Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: Matthew 8:23-27; Matthew 10:28-31
Matthew 8:26 (NIV) He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?'
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
You've seen those news stories that start to spring up around Halloween. Tales of razor blades in apples and drugs in candy. Well, according to The Culture of Fear by author Barry Glasner, we've been buying into one heck of a collective fantasy. Apparently, there are only two known cases where children apparently did die from poisoned Halloween candy, and in both cases family members were responsible for the deaths! This news comes far too late for a nation where trick-or-treating has all but been abolished. Why are we so scared of our neighbors?
Americans are frightened people. We sleep behind multiple locked doors with guns under our pillows and home security systems on alert. Many times, our neighbors are strangers who we fear. Is this a biblical attitude? Most assuredly not. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read the story of Jesus and his disciples setting out upon a lake in a small boat. Jesus falls asleep in the bottom of the craft, but quickly a storm builds on the horizon. When the wind and waves begin to batter the tiny boat, the disciples become very afraid and wake Jesus, yelling We're going to drown! But Jesus responds, You of little faith, why are you so afraid?
If we are the children of God, it is simply ludicrous to be afraid of anything! As the psalmist wrote, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil (Psalm 23:4). Why? Because the Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm 27:1)! What is the worst thing that can possibly happen to you? Death? Dear friends, Death has been swallowed up in victory! (1 Cor. 15:54). To die is gain. Thus, there is nothing that should hold any fear for you, because God reigns sovereign over all. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life (Matthew 6:27)? When fear begins to strangle our love for our neighbors and our witness, we have forgotten the power of the Risen Christ. The only fear that should drive us should be the fear of our Awesome God.
Is there something or someone in your life that you are afraid of? How does fear affect your witness?
Faith Lesson: When we are overcome with a biblical fear, we do not fear our neighbor, but we are afraid for him!
In Christ,
Bryan Peters
READ: Matthew 8:23-27; Matthew 10:28-31
Matthew 8:26 (NIV) He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?'
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
You've seen those news stories that start to spring up around Halloween. Tales of razor blades in apples and drugs in candy. Well, according to The Culture of Fear by author Barry Glasner, we've been buying into one heck of a collective fantasy. Apparently, there are only two known cases where children apparently did die from poisoned Halloween candy, and in both cases family members were responsible for the deaths! This news comes far too late for a nation where trick-or-treating has all but been abolished. Why are we so scared of our neighbors?
Americans are frightened people. We sleep behind multiple locked doors with guns under our pillows and home security systems on alert. Many times, our neighbors are strangers who we fear. Is this a biblical attitude? Most assuredly not. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read the story of Jesus and his disciples setting out upon a lake in a small boat. Jesus falls asleep in the bottom of the craft, but quickly a storm builds on the horizon. When the wind and waves begin to batter the tiny boat, the disciples become very afraid and wake Jesus, yelling We're going to drown! But Jesus responds, You of little faith, why are you so afraid?
If we are the children of God, it is simply ludicrous to be afraid of anything! As the psalmist wrote, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil (Psalm 23:4). Why? Because the Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm 27:1)! What is the worst thing that can possibly happen to you? Death? Dear friends, Death has been swallowed up in victory! (1 Cor. 15:54). To die is gain. Thus, there is nothing that should hold any fear for you, because God reigns sovereign over all. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life (Matthew 6:27)? When fear begins to strangle our love for our neighbors and our witness, we have forgotten the power of the Risen Christ. The only fear that should drive us should be the fear of our Awesome God.
Is there something or someone in your life that you are afraid of? How does fear affect your witness?
Faith Lesson: When we are overcome with a biblical fear, we do not fear our neighbor, but we are afraid for him!
In Christ,
Bryan Peters
