Living in New Hampshire, Christians often end up feeling very isolated. After all, few congregations of the Lord’s church exist here, so it is hard to have much fellowship with other congregations. On top of that, because of the intense winters, many people become hermits through the winter months. That level of isolation appeals to some. However, there are serious dangers in succumbing to the temptation of indulging isolationism...

Some might despair at what the passage asks of us: rejoicing all the time, even when we’re down; being reasonable all the time, even when we don’t feel gentle or reasonable; being anxious for nothing when we in fact feel anxiety. However, this is an application passage: the application of a foundation. We need to develop a mind set on peace, a mind that is focused on and dwelling on peace of Christ.