"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Col. 4: 15. Let the peace of God act as umpire, deciding every case. Let it have the ruling power in your heart and life today and every day. Whatever matters may arise, let the peace of God take it in hand and dispose of it. If it shows any resistance, then let the peace of God cast it out.
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col. 4: 6. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Eph. 4: 29. Have a pure speech, made mighty by the grace of God. Be sober without gloom, be serious with cheerfulness. Have such a conversation as is suited to lift hearts to a higher plane. Your words should be such as to make better those you talk with and make them feel that there is something higher for them.
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:16. Time is more than money; it is life. Do not waste it. Improve its golden moments today. Be economical in its use. Many complain of not having time for devotional reading and for prayer, while if they would examine carefully, they would find that they trifle away as much time as would he needed for prayer each day.
"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Eph. 5:21. This is beautiful. Submissiveness is a desirable grace and one that will strew your pathway with peace. How blessed it is to be always ready to give up our way! It is the easy way. We shall find life's way a hard road to travel if we are always wanting our way.
"Be careful for nothing." Phil. 4:6. "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Pet. 5: 7. "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Matt. 6:25. The Christian life is one of freedom from anxiety. Jesus will bear all our burdens, and cares if we will but cast them on him. There is no need to worry nor to bear a load of care. A certain brother was much troubled about not having bread for the next meal. But while he was troubling himself and bearing his load, a man drove up and unloaded a barrel of flour at the door. All the time the brother was troubled, the barrel of flour was on the way. Take no anxiety for future things.
"Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." Psa. 4:4. Each evening in some quiet place and with interior stillness talk with your heart and let your heart talk to you. Take a distinctive view of your inward life. You need to be very careful lest you outwardly appear to be a little more than you really are inwardly.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Gal. 2:20. Is it true? Does Jesus live in you? If you are smitten upon the right cheek, does Jesus then live in you? If you are evil spoken of, misrepresented, misunderstood, neglected, dispised and forsaken, does Jesus live in you then? If you see your brother in need; if you have two coats and he has none, does Jesus live in you then? There are some in prison near you; there are those who are sick; there are those who are thirsty and hungry; in foreign lands there are heathen that know not God,—are you sure Jesus lives in you?
"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I can not perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I can not behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I can not see him." Job 23:8,9. This may be your experience some days. In fact, if you are making progress and at all approaching maturity, you will have such experiences. Some dear conscientious Christians become much troubled because they are not more conscious of God's presence. They do not feel him, and thus they conclude they must be very formal. I have always believed and taught that we should have a consciousness of God's presence with us; I still believe and teach it; but I must admit that the most spiritual ofttimes can not perceive God on either hand. They may fear that they are lifeless, because there is not a fresh and sweet spontaneous feeling in their souls. It seems to them that they merely go through the form of worshiping God instead of being in the Spirit. They pray, but their prayers seem to have no depth of heart. In consequence they may be troubled. They need not be. We are not necessarily lukewarm because we do not feel God. The most humble men are those who are least conscious of their humility. The greatest of men are those who take no note of their greatness. The Christian has life; but when we get in the habit of living, we are not so conscious of life.
Let me illustrate the point in this way: Suppose your weakness to be selfishness. You struggle hard against that selfish principle; you notice that you are becoming more unselfish; you are conscious of it because you have had to put forth such effort to attain it; but after you have gained the victory and have become habituated to living an unselfish life, you will be less conscious of your unselfishness. The musician is not so conscious of his skill after he has mastered the art as he is while learning it. Those who are the meekest and have the most intimate converse with heaven, diffusing a fragrance round about them from their holy lives and seeming to be visitants from some world where there is no sin—these are least conscious of their high spiritual attainments.
Live a holy life, obey the commandments of God, have a will to serve God, and if sometimes you do not feel him nor perceive him, do not be troubled, but consider that he knows the way you take and that when he has tried you, you shall come forth as gold.