Peter concluded his message with the statement that God wants to turn people away from sin in order to “bless” them. This is exactly the opposite of what many believe. They consider God the ultimate party pooper, a kind of cosmic killjoy who wants to turn people from sin in order to make them miserable.

Christians are not to live in isolation. When one sins, there are repercussions throughout the Christian community. When a brother or sister suffers, we are to be affected. Our calling is not to be solitary Christians but to be members of a priesthood.

When was the last time that you felt the sting of conviction for a sin that you may have committed? Did the Holy Spirit gouge you in your gut when you said “that word,” or had “that hurtful attitude,” or let your “temper flare?”

Casting our cares is a choice. It means consciously handing over our anxiety to Christ and allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems. At times this is the most difficult part of trusting God! We don’t like turning over the responsibility for our problems.

Those who, proverbially or otherwise, shake their fists in the face of Almighty God and reject His only remedy for sins are saying the same thing. They would, without hesitation, crucify Jesus all over again. But He will not be crucified again; but He is coming again.

Have you ever had a door slammed in your face? Have you ever said to a door-to-door salesman or to a religious group, “Go away, we are not interested!” If you don’t have Jesus in your heart you will not like what Jesus will say to you someday.