During the last few days of this Advent season I have felt a quiet peace settle over my spirit. It didn’t start out that way, tho. Far from it!! The past year I’ve struggled with health issues, a daunting neurosurgery, grief, finances, relationship issues, just to name a few. And like most people, the turbulent world events didn’t do much to calm my fears. As my concern for the health of the people I know and love grew, racial injustice, protests, the country seemingly divided, wildfires, toiletpaper and food shortages, and more natural disasters occurred, I often found my emotions like fear, anxiety, and helplessness started to take over. I…

Has your life become a pressure-packed race, a marathon of dealing with trivial pursuits and inconsequential irritations, distracting anxieties and unwarranted fears?  Could your life be described by the philosopher Thoreau as “one of quiet desperation”?  I think it’s impossible to consider what the Bible says about worry without examining Paul’s message in Philippians 4:6-7.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  This basic approach to worries and concerns will ultimately lead to inner peace. A Replacement for Worry Always replace your worries…

Have you noticed the wide variety in personalities among people today? Some are extremely outgoing, and talkative, while others are shy. For some people the glass is always half full, for others it’s always half empty. While some are optimistic and positive, others tend to be negative, skeptical and pessimistic. Personalities were different in Jesus day as well, including among His followers. Peter, for example was extremely outgoing, positive and optimistic. On the other end of the spectrum was Thomas, whose name is often prefaced by the adjective “Doubting….” Peter Marshall labeled Thomas “the Galilean from Missouri.” Even today some people are extremely positive, and for them life seems filled…

When we trust Christ as our personal Savior, the guilt of personal sin before God is forever removed! As Paul affirms, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1). The Bible uses images such as “Our sins have been buried in the depths of the sea’ (Micah 7:19), “…remembered no more,” (Jeremiah 31:34), and our transgressions have been removed “…as far as the east is from the west.’ (Psalm 103:12) To gain an understanding of the significance of this phrase, picture a globe of the Earth. From the North Pole to the South Pole is a distance of 12,430 miles. Yet the Psalmist…