Arm Yourselves Peter opens 1 Peter 4:1-11 with a single command that sets the tone for everything that follows: ARM YOURSELVES. "So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin." That's striking language. It's military terminology. It conjures up the image of a soldier getting ready for battle, strapping on armor, pickin

The Problem with New Year's Resolutions January 1st just passed. You know what that means. New year, new resolutions, new hopes. "This is going to be my year," we tell ourselves. "Things are going to get better." We make our lists. We set our goals for weight loss, learning a new language, traveling more, reading more. We convince ourselves that this time it's going to be different, that we have hope! But deep down, we're not so sure. Because we've been here before, haven't w