Articles
Sheltered Christians in Hard Times
Right now, it probably seems like life is going one of two ways: stressful with too much time to think about it, or stressful with a feeling of not enough time to think about it. Whatever the case may be right now, the beauty of God is that He always is consistent. He is there to listen to you and help you in the same ways and amounts regardless of time and circumstance. We should be focusing on Him right now, because God and His word are never irrelevant. The same scriptures that applied to the Israelites during their despairing times in exile are as relevant for us during these despairing times. This brings the question of, what are we choosing to focus on?
Are you choosing to focus on anger, frustration, and evil in your life, or are you going to turn towards hope, love and kindness? Some people are choosing to focus on the negatives but as a child of God we must try our hardest to be focused on positives because we are told to act with wisdom. As vessels for the Holy Spirit we are to use our time wisely so that we can be examples and teachers of others. This includes not looking down on the panicked, the frightened, and those who are different from you. No one is above those moments because we are imperfect beings, which is why we have to be more vigilant than ever regarding our opportunities and how we approach them.
But just as God is constant, our opportunities and attitudes should try to be as well. Once this crisis is over, it doesn’t mean our job as Christians should stop. We are supposed to live like Christ to the best of our ability no matter the chaos in the world. We are the light during dark times for others, like God is for us. It just happens to be that there are more people willing and able to listen right now. If we are to spread the gospel to others, we must make sure that our relationship with God is still on the right track. To do this the Bible tells us that our speech must be seasoned with salt and that we have attitudes of appreciation.
We are blessed with the relationships and provisions from others we have each day; they can show us unrelenting kindness and teach us valuable warnings. Are you learning the true value of another’s life and the moments we have in our own lives during this time? Reflect on the values of life and on how you interact with others and God during this time!
Inspired by: Ephesians 2, 3:6, 4, 5:1-21; Philippians 4; Colossians 4:5-6; 2 Kings 20; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
