Governor Kemp has lifted his executive orders concerning the Covid restrictions for our state as of Thursday. PTL! We have all hopefully learned and grown quite a bit from the past year’s shut down. If you are not a better Christian at the end of this nightmare, you are not trying. I realize that Covid is still with us, and we will continue to sanitize and be cautious as fervently as we have been. There are always hairpin curves in the road hindering the ability to forecast at a distance. If we have learned anything in our recent past it is that it is a daily walk with the Lord. Tomorrow could be 180 degrees from yesterday. But remember the Bible teaches us that God directs the affairs of men. Covid did not take God by surprise. He is most likely using this virus to sift his people, revealing our true character and integrity, letting us truly see our need and how committed we are to his work and cause. He has allowed this for our good. Romans 8:28 is written for Christians, not the lost. When you look in a mirror, be honest, asking yourself some sobering questions. One of the greatest deceptions is self-deception. Has your commitment strengthened or weakened in the past 13 months? Are you leading your family toward a closer walk with God? Do your neighbors know without a shadow of doubt that you are a Christ follower? Have you made plans to serve the Lord now that the restrictions have been lifted? Has the Lord given you a dream for his work? Is the Bible more precious than ever to you? Are you keeping shorter accounts with God in prayer than before? When was the last time you shared your faith with an unsaved man or woman? Are you living a joyful, abundant Christian life or just plowing through life without the God relationship being what it needs to be? I shared this little truth with my grandson while riding together a couple of weeks ago. It is not new. I learned it when I became a Christian decades ago. To have joy you must have priorities. For the Christian those priorities are as follows:
J – Jesus first.
O– Others second.
Y– Yourself last.
If we are honest about our sifting, taking an inventory of where we are spiritually, that is the first step in a closer walk with the Lord. Covid simply reveals who we are. I emphatically proclaim that Jesus is Lord, not a virus. I intend to live with this truth. Follow me with this same intention.