He cares for you!

Dear City Calvary,

This past Sunday, we finished our study through 1 Peter.  As we regularly discussed, Peter wrote this letter to the believers who were undergoing severe suffering and persecution, to encourage them and give them hope.  We focused on 1 Peter 5:8 where the command is "Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you."  Aren't you glad that is what God's word tells us to do with our anxiety, fears, and worries - to cast them upon Jesus!! 

The world tells us, that if we want to deal with anxiety, we are to learn special breathing/relaxation techniques, get counseling, take medication, or even find someone to hypnotize us.  Do any of those work?  One thing is for sure, the world doesn't care about us.  God is different.  His word tells us to cast our cares upon Him BECAUSE "He cares for you."  Jesus cares deeply about each one of us and so we are to throw our worries on Him - His shoulders are big.  How do we cast these cares?  Use two hands - the hand of prayer and the hand of faith.  Take it to The Lord and believe Him that He knows what is best.  It is God's problem and He is the one to deal with it.

What comes next for Sundays?  We are going into 2 Peter, which Peter wrote about four years later, to the roughly same people.  This time, rather than encouraging them to continue despite the persecution from the outside, he warns them about the false teaching that comes from the inside.  It is a fantastic letter challenging the reader to maturity and personal growth, holding fast to what we know from scripture as well as being aware of the false teachers that have made it into the church.  He also reminds us that Jesus is coming back.  The world may laugh about that but our Lord will return at just the right time - make no mistake about it.

This Sunday is our last Summer BBQ.  Be sure to stay after church for food and fellowship with our brothers and sisters.  Invite a friend too.  A new book of the Bible followed by a good burger, what more could someone want?!?

Blessings in Jesus,

Pastor John