Good morning! Wishing you all a very blessed one.
Maybe you have noticed, but there is a virus going around. It’s a pretty serious one too. You all know it as Covid 19 or maybe the corona virus. There are a lot of precautions and extra measures being taken to prevent its spreading more.
Did you know there is another virus going around though? It isn’t new and it doesn’t go away. That’s what makes this virus so terribly dangerous. This virus is better known by the name “sin”. This virus takes a multitude of lives every day. It also makes that many people sick, every single day. It can be deceiving because it goes by many names. Some you may have heard are wrong doing, crime, evil, immorality, lust, trespass, transgression, gluttony, wickedness or iniquity. Does it sound more familiar now? After all, some of these things don’t sound so bad, right? There is one thing I didn’t mention in that list though. It is the original and forever sin. It first came in the form of a serpent. Maybe Satan, the devil or Lucifer sounds more familiar. He is the originator.
This virus has many side effects that someone who is afflicted needs to be aware of. Dark things like hate, alcoholism, bullying and prejudice. These side effects ALSO have side effects! Hate can perpetrate death, physical, mental and emotional illness. Alcoholism can bring about physical, mental and emotional abuse. It can also kill the alcoholic. Bullying has caused far too many suicides and is a major destroyer of self esteem which can affect a person for the rest of their life. And what about prejudice? Are we not living witnesses to the effects of prejudice every day?
This breaks my heart to even talk about it, but it needs to be talked about. It can’t become just another elephant in the room.
A man was killed. He didn’t just die, he was killed. He wasn’t just a man, he was a black man. Personally, I don’t care what color he was, a man was murdered. God forgive them, and us, had he not been black, chances are pretty good that it wouldn’t have happened. What has happened since though, is a travesty. And it isn’t the first time.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man that I admired. He demonstrated righteous anger. He led protests against injustice and promoted unity and peace.
There are others, however, that pretend to be campaigning for justice but use it as an excuse for rioting, looting, vandalism and murder. That, like the aforementioned viruses, is contagious.
So, what is the answer? Well, in my humble opinion, the short answer is Jesus Christ. To overcome darkness, we must have light and Jesus IS the Light. Where there is Light, there can be no darkness. As a Christian this opinion will never change.
Jesus is also LOVE. Not love for the white man, the black man, the yellow, red or brown man, but EVERY man (Woman)! We are ALL children of God and we are ALL equal in God’s sight. If it’s good enough for God, shouldn’t it be good enough for us, ALL of us?
I have friends of different colors and it isn’t anything I even think about. I know many others of different colors that are good Christians or at the very least good people. I also know some bad black people. They are out there right along with the bad white, brown, yellow or red people. Evil/sin is just that. It isn’t prejudiced. It will devour all that it can.
Are we taking extra measures and precautions to prevent the spread of this second virus, sin? There will never be another one that can compare to it. If we don’t prevent the spread, it will continue to grow and murder and destroy countless other individuals. Are we really okay with this? WWJD?
Until we begin to see people as just PEOPLE, no matter what the color of their skin is, and love them, how can we call ourselves Christians or even a decent human being? Until we begin to SHARE this love and act like Christians, it is useless. We don’t have to preach or beat them down with the righteous stick. Just love them and let them know where that love comes from, a loving Savior who loves them too. If we would all do this, we could overcome that darkness.
Now, as always,
Pray Unceasingly!!
Lois