Perfect Peace in a Perfect Storm
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Have you ever heard of a perfect storm? That’s when multiple weather elements combine, like hurricane force winds, plus a cold front, plus a downpour of rain. It creates disaster. We’ve been talking about worry, […]
The Power of Prayer
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) The Stoic says: Know thyself The Hedonist says: Indulge thyself The Buddhist says: Lose thyself The Muslim says: Submit thyself The Humanist says: Improve thyself The Modern man says: Be thyself But the Christian embraces […]
Keep Your Cool
“Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything…” (Philippians 4:5–6, CSB) Last week, Paul gave us a counter-intuitive command: Rejoice in the Lord always. Even in difficult situations, we can rejoice because God is in control, and His character is love. Now the Apostle gives us another interesting […]
The Power of Praise
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) Two ladies went into a graveyard to place some flowers and walked around for a bit. Eventually, they came to a tombstone that read: “Here lies a politician and an honest man.” One lady turned to the other and said, “Too bad […]
Worried Sick
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25) This Sunday we will begin a series of sermons on the true pandemic we face in […]
Who Is Counseling You?
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, NIV84) In James’ letter to the church, he is picking up where some of the OT prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea left […]
Position Filled
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:13, CSB) I saw this job opening on monster.com: Position: Executive Assistant Necessary Requirements: Candidates must have an advanced degree in counseling and will be required to live on site. […]
Our Partner
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever…I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” (John 14:16; 18) One of the possible translations of the Greek word paraclete (translated “counselor” above) is “partner.” A partnership is the idea that two or […]
On Behalf of the Choir
“…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:19) What is the secret to sustaining one’s spiritual strength in order to keep on keepin’ on when things get tough? The Apostle Paul describes it […]
Paraclete
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever…you know him, for he lives withy you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Jesus just told the disciples that he would be “leaving them” soon, and they were understandably upset. In his comfort to them, he […]
Happy Dependence Day!
“No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4–5) Americans value independence – freedom from outside control or authority. Our foundational document claims as much: “When […]
With the Transgressors
“It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”” (Luke 22:37) Jesus made this strange comment to his disciples at the Last Supper (Thursday night of Holy Week). What a crazy turn of […]
