and react to someone in an ugly way or to get depressed, go to bed, and forget about it all. However, you know that neither choice will help you solve the problem you are facing.
Rather than throw in the towel and give way to these emotions that want to get the best of you, why not stop right now and make a decision to let the Word of God rule you today? When I say “rule” you, I’m talking about God’s supernatural peace dominating and governing every negative emotion and situation. If you don’t make this decision and follow through with it, worry, fear, insecurity, doubt, and a whole host of other emotions will try to take control. And there is no worse roller-coaster ride than when you are being knocked all over the place by emotions that are out of control.
Instead, let the peace of God rule in your heart, as Paul writes in Colossians 3:15. He said, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Notice the word “rule” in this verse. It is from the Greek word brabeuo, which in ancient times was used to describe the umpire or referee who moderated and judged the athletic competitions that wrestled so popular in the ancient world.
Paul uses this word to tell us that the peace of God can work like an umpire or referee in our hearts, minds, and emotions. When detrimental emotions attempt to exert control over us or try to throw us into an emotional frenzy, we can stop it from happening by making the choice to let God’s peace rise up from deep inside us like an umpire to moderate our emotions. As we do, we will be kept under the control of that divine peace as it rules in our hearts. When this divine umpire called “peace” steps into the game, it suddenly begins to call the shots and make all the decisions instead of fretfulness, anxiety, and worry.
