The world wants to bombard us with negative images and stories. But when we think only about the bad things happening in the world or in our lives, it has a negative effect on our physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Don’t Worry, God’s Got This
Paul told the believers, “The Lord is at hand” (v. 5), and then he said, “Be anxious for nothing” (v. 6a). The Greek word translated as anxious is merimnao, which means to worry about something or to be constantly anticipating that something bad is about to happen. Paul said, “Don’t do that.”
Grace and Peace
We might think it is demeaning to refer to oneself as a slave or a servant, but in the first century, the slave of a high-ranking official often had more influence and authority than the average free Roman citizen. A servant sent in the name of his master came with conferred authority; therefore, to rebuff the servant was to rebuff the one who sent him. As the servants of Jesus Christ, we have been sent in His name, and there is power in the name of Jesus.
ADVENT: OH, HOLY NIGHT!
Studying this, it occurred to me that even when things in our lives can feel like frustrating inconveniences, whether required by our place of employment or dictated by our own government, God has already factored these things into our preferred future. Therefore, instead of complaining (like I too often do), it would be better to excitedly anticipate what God has in store for us next in our journey.
DESPERATE FAITH
Sometimes it can feel like life is squeezing the joy and hope out of us. As we age and our bodies remind us of the effects of the Fall, as friends and family pass from this life, and as the years ahead of us are become much fewer than the behind us, it can be easy to lose hope. But the good news of Jesus Christ is that He has come to restore hope, bring healing, and restore dreams. If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable, but thanks be unto God that the suffering of this present life is not worth comparing with the glory that shall be revealed in us.
God’s Got This!
It is evident from what follows that Jesus was physically exhausted. He was fully God, but He was in a fully human body that required nourishment and rest. It had been a long day of teaching, probably much of the time sitting or standing in the sun, and it was evening now. If Jesus returned to the shore, the people would have been all up on Him, pressing in insisting on healing and deliverance from demons. So, Jesus wisely said, “Let’s take a little boat ride to the other side.”