Like me, maybe you just want to stop wearing the uncomfortable, hot mask all over the place and have that temperature gun frequently aimed at your head all of the time. And that may be the only reason you are considering the vaccine, but you still habour the gnawing fear that just what is those people are right? Just what if it is the mark of the beast?
It is a shame that for many believers, death is bigger saviour than Jesus Christ. Only after death, will there be rest, or peace, or health, or anything good. Only after the last breath will their minds be at ease from torment, worry and depression. And yet, this false humility in life could not be further from where the truth of Jesus Christ and salvation is.
Of Jesus however, it says in the book of Hebrews that He died as an offering for sin once, and for all. When He was crucified for the sin of the world, it was for all of them; past, present and future. It was not just for those sins committed up until His death. hence in our lives also, when we receive what He has done, the slate of sin is wiped clean, and in its place He writes “Child of the Most High God!” That is now who you are when you receive Him. A child of God. A forgiven, favoured and loved child of God.
John 3:36 says the following; “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” in the King James Version. Verse 16 of the same chapter says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” In both, the simple message we often mess up with additions and conditions is this: for your salvation, all you ever need to do is believe.
There are so many people living in fear today. Some are in fear of the virus, some are in fear of the vaccine to the virus-deeming it the marker of the antichrist. I will not pretend to know how the end-times will pan out.
Way too many people more gifted than I am, more learned than I am and more mature than I am have been wrong before, and many more will be in this season. One thing I do know however, is there is an assurance of salvation in Christ that is not often spoken of. An assurance that precludes the fear of either the virus or the vaccine.
Nevertheless, I have hope. My God is alive-He is not panicking because of either the economy, Covid19 or my chickens which of late had perfected the art of waking up dead. He is not full of anxiety for when my life will become all that He intends it to be-the full measure of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 4 vs 13) and neither should I. After all, as Jesus asked, what can I achieve by worrying?
Around the end of March, my country announced an intense lockdown. I remember being turned back to go home at a police-stop when we wanted to go to buy groceries. It was frustrating, but that was the season. I know jobs were lost in that season, and many were not paid. And that makes even more grateful to God for my experience during that season.
So you have now dared to dream, and it is in black and white on paper. The next step is equally simple, and just as rewarding. Start to move. Begin to take concrete action in the direction of your long term goals and keep track of the milestones you start to achieve on your journey.
Yes, the year has been crazy. Things have not exactly gone according to our perfect plan. And if we look for reasons to be in distress, we will find them. But that does not matter, time that has passed is like spilled milk. We cannot recover it, and in the same vein living in regret is a wasteful exercise.
It is a cliché you will find in every self help book and it is definitely not original advice. It is a monotonous drone coming out of every success planning video you will ever listen to and advice as common as table salt. As boring and as old as the advice may sound, it works. And if you have not started doing this before, you need to start today…