Colossians 3:15

‘And let the peace of Christ make the decision in your hearts, to the which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.'

Jesus gave to His own His peace (John 14:27) that they may not be troubled, He wrought peace between us (Ephesians 2:14) and He obtained peace with God for us through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). It is this peace in its many aspects which must rule all our decisions, peace with God, peace with each other and peace from God, the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). We must make decisions as those that are at peace with Him and are at one with each other, for this is our calling, to be one body. And as this one body is united with Christ in His body, it is thus right that His peace should make the decisions with respect to it.

‘And be thankful.' In the first place this refers to gratitude to God for making peace with us and giving us peace. But it extends to gratitude to God for all His goodness. It was God's condemnation on the world that it was not thankful (Romans 1:21), and we should dwell in thankfulness (e.g. Colossians 2:7; Colossians 3:17; Colossians 4:2). In his letters Paul expresses his thanks to God over twenty times, and Jesus Himself commended the Samaritan who alone had returned to give thanks (Luke 17:16). Moreover in Ephesians 5:4 thankfulness is contrasted with foolish talking and jesting, it is the positive against which those are the negative. Thankfulness produces a right attitude of heart.