There is peace.
There is peace in knowing God. There is peace in knowing that you’re not blindly following a Divine book without supporting evidence from the world around you. There is peace that passes all understanding. There is peace that can only be obtained from God. But it’s not just about having peace during the good times in life. It’s about knowing that even though I may “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) I will have peace because God will “turn the shadow of death into morning” (Amos 5:8). It’s knowing that because God is in control, I can have peace no matter what may happen to me. It’s knowing that peace will be there in the midst of chaos. Before today, I didn’t really have true peace. I felt like my life was in a whirlwind of chaos and stress. Last semester, I found myself overwhelmed with stress. I attempted to find peace but my efforts were fruitless. I was looking in the wrong places. I prayed for peace. I prayed for God to take away my pain, to take away the chaos. But I had to do my part in order for God to do His. I didn’t find true peace until I spent numerous of hours studying God’s word (thanks to a class that I’m taking). I didn't find peace until I intentionally dug into the deep pits of the Bible. I didn’t find peace until I shifted my focus from the chaos to the cross. But I have now found peace. I found it in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have peace in Christ because He “overcame the world” (John 16:33). We have peace because of the promises God gave us. Because Jesus took what we deserve and gave us what He deserved. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial love, there is peace.
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This fall I came back to school early for a two week course. I’m not gonna lie, I was slightly overwhelmed after the professor posted the syllabus. The amount of work and the thought of sitting in one class for four hours a day, five days a week for two weeks stressed me out a little bit (the work load isn't as bad as I thought it would be and we get a coffee break during class). But what really got me stressed out was the specific subject of the class. Apologetics. The defense of the Christian faith.
I’ve tried reading books about the evidence of God’s existence but I felt like a lot of it went over my head. I didn’t understand a lot of the content. I was stressed about this class because I thought that I wouldn't understand any of what would be taught. I thought that I would struggle through this class. I was wrong, granted I’ve only been in class one day (but one day during a two week course is equivalent to two and a half weeks during a regular semester). I’m actually understanding what is taught, I understand what I’m reading in a book (I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be and Atheist, which I highly recommend reading). I think a lot of it had to do with maturity, I can dig into more meat than I could a few years ago. I’ve only just begun learning the importance of studying apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 commands us to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” We cannot defend our faith without a good, solid foundation. How can we truly believe in something if we don’t know why we believe in it? How can we spread our faith to others if we don’t have the evidence to back up what we believe? We can’t be ready to make a defense for Christ if we don’t study the evidences that prove God’s existence. If we’re always prepared to defend our faith, we won’t be as timid to share the Gospel with others. We will be more apt to seek opportunities for evangelism rather than shy away from them. I encourage you to study the evidences of God; it will help strengthen your faith. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about how to study apologetics or if you have questions about the evidence of God in general. |
AuthorMy name is Jennifer Odom and I've been a Christian since October 2011. I'm a 20-year-old junior at Freed-Hardeman University. I hope to speak at several ladies days, become a music teacher, get involved with mission work, and bring as many people as I can with me to heaven. Stepping in Light is affiliated with the church of Christ. Archives
April 2020
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