Editor's Note: The following is part of a post that blessed and energized me. The post, "How to Trust God in a National Crisis" by Jennifer Slattery, conveys many of the things I've said about COVID-19, the issues around race, and multiple natural disasters, being opportunities for us as Christians to show the world our reasons for hope and the peace that we have in these and other national crises. Although Jennifer's post is about COVID-19 what she says applies to the current situation in the United States with our multiple and ongoing crises.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Love
When the Coronavirus first hit the United States, an “everyone-for-themselves” mentality infected our nation. Panicked shoppers stripped grocery store shelves nearly bear, purchasing much more than they needed. We saw similar behaviors during the Y2 scares of 1999. These circumstances and others demonstrate two common, interconnected reactions to fear: We fight for control and focus on ourselves.
God’s children are to live differently. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” the apostle Paul, a man who routinely lived courageously for Christ, wrote.
Philippians 2:3-4 NLT Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
This was the type of life Jesus modeled, stating, prior to His death,
John 15:12 NLT This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
During a national crisis, sacrificial love can feel difficult and frightening. But God has not given His children a spirit of fear. Instead, in Christ, we’re ignited with power, love, and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7 NCV God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
And here’s why. We’re to point everyone we encounter to Christ, so that through Him, they might find life.
This is one of the most powerful ways we’ll experience Christ. As we seek to live for Him, His peace-giving, igniting Spirit first fills us then flows through us.
We’re living in challenging, unsettling times. But this present crisis provides perhaps the best evangelistic opportunity most of us will ever encounter. The truths we claim regarding who God is and all He’s done lose impact when we cower in fear. When we choose to actively trust Him, however, through prayer, advancing forward in obedience, and loving others as He loves us, He fills us with supernatural peace and helps us leave an eternal impact.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Love
When the Coronavirus first hit the United States, an “everyone-for-themselves” mentality infected our nation. Panicked shoppers stripped grocery store shelves nearly bear, purchasing much more than they needed. We saw similar behaviors during the Y2 scares of 1999. These circumstances and others demonstrate two common, interconnected reactions to fear: We fight for control and focus on ourselves.
God’s children are to live differently. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” the apostle Paul, a man who routinely lived courageously for Christ, wrote.
Philippians 2:3-4 NLT Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
This was the type of life Jesus modeled, stating, prior to His death,
John 15:12 NLT This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
During a national crisis, sacrificial love can feel difficult and frightening. But God has not given His children a spirit of fear. Instead, in Christ, we’re ignited with power, love, and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7 NCV God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
And here’s why. We’re to point everyone we encounter to Christ, so that through Him, they might find life.
This is one of the most powerful ways we’ll experience Christ. As we seek to live for Him, His peace-giving, igniting Spirit first fills us then flows through us.
We’re living in challenging, unsettling times. But this present crisis provides perhaps the best evangelistic opportunity most of us will ever encounter. The truths we claim regarding who God is and all He’s done lose impact when we cower in fear. When we choose to actively trust Him, however, through prayer, advancing forward in obedience, and loving others as He loves us, He fills us with supernatural peace and helps us leave an eternal impact.
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