You Have More Than Four-Tenths of a Second
Most decisions in life don’t arrive at ninety-five miles an hour. We get more than four-tenths of a second to choose. That sounds easier than hitting a major-league fastball — and it is. But a slower pitch isn’t an easier pitch. A slower decision just gives us a different danger: we have time to reason our way into the wrong answer, to find a loophole, to talk ourselves into what we already wanted. The Bible knows this about us. So when Paul gives the Corinthians and the Colossians a way to make decisions that don’t drift, he doesn’t point them at a rule book. He points them at a person, and a peace.
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
— Colossians 3:15
That is the strike zone for the Christian life: not the absence of conflict, not the absence of fear, but the presence of shalom — wholeness, soundness, completeness. When a decision is inside that zone, swing. When it isn’t, let it go.
Where Peace Comes From
The reason this works isn’t a feeling. It’s an indwelling. Paul, in the same letter, has already named the fuel:
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
A Spirit-of-power Christian doesn’t override her conscience to keep the peace. She lets the peace of Christ arbitrate. If the decision costs her peace, the cost is the warning. If the decision sits inside the peace, the swing is right. Josh took us through three more passages that name the same arbitration in different settings — the weak person who eats only vegetables (Romans 14), the body that “binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14), the thanks be to God who leads us in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). Three witnesses, same verdict: peace isn’t a feeling we manufacture. It’s a king that rules.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
— Romans 12:2
The Pitch You Don’t Swing At
The hardest pitch in baseball isn’t the fastball at ninety-eight. It’s the curveball in the dirt — the one that looks like a strike until it isn’t. The hardest decision in the Christian life isn’t the one we have to make in four-tenths of a second. It’s the one we have time to argue with, time to find a workaround for, time to rationalize until it looks obedient. The Spirit-given ability to self-control isn’t a power-over-others muscle. It’s the muscle that lets a believer watch a thought approach and not flinch. Some pitches are outside the strike zone. Letting them go is the swing.
So What?
Here is the practical test for the week ahead. When a decision lands — at work, in your family, with your money — don’t ask first whether it’s allowed. Don’t ask first whether it’s smart. Ask whether the peace of Christ is ruling in your heart as you consider it. If yes, swing. If the peace drains as you rehearse the option, you’ve been shown the zone. Take the pitch.
And one more. The peace of Christ isn’t solo. Colossians 3:15 puts it inside “one body.” Strike-zone decisions get made inside the church, not just inside the head. Bring the pitch to a believer who loves you enough to call ball.
Scripture References
- Colossians 3:12–17 — Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience; let the peace of Christ rule.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 — God gave a spirit of power, love, and self-control, not fear.
- Romans 12:2 — Be transformed by the renewal of the mind; discern the will of God.
- Romans 14 — Don’t quarrel over disputable matters; honor the Lord in what you eat and how you live.
- 2 Corinthians 2:14 — Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.
- Ephesians 4 — One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith.