By David Phillips
Essential
This has become an important word. Only those who provide “essential services” can go to work outside the home. “Essential retailers” are now limited to no more than 50% of normal occupancy. Every person in our state is ordered to stay at home except to perform “essential activities.” Though the Governor issued a partial list defining “essential businesses”, the rules are far from clear. What, or who is really essential?
By David Phillips
Rarely is it profitable or even advisable to sit around in a difficult situation, and wonder and brood about what may come next. But at the risk of sounding repetitious, we’ve never seen anything like this. Our culture has become drunk on freedom and liberty, so when the authorities tell us that we’ve got to stay home except to forage for the barest of necessities, its pretty hard to take. I mean, we’re accustomed to standing in long lines to get OUT of Walmart, but waiting in line to get IN is frustratingly new and different.
By David Phillips
Earthen Vessels
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 4:7
From examining the context surrounding that verse, it becomes clear that Paul is speaking in reference to the work and ministry of the apostles in the first century. He and those who helped him had been called into God’s service from a variety of trades, careers and experiences, fallible men who were entrusted with the great treasure of the Gospel of Christ. Their mission was to share it. In speaking to Ananias, God described Paul in that exact way: …for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel. (Acts 9:15)
By Fenter Northern
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28
SUFFERING has been here since Cain; not just since he ruthlessly murdered his righteous brother, but even before that in his mind. Cain previously suffered the pain of jealousy in his heart over his younger brother’s righteousness which cast reflection on his conduct toward God as being less than excellent which gradually grew worse. Thus, Jealousy turned to envy, and envy hate, and hate vented itself in murder.
By David Phillips
I suppose by now we should be getting pretty good at this. After all, it’s been a couple of weeks since we began getting the orders for social isolation and distancing. I hate to admit it, but it has started to become routine for me – actually so routine that I’m beginning to feel like I need a break from it. Hopefully, we are all letting this change in routine bring a few good things into our daily behavioral patterns. A little more time spent in Bible study and prayer; a little bit of an increase in productivity toward those projects around the house we’ve put off for so long; an increase in positive time with the family.
By David Phillips
If you’ve done as I do in the mornings, glanced at the news headlines, you’ve been treated to the normal Monday morning screams that appear to be designed to make us so afraid of all that is going on that we wouldn’t dare let an hour go by without checking the news. Well, I’m here to advise you NOT to do that. Reality is disturbing enough, without constantly being inundated with someone’s worst-case-scenario view of current events.
By David Phillips
Today is the day many refer to generally as “the day of worship”. Indeed, it is the Lord’s desire and our practice to assemble together on the first day of the week for the purpose of worshiping God and celebrating the sacrifice of Jesus. The early church did it, Acts 20:7, in keeping with the apostles’ teaching, Acts 2:42. At present, on this very day, we are under restrictions from our Civil leaders, forbidding large gatherings such as normal worship assemblies, and the stated reason is so that we may avoid the greater harm of more rapidly spreading the COVID-19 virus. We understand that the virus is particularly dangerous to those who are elderly, those who have been treated for cancer, and those whose bodies are not particularly strong. Most every worship assembly contains a number of those sort of people, so we are not permitted by our government to assemble in our traditional manner, in large groups, to worship.
Normal?
We’re nearing the end of another week of life, and for most people, life looks differently than it has in a long time, maybe ever. As much as we try to be normal, do normal, think normal, many can’t go to work, most can’t gather in a place of worship, and now the kids can’t have a normal conclusion to their school year. Things are just not normal right now.
By Fenter Northern
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Php 4:6
What is the matter with Paul? Sounds purely simplistic when a tough, biting crisis is having its day. If this is to prove the big examining day of our faith, who will make an A? God’s children have faced crises after crises since Eden, dying in them. The dying is not as worrisome as maintaining the grit it takes to live through it. Consequently, when this text comes to our mind in the midst of a crisis as this that causes so much distraction, social disorder, and anxiety, our faith is greatly taxed to live up to its calling.
By David Phillips
Its Wednesday, “hump day” as we say around the workplace; but I already feel an empty spot in my routine for today, because I’m not able to anticipate meeting together with brothers and sisters tonight for Bible Study. However, I have a feeling that we’re on the way out of this quarantine/isolation business. No hard evidence yet, though the President did say yesterday that he wants the country back to business as usual by April 12. At least someone has been bold enough to put a possible date on it. So let me give you some things to think about here at the midweek point.