Undeniably, some of us will lose loved ones in the next months. Perhaps some of us, ourselves, will die.
Of course that has always been true, but we are paying more attention to it now.
And the big question is, Are we ready? Are they ready?
Some of us love the Lord. For us, now is the time to get closer to him. Now is the time to really learn, in practice, what it means to love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, what it means to love those around us. (Mark 12: 30, 31)
But if you, dear reader, do not know Jesus, if the uncertainties of the current situation terrify you, then consider the good news:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
What does this mean? It means that the Creator of the universe, God, looked at the world that humanity messed up and sent his son Jesus as a human being to pay for it all. Because of Jesus we can be right with God despite all the times we did not believe him, despite all the times we did not truly love him, or others, or the world he made. And being right with God is eternal life. (John 3:16-21)
But not being right with God, not even wanting to be right with him, choosing darkness instead, that is eternal death. Don’t go there, dear reader!
Instead, pick up a Bible or find one online and read it. If you’re new to the Bible, start with Mark. Find a Bible-believing church in your area or, if that doesn’t work for you right now, attend one virtually.
And if you are afraid of what the future might hold, consider the introduction to one of the best-loved roadmaps to the Bible:
Q. “What is your only comfort in life and death?”
A. That I am not my own,
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death,
to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins
with his precious blood,
and has set me free
from all the power of the devil.
He also preserves me in such a way
that without the will of my heavenly Father
not a hair can fall from my head;
indeed, all things must work together
for my salvation.
Therefore, by his Holy Spirit
he also assures me of eternal life
and makes me heartily willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
(Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1)
You see, you do not have to fear viruses! You do not have to fear death, whether soon or many years down the road. In fact, if you are reading this, God is giving you a chance, right now, to turn to him. Take it, dear reader!
And if you already know this good news, now is a good time to realize once again what a great thing it is. Now is the time to be filled with the wonder of it all and to let others know that this hope is for them, too. Now, while people are being shaken from their everyday distractions and have a chance to consider the important things in life.
May God bless us all!