I am not one to express an opinion outside of the biblical arena, but have been asked what I think of all that is happening in regards to COVID-19 and wearing facemasks. If I didn’t work at a hospital and see all I’ve seen especially in the CCU, I would be skeptical about all of it as many are…but I can’t unsee what I’ve seen or give a father back to an 8 and 10 year old or a 20 week stillborn son back to a mom with COVID.

I go out more than recommended (confession) but always wear a mask even though I don’t like to. I do it for the safety of others more than myself as I am often by the bedside of those who have COVID19. I don’t wear it out of fear but because of wisdom and respect for others. I wear it because it brings peace to the person standing 6 feet behind me at the store or the grocery clerk 2 feet away behind their plexiglas shield. I wear a mask because it gives me the opportunity to talk to people face-to-face about the giver of peace in the chaos of COVID and the fear it has brought.

My facemask has allowed me to wait longer in line and talk to people I would have rushed past in the business of my day. For those who have felt shy talking to others…your facemask gives you the anonymity to be bold😁Facemask Evangelism…give it a try😷

Come as You Are

Most of us lose our way several times in life’s journey especially when things don’t turn out as we think they should. It discourages us and lest we forget, our default setting is sin, doubt and defeat (look at David). That’s why our faith isn’t based on feelings or circumstances. Jesus himself said, “In this life YOU WILL face many troubles…” We can known the Word exhaustively but if we don’t allow it to be “alive and active” in our lives impacting our beliefs and behavior (our choice) then again we always fall back to our default setting.

The thing we need to do most, spend time with God, the enemy guilts us into believing God doesn’t want anything to do with us and won’t forgive us so we isolate ourselves from Him. This is the critical point. Are we willing to come as we are and be real with God and ourselves. One thing the Church has done poorly over the centuries is not allowing people to be real. The Bible is all about human failure and our need for a Savior. Not rules over relationsip but a relationship in which the rules are there to guide us and keep us from being hopelessly lost.

Revolutionary

If people don’t see the impact Jesus has had on your life and the relevance Jesus continues to be in your life they won’t see a need to have Him in their life.

I believe that when revolutionary Christians rise up against spiritual apathy and return to biblical accountability it will lead to a spiritual revolution in our personal lives, our families, in our churches, in our communities and in our nation.

What did Jesus Do?

In a cultural climate of tension and hostility towards those of “differences”, thing have not change since the dawn of time. Yet we see that Jesus wasn’t racist against minorities. He didn’t shun the outcasts or ridicule the countercultural: he sought them out pointing them to the Way, the Truth and the Life…to Himself.

A Genuine Life

Genuine is defined as being produced by an original source, authentic and real. A genuine follower of Jesus isn’t defined by what would Jesus do but by what Jesus did. He is the original source and we must allow Him to reproduce Himself in us. Non-followers of Jesus aren’t looking for perfect Christians they are looking for genuine ones who love like Jesus loves and live like Jesus lived. Are you genuine?

Genuine Forgiveness

Forgiveness is based on action and not emotion. We tend to live our lives with our emotions dictating our action, if you don’t believe this see how you respond the next time someone cuts you off in traffic. As difficult as it is we should allow our actions to guide our emotions. When it comes to forgiveness the deeper the hurt the harder it is to forgive the offense. However, the cross is our reminder that we need forgiven and that we need to forgive others. Jesus never told us, If you feel like forgiving…” He told Peter, When someone sins against you don’t forgive seven time but seventy-seven time…a day. Forgiveness is a command and not an option in the life of a follower of Jesus.

The Dash

On most every grave stone there will be the day that person was born and the day they died. In between those dates will be a small dash. That small dash signifies the short time you had on this earth. When our heart beats for the very last time there won’t be a do over. At that point when your funeral is given and someone stands at the podium and tells the story of you, what will they say.

It’s Not About You

lm 6:6(NLT)

I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.

When was the last time something so broke your heart that you wept? When was the last time that happened and it had nothing to do with your life but to someone you didn’t even know? Has it ever happened? Are we so consumed with self preservation that we don’t care about the hurting people not just in horrific circumstances in our world where a picture tells the story but also those all around us who look fine on the outside but are hurting and hopeless on the inside?

Does what breaks God’s heart break yours? Do you even know what breaks God’s heart? Stop. Look around and then look up and ask God to reveal to you what breaks his heart and then be his voice, his touch, his hope and his love to the person or circumstance he shows you.

Taste and See…

If you fed your physical body the same way you fed your spiritual body how healthy would you be? If we are honest, most of us would be severely malnourished. King David tell us to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

My daughter is intimidated when it comes to eating anything green. I think many of us too are intimidated because we think we have to eat the whole enchilada instead of taking one taste and seeing how good God can be. If we bite off more than we can chew spiritually it can be overwhelming and yes, hard to swallow. So start with a taste, then move on to the next course until finally you are able to eat the whole meal.