I recently made a quick trip to the “essential” store to replenish some much needed items. The store had announced that many of their shelves had been replenished overnight. While there, I saw Jesus. He was rapidly filling his shopping cart with as much toilet paper as would fit, and then he began to fill a second cart. Jesus then proceeded to play tug of war with a woman over the last package of tissue. About that time stockmen began to roll pallets of toilet paper, still boxed, onto the sales floor. Jesus immediately began to rip into the boxes forcing the workers to back away in fear for their physical wellbeing. After Jesus had satisfied his “need” for tissue paper he passed out Bible tracts and invited everyone to attend church services with him this coming Sunday.
You are probably already shaking your head and saying, “There is no way you saw Jesus at the store, and if you had, he would not have been involved in such behavior.” And you would be correct. But, during Covid of 2020, I did see people at the store behaving in such an inappropriate fashion who claim Jesus lives in them.
If Christ lives in us, He controls our EVERY thought and action. The apostle Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul is saying that when a person becomes a Christian his, words, his thoughts, his actions are then under the control of his constant desire to imitate Jesus (Eph. 5:1). Did you imitate Christ during the health concern? Would Jesus respond as you did?
Or, did you panic along with the world? Paul taught the brethren at Philippi to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:4-7). Is Paul saying that we should “rejoice in the Lord, be gentle in our treatment of all men, be anxious for nothing, be thankful to God and have peace that passes understanding” unless we are dealing with the coronavirus? Are there times of exception to God’s instructions and promises?
Again, I ask, “Are you imitating Christ even during a health concern? Has your attitude and behavior proclaimed to the world that Jesus controls your EVERY thought and action? Do you truly believe the promise of God that He “will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb. 13:5)? Do people marvel at the peace in your life while chaos abounds in the world? Do people see your response of gentleness and goodness toward others and come to understand, “To God be the glory” (Matt. 5:16)?
Are you “Standing on the promises of God?” or “Sprinting in panic with the lost?”
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