| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” John 14:27 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Living as a non-anxious person” I was reading an article the other day in the latest edition of “Christianity Today” magazine, and I came across a great line that I liked so much, I wrote it down and resolved to use it myself one day soon. If fact, not only do I want to write about it, but I want this to be true of me. The author of the article was making the case that Jesus enables us to live as “non-anxious people in an anxious world.” What an accurate description of the world we live in today! It is anxious. People are anxious. They are worried and stressed out about politics, the economy, social unrest, cultural divisions, international threats, their jobs, their families, their weight, the score of the last Titans football game, and a thousand other things. People go through life anxious and stressed. But then there are those people who have learned to not be anxious and stressed. I’m talking about those special people who seem to be able to deal with the ebb and flow of life in a calm, unflustered manner. They do take things seriously, but not too seriously. They are engaged, but not obsessed. They recognize problems, without allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the problems. Such a person also has a steady and calming influence on others in the middle of sometimes chaotic and even threatening circumstances. Jesus was like that. Jesus was alert, aware, empathic, and engaged. But at the same time, He was calm, reasoned, unflustered, and completely in control. He was a non-anxious presence surrounded by very anxious people. I want that to be me. I want that to be you. I want that to be all of us. Our world today needs Christians who are able to approach these chaotic and uncertain times with calm confidence and with the absolute certainty that God is sovereign over the events going on around us, and that He is at work in the middle of all this accomplishing His Kingdom-building purposes. Then we need to realize that you and I are His instruments for accomplishing that. God does most of His work in this world through His people. That means that the work He is doing in the middle of all the chaos is being accomplished through His people on-mission with Him in this world. How do we become non-anxious people living in the middle of a very anxious world? Deep discipleship. Jesus was that way and He wants to transform us to be that way too. Tomorrow we will think about one of the primary ways in which the Holy Spirit brings about this transformation in the lives of those who are engaged in deep discipleship. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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