Home Fires

There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus
Galatians 3: 28 NKJV

Like most, I watched the events unfolding this past week with disgust and sadness.  Disgust because I saw the video.  I saw the video of the final moments of a mans life choked away by someone who  did not see him as human much less a child of God.  Sadly, that is where we are as a society today.  The death of one George Floyd sparked outrage across the nation, as it should have.  Life is not so cheap that it has no value to a majority of Americans.  I watched the video with sadness because I know all too well the area where Mr. Floyd was murdered.  I lived in Minnesota for over 30 years of my life, and the area continues to hold a place in my heart.  That being said, during my time in Minneapolis, it was definitely understood that there were certain areas of the city where you just didn't go unless you were looking to fuel a addiction or for a porn shop.  South Lake Street was one of those areas.  As I watched the scenes of the unrest in Minneapolis, I realized that not much had changed since I left that city.  Prominent among the businesses along Lake Street were the local liquor stores.  As Minneapolis burned, there was a steady stream of people running in and out of one liquor store or another looting booze.  I guess they couldn't find a electronics store anywhere.  What grieves me about this situation isn't so much the callous nature by which George Floyd died, but how we as a society have chosen to segregate our Lords creation.  Instead of being Gods children, we are now black, white Democrat, Republican etc.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that God has been almost fully removed from our everyday lives.  During the coverage of the unrest in our cities, I heard hardly a whisper of how we needed to remain calm and seek the Lord in this time of grief.  This is where we stand as a society.  I think of the scriptural warnings of what we see happening {Isaiah 5:20-21}.  This is not a race issue, but a human issue.  The truth is that we as a people have more in common than we do our differences.  We are all part of the same lineage and inheritance {1 John 3:12}.  I don't expect others to follow what it is I believe, only that when we look in that mirror we all see the image of Christ Jesus gazing back at us {Galatians 2:20}.

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
1 John 4: 20 NKJV

I read on social media this week the words of a local pastor I know apologizing to his African American brethren for the treatment they have received.  I thought to myself...you hypocrite!  You stand in the pulpit week after week speaking to the fact that we are all Gods children, and then you marginalize His children by segregating them into man made divisions.  I agree that there is evil in racism, there always has been.  Racism is simply mans effort to shove a wedge between ourselves and others.  To hear it coming from the pulpit is pretty disturbing to me.  I am not foolish enough to believe that God stands in favor of segregating His children.  One look into the scriptures will show anyone that God is about our union in Christ Jesus and Himself {John 17:21}.  One of our most iconic scriptures assures us of this by reminding us that Christ Jesus came that ALL might be saved {John 3:16-17}.  It is exactly in times such as these where we need to be reminded of all which we have in common.  Most notably is who it is that we truly are inside.  The apostle Paul assures us that when we look upon our brethren we will never see a division based upon the color of our skin or our own political beliefs.  What we will see is that we all have within us the Spirit of Christ Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  When we have this realization, we begin the process of seeing those around us not by their outward appearances, but by He who is in all of us.  There is no black.  There is no white.  There is only Christ.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1: 27 NKJV

~Scott~

The Lie

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die'"  "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3: 4 - 5 NKJV

A lot has been said of "the fall" in Christian teaching.  That moment when Eve, deceived by the serpent, ignored Gods warning and took of the fruit of that she had been told not to.  It was at that moment where our lives changed forever.  Gone was the identity we once had with the Lord, or so it seemed.  At that moment we entered into a life of separation from God, of constantly trying to gain His approval and to make up for what we had done.  I wasn't there that day, but I still felt the guilt.  Guilty by association.  For if I indeed shared in Adams lineage, then I also share in his punishment.  So, I went through life constantly trying to make up for what Adam had done.  Thanks to him, I was a sinner {Romans 3:23}.  But wait, what if I were to tell you that you haven't been told the entire story about that infamous day?  What if I told you that the lie Satan put on Eve still resonates today in Christian teachings?  This isn't some heresy or anti Christian viewpoint, but simply the part of the story of the fall which we are seldom told.  We may believe that the lie told by Satan the deceiver is true, that we need to spend the rest of our days trying to make up for the mistakes of the garden.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  First off, Christ Jesus came to eliminate that sin debt we once carried {John 3:16}.  I admit that most all Christians know this truth, yet still feel the weight of guilt for their sins.  Why?  Because in our hearts we know that God cannot be in the presence of sin.  Being sinners, we also believe that it is our sins which separate us from God.  This belief works out very well...for the accuser.  Satan is fine with our belief that we are somehow separated from God, for this steals away our Hope.  Now, let me ask you, if you knew someone who constantly lied to you, would you keep on believing them?  Not me.  Yet that's what we are doing every time we believe in the lies of our accuser.  That's what they are...lies.  The truth is, we are not separated from God.  The apostle Paul assures us of this in Galatians where he reveals the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, do you still believe in the lie?

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives; He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

It was difficult for me to accept the truth for some time as well.  I knew that I was a sinner, and that I had a lifetime of repentance to look forward to.  I also believed that God was constantly watching me for whatever sin I might indulge in.  As funny as it seems, this is the teaching I grew up in.  It's also the Christian teaching which is being spoken today.  The tipping point for me came in a Easter Sunday sermon where a pastor I looked up to asked people to confess their sins immediately after preaching on the forgiveness of Jesus.  It all sounded a bit hypocritical to me.  Why would I need to bare the weight of my own sins if Jesus has dealt with that issue on the cross {2 Corinthians 5:21}?  Not only that, but Paul tells us that the sin issue is finished {John 19:30}.  Through Christ, we are now dead to those sins that once haunted us {Romans 6:11}.  What remains is the lie of the accuser which he continues to speak any chance he gets.  You're a sinner!  God cannot be in the presence of sinners!  You are separated from God because you are a sinner!  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It is through the love and mercy of our heavenly Father that we are now one with Christ and the Father {John 17:21}.  It has never been Gods desire to make us suffer for the sin of doubt we showed in the garden.  On the contrary, it is God who brought us to restoration through Christ Jesus.  The lie of Satan claimed that Adam and Eve, after eating of the forbidden fruit, would "Be like God."  In reality, we already were like God {Genesis 2:7}.

~Scott~

Real Life Jesus

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.
Galatians 2: 20 NKJV

Most people cannot fathom what it is that I know.  When I tell them these things that I know I usually get a blank stare.  When I ask believers if they know Jesus, the typical answer is yes.  However, when I ask them if they REALLY know this man Jesus, they hesitate.  For to know a real life Jesus is to admit some things which we as Christians might not be ready to contemplate.  The traditional Christian identity of Jesus is one who is holy, perfect and without blemish.  I get it.  However, what if I were to introduce you to a radically new Jesus?  A Jesus who still held to His traditionally held identity, yet incorporated those traits and behaviors of His followers.  Would this sound like the Jesus you know?  Well, in order for us to understand fully the real life Jesus, we must first comprehend a key passage of scripture.  That scripture is from Galatians chapter 2, where the apostle Paul speaks to the truth of Christ Jesus that he himself had come to realize.  Paul tells us that it is Jesus Himself who lives in us today {Galatians 2:20}.  Now, our traditional Christian teachings tell us the story of how Jesus was tortured, crucified and three days later rose again.  This is where our perception of the reality of Jesus hits a fork in the road.  We're taught that after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven to be seated next to the Father {John 16:28}.  This is the identity of Jesus for all too many Christians.  Jesus remains in heaven, and we are here on earth.  This is not real life Jesus.  Paul understood real life Jesus.  He knew that, even though Christ has ascended into heaven, He remained in him as well.  Not only that, because Christ Jesus now lives in us, He experiences all which we do.  This is the basis of the radically new real life Jesus.

"I have seen two things that cannot reconcile.  A man dead without question, and that same man alive again.  I pursue Him, the Nazarene, to ferret the truth."
~Clavius~

In the movie Risen, the Roman centurion Clavius comes face to face with the reality of post resurrection Jesus.  He had witnessed the death of Jesus upon the cross, and was astounded to see Him alive once again.  Although a Hollywood adaptation around the events of the death of Jesus, this is a good illustration of the reaction many Christians have when confronted by a real life Jesus.  We see, but we also find it difficult to believe as it goes against the grain of all which we have been taught about Him.  So, what would think if I told you of a Jesus who made mistakes, farted on occasion and often lost His patience?  Would you be able to believe in such a idea of the Son of God?  Jesus making mistakes?  Jesus losing His patience?  How can this be?  As I said, the key to understanding the radical real life Jesus begins with Paul's scripture in Galatians.  For if we are to believe that Jesus indeed lives in us, then we must also accept the idea that He incorporates into Him all that we are.  We must agree that all of our faults, whatever they might be, have now become part of the identity of a real life Jesus.  Now, I know for a fact that Jesus, being human as well as the Son of God, must have displayed more than a few of those awkward human behaviors while He walked the earth.  I have no doubt that Jesus was teased, insulted and often tempted by women and drink.  After all, He was human as well.  A good thing to remember is that while Jesus was tempted by these, He never gave in to those temptations.  Knowing this, I find the identity of the real life Jesus to be all that more acceptable.  I know that Jesus is in me, and I also know that He shares in all that I am.  It is Jesus who loses His patience, gets angry and at times uses some colorful language.  If I believe that Christ is in me, then I believe that He shares in all that I am.  Jesus is not separated from me, as traditional Christian teachings tell us.  He is all that I am.  That is the real life Jesus.

~Scott~    

Prerquisite To Jesus

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9: 7 NKJV

There is a common phrase among Christian church elders these days that each time I hear it makes me cringe.  Give until it hurts.  That's right, give to the local church or ministry until you have nothing left to give.  So, what will happen once this is accomplished?  Will we in turn be blessed that much more by a God who is keeping score?  Are we now competing for our Lords favors?  I believe that the apostle Paul would have found such practices cringe worthy as well.  It is Paul who tells us in Ephesians that our salvation is based "not of yourselves," but as a gift of God.  Therefore, there is absolutely nothing we can do to alter our salvation situation.  Once we have it, it's ours to keep.  God has never been a Indian giver.  Also, there is nothing which we can do to earn this gift from God, for it is given out of His love and mercy for His children.  Knowing this, why is it that we continue to try to curry Gods favor as if He needed anything from us {Acts 17:25}?  Everything which we have or will ever need has Gods fingerprints all over it.  We are nothing without Him.  And yet we continue in our quest to make ourselves into something we are not.  That is, separate from God.  So, why is it that we claim that we need to give to the Lord until it hurts?  Is this something God has instructed us to do?  Has the Lord indeed said "Give me all you have and you can make it on your own?"  I will never believe in a God so uncaring as that.  The basis of these outrageous claims, I'm afraid, is ourselves.  That's right, we staked claim that man should give until it hurts.  We put forth this prerequisite to the Lord.  And it doesn't end there, we also require attendance on certain days to certain functions.  We require worship in a certain way.  I even saw a church which was selling tickets for attendance to its services!  Is this something Jesus would require of us?  What has Jesus required of us?  I'll tell you what Jesus has suggested...believe {John 14:1}.  And not only that, but confess His truth as the Son of God {1 John 4:15}.  Jesus does not tell us to give until it hurts, or that we somehow need to pay the price of admission in order to worship Him.  That's all our doing.

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."
Acts 17: 24 - 25 NKJV

Yes, the God who breathed into me the breath of life requires not a thing from me {Genesis 2:7}.  How do I give something to He who created all things?  I've said that it is we who have created this narrative that we somehow need to be on the giving end when it comes to God.  One good way that we enforce that narrative is by good old fashioned compulsion.  We compel believers into doing what it is we desire.  All in the name of God.  We compel people into worship, tithing and church attendance.  To break from this would certainly bring about the Lords vengeance upon the guilty party.  Does this sound like the God whose very nature is that of Love {1 John 4:8}?  Is it any wonder why our church congregations are getting smaller?  A faith based on compulsion is not faith at all, but simply following orders.  I do not see myself as a robot of the Lord.  I was created with the freedom to choose.  I believe that God did this for a reason, so that we who believe would never do so out of compulsion.  I believe that God desires true love from the hearts of His children.  He never needs to tell us to follow Him, we just do.  He has never put it upon our hearts that we must believe.  We do this knowing that it is He who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  There is no prerequisite to Jesus.  I know who He is, and I know that He is in me.  In turn, I will worship and commune with others in His name whenever I choose.  That is freedom in Christ.

We love Him because He first loved us.
1 John 4: 19 NKJV

~Scott~

You'll Be A Man

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor common friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a man, my son!
~Rudyard Kipling~

The conversation was a good one.  Talk of where it is that all the Christian men had gone.  It's a question I've heard more and more recently not only from broadcast pastors, but from friends who remain in the institutional church.  Now, what makes for a good Sunday sermon is not always a good thing.  For we need that Christian man, and all of the strength and virtue he embodies.  As I wrote in my last post, in order for us to locate the Christian man, we first need to define what it is that a man is.  The poet Rudyard Kipling seemingly did a good job of this with his classic poem "If."  Kipling goes through more than a few attributes one might come up with to describe what being a man involves.  Yet, I think that it goes deeper than that.  If we're looking for the idea of a Christian man, I say that we begin with the one who defines what a Christian man truly is.  That man being Christ Jesus.  I believe that we can look to Jesus for all that we need to know about being a man.  Jesus was indeed a man, one whom few had ever seen before.  For even in His own time, the example which Jesus gave of manhood ran contrary to the society of His day.  Mercy?  Love?  Certainly these were not the attributes of a man in the Jewish culture.  If you don't believe me, then just take a look at the example of manhood which Jesus was left to follow and learn from.  We're told that Joseph was indeed a godly man {Matthew 2:19}.  We know that Joseph was a carpenter by trade, and that he more than likely passed these skills to a young Jesus.  However, I believe that it wasn't just these skills which Joseph passed to his son, but his knowledge of what it took to be a man in Jewish society.  Who would know more about being a man in those times than Joseph?  It is here where a young Jesus learned many vital lessons.  We know that Jesus, being a son of Joseph, carried His fathers DNA within him.  This includes not only physical characteristics, but thoughts and attitudes as well.  One can look upon Jesus and see His father in Him.  We also share in that heredity of the family of Christ Jesus.  The apostle Paul assures us of this as he explains that it is Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Therefore, we cannot see ourselves without seeing Jesus as well.

"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."
Galatians 2: 20 NKJV

I dare say that, contrary to the complaints from those around me, that the Christian man has never been lost.  No, we simply did not see him for who he truly was.  And who is it that we really are?  What is that identity which we stand behind?  Are we simply bodies of flesh and other organs within?  If so, then we have no room inside for Jesus to prosper.  I believe that we are more than the flesh vessel which we exhibit each and every day.  In other words, our bodies have never defined who it is that we truly are.  What defines us is He who lives in us.  Jesus is who we are, He always has been.  From the moment that God breathed into me the breath of life, He was a intimate part of me {Genesis 2:7}.  Jesus is connected with everything I do and experience.  Paul knew this as well.  Now, are we to believe that simply knowing who we are is the prerequisite to being a man?  I would not venture to make that statement.  However, I do know from personal experience that knowing who we are in Christ Jesus is a vital component to our ascension into manhood.   We cannot discount someone being a man simply for showing the love and compassion of God any more than we could say that Jesus was never a man.  For it is through His children that the world will see the glory of God.  It is through us that Christ Jesus will be revealed to those around us.  So, along with the many attributes we associate with manhood, we can add to them the love and mercy of Christ.  Being a man entails many attributes which we ourselves have created.  We look at a godly man and immediately decide he is not worthy simply because he does not live up to our standards of manhood.  The Christian man has never been gone, we simply didn't know where to look.

~Scott~

Man Down

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1 Corinthians 13: 11 NKJV

There comes a time in life when we, as children, move on to adulthood.  It's a natural progression of life...for most people.  Gone are those days of acting and playing as children do.  Suddenly, our lives are opened up to something altogether new...responsibilities.  I think back every so often to what my days used to be like when I was younger.  A time when things like paying bills, work and thinking of someone other than myself never even existed.  Of course, back then that all seemed normal to me.  Why do I reminisce about those long forgotten days?  Well, it seems that that these days there is growing concern that there are some among us that missed the boat when it came to graduating into adulthood.  In churches across the country the cry goes out...where are the real men among us?  I will say that this is not simply a Christian issue, but one we as a society have been facing for some time.  Before we can answer the question of where a real man is, we must first define what we expect a real man to be.  So, what is a real Christian man?  Well, Christian author John Eldredge spoke to his idea of the new era of Christian men in his popular book Wild At Heart.  In his book, Eldredge speaks to  men of God doing men things.  He popularizes the idea that men were made for adventure, for rough and tumble play and living.  According to Eldredge, every man carries within him the desire not only for adventure, but for a female to rescue.  Now, many people may think right away of men living out a cowboy movie, but there may be some truth to where John Eldredge was attempting to lead us.  For I can remember walking through the woods behind my childhood home with my rifle in hand stalking my enemy as I struggled to make it back from behind enemy lines.  However, in my case, the rifle was a stick I found and my heroic assault usually lasted about as long as it took for my mom to call me home.  John Eldredge may say that I was doing what I desired to do.  For me, I was simply doing what kids have been doing for thousands of years.  Be it stalking a enemy or playing sports, kids around the world do what they do.  That's the life of being a child.

No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.
Mark 3: 27 NKJV

The question of what makes a man is one that has been with us for as long as men have been living.  Of course, along with that came different ideas of what makes a man.  John Eldredge was one of those ideas.  When I was growing up, my idea of a adult man was one who came and went as he pleased, smoked his cigarettes and commanded the respect of those he met.  That was my dad, and how I began to see what I needed to become a man.  There's no doubt that many of us get our own images of being a man from our own parents, and I was no exception.  But what happens when that image is no longer around?  Who is your model then?  Thankfully for me, I had a few more role models left to emulate as I grew up.  However, if this were indeed the end of the story, then we wouldn't be facing that question in our churches of just where the Christian men are.  So, where are they?  Well, I believe that many a man has been hijacked by a political agenda over the years.  I still get more than a bit of pushback when I gripe about the affect on the American male since the emergence of the women's liberation movement of the 1960's.  Where men were accustomed to leading, providing and being who men were, the switch was now flipped where being a man was a bad thing.  Suddenly, men were brutal, chauvinistic and violent.  Now, I admit that there are those who have never outgrown their childhood, but to classify all men in this way is dangerous.  The end result is that you now have a generation of men confused about their role in life.  Do they embrace the traditional role of men and take the lead to provide for their families?  Or, do they simply step aside and allow women to fill that role?  Well, from what I've noticed, our attempts to bring equality to our ranks have left us with some undesired consequences.  And do we really need to "create" that equality?  We're told that God has breathed into each of us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  We're told that God also created both male and female in His very image {Genesis 1:27}.  Instead of wondering where all the men are, we should be asking ourselves where the men in Christ Jesus are.

~Scott~        

The Trail Of Tears

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8: 1 NKJV

In these times, many churches have been forced to resort to online services in order to remain connected to their congregations.  This week I happened to come across one of these video church services conducted by a acquaintance of mine.  Now, this seems to be a popular church, with a steady group of followers.  However, as I watched the service I began to wonder just what it was that draws people to such a scene.  For the most part, I saw more than a few people crying instead of the usual service I'm accustomed to.  Granted, I've been away from the church for some time so perhaps this is the new normal?  Are we to now come before God in sorrow?  What happened to joyful praise and worship?  The trouble is, I see this more and more often recently.  Sorrowful, sad Christians walking through life wondering what it is that they have done that their lives would be in such tumult.  It is here where I believe that we will find what we are looking for.  See, I used to be among the church going crowd as well.  I walked into church on Sunday as took my place among the followers of Jesus.  I put on my smile which, I hoped, would tell everyone that I was rejoicing in the Lord.  The trouble was, more often than not I was just like those people in the video church service, unhappy with how I was.  Almost in tears that once again I was unable to live up to that standard which Christ Jesus had set for me.  Yes, He died in my place to wash away my sins, but each and every Sunday I walked into church knowing that I had failed Him once again.  How could I not be anything but unhappy?  I see this in a lot of unhappy Christians these days, worried that their sins will somehow prevent them from experiencing all the happiness which a life in Christ Jesus has to offer.  Will we ever reach that point where we can rejoice in Him instead of crying through our sin?  I did.  It wasn't that I grew tired of being unhappy most of the time, although that had a lot to do with it.  What opened my eyes to my own unhappiness was beginning to see Jesus for who He was.  And, in turn, seeing myself for who I am.

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

What made me look deeper into who Jesus truly is was a pastors sermon.  One Easter Sunday I sat in church listening to the same old story of how Jesus died on that cross and rose again three days later.  However, it's what the pastor said next that forever changed me.  After the sermon, the padre asked that if there were any among them that felt they had sins to confess that they could come forward and be forgiven.  In that moment, all that I had been taught about Jesus seemed like a lie.  How is it that I could have ANY sin remaining if Jesus had given Himself to wash away my sins?  How is it that I could have any sin remaining if Jesus had become sin at the cross{2 Corinthians 5:21}?  This was my Jesus aha moment.  I began to realize why I had been unhappy in my faith.  I had been seeing Jesus in the wrong light.  I was not following a someone who was far removed from me, as I had been taught for so many years.  No, the Jesus I am following is closer to me than I ever would have known.  It is this Jesus who lives in me {Galatians 2:20}.  How can I ever be unhappy knowing that I and Jesus are the same {John 17:21}?  How can I be anything but happy knowing that I...am Jesus?  It is Jesus who removed sin from my life, knowing that He would replace it.  I am no longer bound by the guilt and shame of a life of sin apart from God.  THIS is the truth of Jesus that I have discovered.  I will never believe that God means for any of His children to live a life of unhappiness and sorrow.  What I do believe is that He will bring us to that place where we will see the truth of Jesus for ourselves.

~Scott~    

God Intentions

That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith of both you and me.
Romans 1: 12 NKJV

There has been plenty of talk lately among Christians and non Christians alike as to why God would allow such a season as we are experiencing.  Keep in mind that, as followers of Jesus, that we were never promised a easy time in life.  On the contrary, Jesus predicted just the opposite for us {John 16:33}.  We can expect to experience more than this current crisis that's for sure.  One question I get a lot from people who know my faith is, what is God doing?  I refuse to ask Him that question.  His ways have never been my own ways.  The question I will ask my Father is, what are you trying to show me, Lord?  I feel that our question gains a bit more validity when we approach it this way.  So, what is it that God is doing through all of this?  Well, I wouldn't be at all surprised if He wasn't trying to introduce Himself to a wayward culture.  However, one response I got the other day surprised me.  Perhaps God is using this situation in order to bring people together.  Maybe.  My dear friend who continues to remain nameless even stated that God had used our current situation that he might be connected with his neighbors.  Sounds good, if you want to believe that.  As for myself, I'm skeptical of this line of thinking.  So you think that God is using this situation to bring you closer to your neighbors?  Well, your neighbors were there before the virus arrived, where were your neighborly ambitions then?  I can speak all day long that God is using this situation to bring me closer to others around me, but what was I doing before it began?  There are people around me that I could be acquainted with, if it wasn't for my hermit gene.  Yes, it is totally within our Lords abilities to draw us closer to those around us, and perhaps He will accomplish that for you, but to make that His sole purpose for our current situation?  I'm not buying it.  What makes this a interesting situation is that we who are followers of Christ have a unique access to the Father.  The apostle Paul assures us that we have Christ Jesus within us {Galatians 2:20}.  Therefore, we have a line of communication with Him, if our ears will hear.  I prefer not to think of it as talking, but more along the lines of meditating or contemplating.  We have Christ in us, and we know His voice.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life (life for a season), and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand."
John 10: 27 - 28 NKJV

Honestly, since this entire situation began I have not approached God too many times with questions as to why He would allow such a horrible situation.  Why?  Because I know that I can trust Him to do what is best not only for me, but for others as well.  I'm not foolish enough to believe that God is somehow punishing a unrepentant nation.  That's old testament jargon and it sucks.  We are assured that God, our heavenly Father, is love by His very nature {1 John 4:8}.  I refuse to believe that God would love me enough to provide for my salvation just to bring me to a point where He can punish me.  So, why is it that God has allowed us to go through this situation?  That I'm not sure of, but I know that you will most likely get different answers from different people.  What is your view of God?  Do you see Him as a far distant overseer watching over whatever bad things we might do?  Then you might just believe that God is punishing our nation for whatever evil or wickedness we've done.  If, like me, you see yourself as a extension of Jesus who is in you, then you may have a different take on this entire situation.  For I do not see God as a punisher, but as a loving Father.  Did we always agree with the decisions our own fathers made?  No, but we could be assured that they were meant to uplift and teach and not to condemn.  A good father will do that.  So it is with God.  Whatever our minds tell us about the sin issue, He took care of that as well {Romans 6:11}.  So it is that I believe that God is not punishing our nation for its sins.  We might disagree as to why our heavenly Father chose this time to bring about this situation, but we can certainly agree that His love for His children is without end.

~Scott~

A God For All Occasions

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Romans 5: 8 - 9 NKJV

I was thinking the other morning about the many characters of God.  That is, how it is we see God through many different situations.  We have a God of love {John 3:16}.  We also, believe it or not, have a God of wrath {John 3:36, Matthew 10:28, Ephesians 5:6}.  For some time I have referred to this view of our Lord as having a God for all occasions.  We may feel kindness towards others, so we justify this by showing the compassion of Jesus.  However, there are certainly those times when we will throw compassion out the window and our hearts burn with anger towards someone or something.  It is in these moments when our thoughts may turn to another side of God, to His character of vengeance and wrath.  I've known many a Christian who utilized both in their dealings with others.  I recall a friend who would commonly refer to those absent from their pews on a Sunday morning as "inviting Gods anger" upon themselves.  I've also been in many a conversation with fellow Christians who have tried to pass off negative circumstances in my own life by claiming that God was somehow angry with me.  This belief is at the very heart of a mistaken view we may have when it comes to God.  See, popular Christian theology has taught us that God is somehow separated from His creation.  God is seated on His throne is heaven, while we are stuck here in a fallen world.  And God isn't alone, as we're told that after His resurrection that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the Fathers side.  The negative spinoffs of this teaching are numerous.  Many church leaders attempt to justify this teaching with claims that God cannot be in the presence of sin.  And, since we all have sinned {Romans 3:23}, that God cannot possibly be in the presence of His own children.  Therefore, Jesus and the Father sit in heaven judging our behaviors from afar.  Judging our behaviors?  Well, how else would you explain the God for all occasions to Christians who didn't know any better?  When things are going good, God looks down on us and is pleased.  However, when we screw up, which we're sure to do at some point, Gods kind nature suddenly turns to one of disappointment and anger.  So, which God do you serve?

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 8

So, is there indeed a God for all occasions as we have been taught to believe?  I would say no, and here's why.  We know from scripture that it is Jesus who never changes {Hebrews 13:8}.  We also  know that if we have seen Jesus, then we have seen God as well {Hebrews 1:3, John 14:9}.  Therefore, Jesus is the same today as He always has been.  There is no shadow of turning with Him.  If Jesus loves us today, then He always has.  If He cared enough for us to give Himself for our sins, then His compassion for us remains today.  That's how it works.  The God that lovingly created me all those years ago loves me to this day.  Now, what about that "other" side of God?  Well, I will agree that I believe that God does have that nature in Him.  The scriptures tell us this.  However, does He actively use that negative nature?  I don't believe so.  See God, along with being the creator of the universe, is also the very embodiment of all that we are.  We carry Him within us.  It is God who breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  The apostle Paul also tells us that it is Christ Jesus who lives through us {Galatians 2:20}.  Within ourselves we carry the very DNA of God.  Whatever He is, we are as well.  So, knowing that, do you have a negative side to you?  I know I do.  Are we to believe that we would only share in the positive attributes of our creator?  I don't think so.  That anger which we all too often exhibit to others is also present in God.  We are all He is.  The beautiful thing with God is that, although He possesses a negative side to His nature, He chooses not to exhibit it.  I wish I had that level of self control.  I do not believe that we serve a God for all occasions, but one who carries us through each situation in His love for us.  We shouldn't see our negative feelings as a burden, but as a extension of God who lives in us.

~Scott~        

Making God

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  "Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."
Acts 17: 24 - 25 NKJV

I won't be in Gods house this Sunday.  Well, not the house most people associate with Him.  I won't be sitting in a favorite pew, nor will I be listening to some pulpit pounders sermon on how I need to repent or face Gods wrath.  Been there, done that.  Like most, I will be forced to remain at home and watch a worship service online if I choose.  I have to say, I'm not missing much.  I watched the news this week of many a pastor lamenting the fact that they could not tend to their flocks in their local church.  One padre even went so far as to claim that "Gods house" had been ordered closed for the time being.  I thought to myself, how arrogant can this man be?  Yes, you may have used brick and mortar and congregation funds to build your ornate temple, but it IS NOT Gods house.  I guess I cannot blame them for referring to the church in such a way, as we've been doing that for years.  Some people, myself included, may have wondered as to why some people refer to it as the "Institutional church."  Well, the reason for this is that our churches and our church traditions are all created by man.  That's right, somewhere along the line, someone came up with the idea for a church service and put it into practice.  Needless to say, this has never been something God has suggested we do.  Now, don't get me wrong, I believe that meeting, getting together in His name is something we should never forsake.  For some time, I gathered with a small group of men each Sunday at a local fat food joint for coffee and talking about Jesus.  There was no sermon, offering or praise and worship music, but I know that Jesus was there among us.  God has never been impressed with the best looking church, he who gives the most or sings the loudest.  This is not a competition for His favor.  If it were, then I may just finish in last place.  For I have never built a brick and mortar church, spoke a sermon or led a praise and worship service.  All I do is show up, rejoice in His presence with a few friends and then leave.  Yes, there may be more than a few pastors out there who will say that I am backsliding, but I disagree.  I'm rejoicing in the freedom I've found in Christ Jesus.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.  And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Colossians 2: 13 - 14 NKJV

I believe that something Christians need to understand is that we do not create God.  See, God created us, it doesn't work too well the other way around.  How are we creating God, you say?  Well, each time we have the arrogance to claim that the buildings we create are somehow "His" house, as if God Himself chooses to only dwell there.  The apostle Paul spoke to this to the Greeks in Athens when he proclaimed that God "Does not dwell in temples made with hands" {Acts 17:24}.  I'm thinking that more than a few pastors today need to hear that message as well.  I think of the underlying message in using the phrase "Gods house" to describe ones church.  So, are we then claiming that God dwells only in this building?  We must be, or we would describe our church as "One of Gods houses."  I believe that a better phrase would be something along the lines of, "Where we gather in His name."  However, I'm thinking that would be too much to write on a billboard.  So, if God does not dwell in temples made with hands, where does He dwell?  Simple, God dwells in us.  When Jesus spoke of the church He was not speaking of a building, but of the people who believed in Him.  We are the church.  Paul spoke to Gods dwelling place in Galatians where he acknowledges that it is Christ Jesus who lives in him {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing that Christ is in me, I can confidently say that I AM GODS HOUSE.  Not only that, but He dwells in all of who believe and trust in Jesus.  It is Christ Jesus who is the head of the church of God, that all believers belong to.  We are one body together, but members of one another {Romans 12:5}.  God does not dwell in temples made with hands, but in those whom He created.

And He is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1: 18 NKJV

~Scott~

Paying Our Dues

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
Philippians 1: 29 NKJV

Growing up I was taught that I could not be a Christian and be happy and content.  See, I was always suffering at one thing or another for Jesus' sake.  Now, while I agree that we will indeed have persecutions and troubles in our Christian lives, I don't believe that we are any different from those around us in that category.  Simply put, everyone eats at the same trough when it comes to trouble in life.  Of course, this also doesn't mean that each and every Christian should walk around with a dejected expression all the time because that would suck.  What we, as Christians, can do is come to the realization that we do not need to be uncomfortable in order to somehow have that connection with Jesus.  Yes, Jesus suffered, but I am willing to bet that He was not miserable all of the time either.  I believe that there were many times where Jesus laughed, joked and generally felt good about His life.  Why would it be any different for us?  I believe that many of our misconceptions about Jesus come from the church teachings that Christ Jesus is somehow separated from Gods children in some way.  We're taught that Jesus was persecuted, died on the cross and rose three days later to ascend into heaven where He sits by the Fathers side.  I do not dispute this.  What I do dispute is the false narrative that Jesus is somehow removed from our presence.  The apostle Paul spoke to this when he recognized a crucial truth about Jesus...that Jesus lived in Him {Galatians 2:20}.  Yes, we're told that there is that separation between ourselves and Christ, but this does not fit into our Lords plan.  It is Jesus, in His prayer in the garden, who expressed His own desire that we would be one with He and the Father {John 17:21}.  See, I believe that it has never been Gods desire that we be separated from Him.  However, I also believe that it has always been mans desire to teach this broken theology.  We're taught that Jesus could never be in the presence of sin, so we suffer along simply trying to "be like" Jesus.  Well, Paul tells us that through Christ Jesus that we are now DEAD to that sin which once enslaved us {Romans 6:11}.  The sin roadblock has been dealt with by Jesus Himself.  What remains is Christ in us.

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.
2 Corinthians 4: 8 - 10 NKJV

I don't know about you, but I'm glad that I came to the realization that Jesus lives in me.  I no longer need to live my life wondering if there is anything more I can do to be more like Him.  The truth is, He was in me all along.  It is God who breathed into me the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  From my very first breath, I have had the very DNA of my heavenly Father in me.  And, if the Father is in me, then Jesus is in me as well {John 18:8}.  This is the truth of Christ Jesus that Paul spoke of in Galatians.  This should make each and every follower of Jesus very happy.  Sadly, that's not the case at all.  We are assured not only that Jesus lives in us, but that death now has no hold upon us.  For through Christ Jesus, death has been defeated once and for all {Romans 6:9}.  I no longer look at death as the end of the road, but as a continuation of my being in Christ.  This, indeed, should make all followers of Jesus happy.  So why aren't they?  Well, when your understanding of Jesus is based upon a failed theology, that will happen.  How can people have a happy outlook knowing that they will never be close to Jesus, will always be guilty of one sin or another or that they somehow might lose their salvation?  By the way, none of that is true.  Christians should be dancing in the streets with the happiness and joy of Christ, but they don't.  I get it.  I was once one of those sad Christians.  With each bad situation, I wondered why God was doing this to me.  Was I really that bad of a person?  One of the most ignored truths about Christianity is that God does not punish us...we punish ourselves.  We beat ourselves up with our belief that God is upset with us.  We punish ourselves with our belief that we will never be close to Jesus.  All of this is more than enough to make someone unhappy and dejected.  Like watching nothing but CNN over and over, eventually depression will sink in.  When all we see is a negative view of God, it will affect our emotions and behavior.  The truth of Christ Jesus is that we are now one with the Father.  Sin no longer defines us.  As a good friend of mine once said, when Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'show us the Father'?
John 14: 8 - 9 NKJV

~Scott~

That Knock On The Door

For prophesy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1: 21 NKJV

It is common practice these days amongst those of the Jehovah's Witness faith to venture out into the world actively seeking converts.  There are, in fact, many a joke concerning these practices.  They're usually not hard to recognize, walking along in their shirts and ties toting their bibles which they will undoubtedly use to drive home their point that we need to convert...or else.  I have a dear friend who's father at one time made a habit of introducing himself to others and then proceeding to hammer home the finer points of accepting Jesus as their savior.  Those in the church call them evangelists, I just think of them as someone akin to a used car salesman.  I won't argue the point that all need to come to the realization that Jesus is our savior, but I've never been one to argue that one must accept Him or face the consequences.  God has never used fear to make Himself known.  Yet all too often we feel as it we must drive home the point that all MUST accept Jesus.  Ever been to a car dealership and the salesman says he has a deal just for you?  Yeah, it's something like that.  Now, I will say that I agree with the premise that Jesus needs to be introduced to all of Gods children, but it's how we do it that really will leave a lasting impression on those around us.  Honestly, I have learned more about Jesus from one man than I have ever learned from a Christian evangelist.  Granted, this man who still continues to remain nameless despite our best efforts, has his own brand of evangelism which he shares with others.  His message?  That others may see, as I have, Christ Jesus in them {Galatians 2:20}.  He doesn't wander the streets seeking out those he wants to hear his message.  However, if you are inclined to ask him, he will gladly share just how it is that Father brought to him the realization of Christ in him.  As it was with me, his path to knowing this truth of Jesus took a few years to realize.  There was no door knocking evangelist who shared this truth with him.  As it was with the apostle Paul, when it pleased God, He was revealed in him {Galatians 1:16}.

But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached to me is not according to man.
Galatians 1: 11 NKJV

Many a well intentioned Christian has fallen back upon the words of Jesus we find in Matthew 28.  Here, Jesus instructs His disciples to "Go and make disciples of all the nations" {Matthew 28:19}.  It is here, we're told, that Jesus commands us to evangelize and convert those around us to Christianity.  A definition of the word "disciple," however, might lead one to another interpretation of this passage.  For a disciple is defined as "A follower or student of a teacher or leader."  This seems logical, since the disciples of Jesus were followers of their own teacher...Jesus.  So, is Jesus asking us to make converts to Christianity by at all costs?  Or, is He simply asking that we gather together followers of Him?  I prefer to believe the latter.  One of the purest forms of speaking Jesus to others was done by a dear friend of mine.  His ministry was, believe it or not, in his local coffee shop where he would go each day to meditate and study the word.  His focus was never to force the gospel of Jesus upon anyone, but if you were to ask him what he was studying he would gladly tell you.  It is this form of sharing Christ Jesus that I aspire to.  You never saw Jesus go from door to door explaining to people that they needed to follow Him or else.  No, but what we do see is Jesus meeting people where they are at in life and sharing the good news with them.  Jesus never once spoke condemnation to the woman at the well nor the woman caught in adulatory.  What He did do was comfort and reassure them that the peace they sought could be found in Him.  This is the Lords desire, that His children will meet others where they are and speak to them of the freedom of knowing His Son in them.  I never heard a door knocking evangelist talk about Jesus that way.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28: 19 NKJV

~Scott~

Dusty Sandals

"Come to Me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Matthew 11: 28 - 30 NKJV

It's been said that the best way to understand someone is to walk a mile in their shoes.  To immerse yourself in their situation.  I couldn't agree more.  Far too often we refuse to see where someone is coming from simply because we refuse to walk that extra mile.  It seems that part of being human is to all too often see life through our own perceptions.  To walk a mile in someone's shoes is to put yourself in their position.  To see things the way they see them.  However, what if one of our greatest gifts ever received was not to walk a mile in another's shoes, but in a old pair of dusty sandals?  Would you put on a old pair of well worn sandals if it meant that your heart would be less burdened with every day worries?  I would...and I have.  We're told that Jesus, in the book of Matthew, invites everyone who carries the cares and worries of life to walk in His dusty sandals {Matthew 11:28-30}.  The opportunity to give up the worries of this life should be a chance everyone should jump at, but that few ever do.  For when you take on the life of Jesus, you suddenly realize that those worries of yesterday are better left behind you where they belong.  It is no secret that we are living in dangerous times lately.  I read the other day that there has been a increase in the suicide rate in the United States over the past month.  Now, more than ever, we need Christ Jesus in our lives.  I believe that when Jesus asks us to "Take My yoke upon you" that He is not only inviting us to share in His life, but encouraging us in the realization of who it is we truly are.  Traditional Christian teachings will tell us that taking upon us the yoke of Jesus simply means placing our cares and worries upon Him.  Many of us will wonder, "Is this the closest I'll ever get to Jesus?"  The answer, happily, is no.  The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians that it is Christ Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  We are not simply placing our cares and worries upon Jesus, but our entire lives.  Jesus isn't just here for a temporary feel good pat on the back, but to share in everything we are.

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.
Galatians 2: 20 NKJV

When we walk in the sandals of Jesus, we are doing more than just borrowing them for a short while.  For when we come to the realization that Christ is in us, it is we who are giving up the shoes we walk in.  As Paul tells us, we no longer live.  That old man died with Jesus on the cross {Romans 6:6}.  That who we once were, is no more.  Jesus has replaced it and He now shares in everything we do.  There is no thought, worry or situation we may encounter that Jesus is not a part of.  I grew up in a Christian home, so the reality of Christ in me seemed outlandish at first.  Following the Christian line, I believed that I carried far too much sin for Jesus to ever be that close to me.  However, the real breakthrough for me came when I realized that Jesus has provided for my sin issue as well {Romans 6:11}.  I am now dead to sin.  That's right, not only did Jesus give Himself for the forgiveness of my sins, but He ensured that I would remain that way.  For what good is the forgiveness of sin if sin is not defeated?  What remains is the freedom in the knowing that Jesus and I are one {John 17:21}.  I find no freedom in the traditions and teachings of the institutional church.  No, true freedom comes when we find Jesus in us.  I don't need to walk in those dusty sandals, Jesus was there the entire time.

The Way We Were

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christs sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10 NKJV 

As our nation prepares to open after a few months of being in lockdown over a government overreaction to a virus outbreak, the desire of many Americans is simply to "return to normal."  Sadly, a return to normal may take much longer than we might hope.  For myself, I long for the days when I could schedule my own day and live my life free of interference from any and all authorities.  Well, it was fun while it lasted.  A return to a normal way of life may be different depending on who it is you ask.  Before the shutdown of our nation, our economy was doing very well, with more people in the workforce than ever before.  That is not a bad thing.  We were free to go anywhere, do anything and live our lives in a way a free people do.  That is what a return to normal looks like for me.  I also believe that, in time, that we can return to our way of life we enjoyed before the virus came knocking.  A friend of mine asked me a interesting question the other day.  Do you think that the current situation is somehow Gods punishment upon a unbelieving people?  Well, I had to stop him right there because I get really nervous when people mention God and punishment in the same sentence.  After all, it is God who loved me enough to save me from myself {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  It is God who dealt a death blow to sin that I would no longer be enslaved by it {Romans 6:11}.  If you ask me, everything God has accomplished in me has been done out of love and not to punish me.  This has never been our Lords objective.  We are told that love is Gods true nature {1 John 4:8}.  Yet, whenever one of these tragedies or bad situations comes upon us, that same old question keeps popping up.  Why is God punishing us?  I am not naïve enough to believe that I know more about Gods motives than most.  I also know that I cannot pretend to know as much as my heavenly Father does about any given situation {Isaiah 55:8}.  So it is that God will work the outcome of those situations which worry us according to His desired outcome.  Knowing this, a better question to ask would be, "What is it you're doing here God?"  Simple, direct and to the point.  

I do not need to punish people for sin.  Sin is it's own punishment, devouring you from the inside.  It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it.

William P. Young, The Shack

I don't blame my friend for asking that question.  As Christians we have been conditioned to believe that whenever bad things happen, that God is somehow angry and dealing our His Devine punishment.  We see it all through old covenant (Testament) writings.  Sorry, but I will never believe that it is Gods desire for me to live in fear of what He might do next.  I know that it is the Lords desire that I flourish {Jeremiah 29:11}.  So, how is it Gods desire for me to flourish in our current environment?  Well, I have been blessed so far to still be employed as a so called "essential" worker.  Far too often we look for the negative in our situations and ignore the bright side.  The fact that I am still working is indeed a good thing.  Listening to Rush Limbaugh the other day I heard him say something that struck a chord with me.  As he looked around the nation at the unemployment numbers and closed businesses, Limbaugh said that he puts a face to each one of those.  These are simply not unemployment numbers to be tallied each week, these are people who have lost the ability to earn a income.  These are not simply numbers of victims, they are family members lost.  This puts our current situation in a entire new perspective.  It has never been about me, but about what God has been working through it.  Every day we see Him at work when we see stories of a family saved from financial pitfall or another life saved in this pandemic.  Let not our own pride fool us into believing that we will soon discover a vaccine for this virus.  For if God desires that for His children, He will provide it.  Of course, knowing God as I do, I believe that He has already provided for our good.  I also believe that He will provide for our transition back into our normal way of life as well.  

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Romans 8: 24 - 25 NKJV 

~Scott~