Often times when our friends, or family members worry or are anxious, we might tell them “don’t worry, it will all be fine,” or something similar. I read recently that people with a more controlling personality find these type of comments frustrating. In their view, they cannot stop worrying about it unless they know how it is being handled. The solution to reassuring this type of person, according to this report, is to give a reason not to worry. For instance, “don’t worry, I am sure you will get a good grade, because you studied, reviewed, and were prepared,” or “don’t worry about your teenager that is out on his/her own, because he or she is responsible, and is with a good group of friends.” The clear reasons not to worry seem to help.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:6,7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

What he is saying should give all personality types comfort, “don’t worry, ask God and be thankful, knowing that he has it under control. When you do, you will be able to have the peace that trusting God offers.”

Dear Lord, Help us remember that we can give our worries and anxieties to you, and know that you have control over all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The underlying story in the Old Testament is about God’s relationship with the “chosen people,” descendants of Abraham, who we call the Jews.

In the new testament Paul tells us how Jesus Christ impacted this and now the promises God made to Abraham and his heirs are also made to Christians, regardless of their ancestry.

Romans 4:13, “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.”

Galatians 3:29 ”
And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”

Paul says in Romans 4:9, “Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.”

In the same way we are made righteous, “right with God,” by our faith in Jesus. It is this faith that protects us, gives us hope in this life, and gives us eternal life afterward.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving all of us the opportunity to be made right with you through faith in Jesus. Help us always keep in mind that it is this faith that saves us and leads us to do good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Do you get a little nervous going through security at the airport, when you receive a letter from the IRS, or when you see a highway patrol vehicle parked and monitoring traffic speeds on the road? I think it is a rather natural reaction to the significant power these people and organizations have to affect our lives.

God has the most power to affect our lives and he is always watching us. When we think about the significance of that, we can start to feel very guilty and at risk of God’s anger. However, Paul tells us in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

Like strolling through security with no concern, or waiving at the patrol car knowing we are not speeding, we can have peace that God has no reason to punish us, because we have faith in Jesus Christ, who already took the punishment for us.

Dear Lord, What peace and joy we have through our faith in Jesus. Help us live our lives in with this peace on display, so that others can see the beauty of life that you bring to those who have faith and trust in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-17, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.”

And he says in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.”

It would be reasonable then to believe that the opposite of these characteristics “fruit” would go something like this: “The fruit of our sinful nature is hate, gloom, stress, worry, fear, impatience, meanness, dishonesty, harshness, and lack of self-control.”

So when we see characteristics from this second list in ourselves or others, it is not from God.

Dear Lord, Help us model our lives on the example Jesus gave us. The perfect example of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I think most people have used a microscope at one point in life or another, high school science class, or maybe a birthday present as a child. One thing I remember about using a microscope was how important it was to have light on the specimen; a bright light pointing right on it. Without the light, you could not see any of the detail through the microscope.

In a similar way, Jesus says in John 3:19-21, “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Jesus came into the world as the light of the world. Like the microscope, Jesus’ light exposes our sins, and shows us our need for forgiveness. The beautiful part is Jesus also forgives us of our sins when we repent, so that we can live our lives with the peace of knowing we will not face punishment for our sins. Jesus paid that price.

Dear Lord Jesus, expose our sins to us so that we might recognize and repent of them and become right with you. In your name we pray. Amen.