We know we will end our lives in His arms in heaven. But on our way home, we unlock glory on this earth when we are executing His will for our lives.

The Prince of Peace Isaiah wrote of is Christ Jesus. He did come. And the government does rest on His shoulders. Though the world is full of turmoil, we can rest in peace through Christ Jesus. The battle has already been won, now we work while we wait for Him return again.

Life on earth is a war between focus on the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives and the enemy’s attempt to distract us. As we battle to focus, obey, and follow the Lord’s lead on our lives, let’s focus in on some advice from Paul, and words recorded from Jesus Himself by His earthly best friend, the apostle John.

“God is love.” (1 John 4:16) Through Christ, we have access to His wisdom through the living Word of Scripture, providing us wisdom to practically live out a life of love, over fear. Love is always bigger.

Praying for each other, together, is powerful. Putting on the armor of God daily, both individually and as a community, is powerful. The Bible is not only for individual instruction, for we were meant to live in community with each other.

Choosing to see the good in all of us isn’t easy – it’s not even really a choice – it’s a decision to be obedient to God’s will in our lives and for the world, and allowing the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.

The way we fight our fears in our everyday lives is by running to the Father through Christ Jesus. When we give our lives to Him, He begins to shift our hearts and our perspective. We are able to see the world through His eyes, not the corrupt mirage of the thief.

Many thoughts enter our minds each day. We have the power to listen to the Truth and filter out the rest. Paul is reminding the recipients of the letter – as the Lord reminds us now – how important it is to choose to listen to the Truth of God.

Here are three steps to take to stay calm in chaotic moments.

“I’m proud of you.” It’s a notion we dish out and long to hear daily. But when is it sin? The Bible is clear that it’s ok to encourage and admonish each other and to take pride in the good works of God and His creation. We can be proud to be children of God. But we cross into sin when it revolves around ourselves.

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen” (Jude 24-25).

Daily life ebbs and flows to ever-changing adaptations. The definition of change is to make something or someone different, or replace something with something else. Though we tend to be resistant to change, it’s inevitable. But it isn’t just the circumstances of society which require us to change. Scripture promises we are changing daily in our pursuit of Christ, becoming more like Him every step of the way.

Knowing who God is helps us embrace change. He is the same now as He was from the beginning and will be for all time. Faith in our unchanging God allows us to submit our agendas to His will for our lives. His plans for us are purposeful, and good. Though we are promised hard seasons and suffering on this earth, our trust as believers in Christ Jesus lies in the hands of our unchanging God.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/georgeclerk

He created us specifically to make an impact in the world we live in at this particular time we are living in it. So purposeful and compassionate is He, not only to design us with such specificity, but to faithfully wait for us to turn to Him by our own will. Worthy, indeed, is the Lord God!

“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

The everyday state of the world we live in can easily dismay even the most optimistic and faith-filled person. Though there are miracles happening around us, tragedy gets the bulk of the highlight reel most of us scroll through. The hope we have in Jesus Christ is as real today as it was when the stone rolled away from the tomb and He rose from the dead.

But, in this world, as He promised, we will have trouble. Holding on to the hope we have in Him can be extremely heard …but all things are possible in Christ Jesus. We serve a God capable of miracles, and able to move mountains on our behalf. Today’s verse allows us to bring our focus back to who God is, and Whose we are, by anchoring our hope in three major truths. 

Photo credit: ©SparrowStock

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

The Via Dolorosa, an actual place in Israel, commemorates Jesus final steps on earth before His crucifixion. Translated into English, it means “Walk of Sorrow.” The events memorialized represent the cost of our eternal freedom. Spring is the season we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, but His journey to the cross began before angels sang of His birth on earth. The apostle John wrote:

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

In the beginning, God’s redemptive plan of rescue was already in play. Jesus said He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Christ Jesus exists throughout the entirety of the Bible. The following scenes, marked along the Walk of Sorrow, remind us of the sacrifice Jesus fully felt, and chose to make, on our behalf.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Image/Antonio Ciseri