My wife and I were fortunate enough to get our first Covid vaccine last week. Yahoo!!
At first, I was convinced that I was not going to get the vaccine. I don’t need it! I convinced myself that the whole thing was a farce and even if it’s real, it would not impact me! Then in a conversation with one of my sons, he asked me what “my end game” was going to be. In other words, would I wear a mask, social distance, and isolate myself from society for the rest of my life? A profound question for sure! Would I try to avoid the reality of the danger of Covid? Would I fool myself to think that on my own I could escape its dangers? No! My “end game” was to get the help I needed. I needed and wanted to get the vaccine!
Now…most of you know that it has been hard to get the vaccine. Many frustrating hours searching sites on-line to get an appointment. I was praying one morning for God to help with the worldwide pandemic…the United States pandemic…and for me and Sue to be able to get an appointment. I went in the other room to once again search the internet.. first click and there they were.. 2 appointments! Thank you, Lord!
About now…you are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this….what kind of devotion is this?….how does it apply to our spiritual journeys?
Well…we see many questions and important action steps involved around this pandemic. What’s the truth about it? Am I in danger? What can I do? What is the impact? Who will help me?
Those are all good questions about our Spiritual health as well.
There is (and has been since Adam and Eve) a pandemic called Sin. It is hereditary…We all have it from conception…It has a 100% fatality rate! There is no earthly vaccine for this disease. You can avoid the reality…make excuses…and act like it’s not there, but it’s there.
If you think drivers come up with some unbelievable excuses when they’re trying to talk a cop-out of giving them a ticket, you should see the stories that turn up on insurance companies’ accident forms. Some time ago The Toronto Sun newspaper printed a few samples from actual reports:
- “A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.”
- “In my attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.”
- “I had been driving my car for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.”
- “I had been shopping all day for plants and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision. I did not see the other car.”
- “The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.”
- (my favorite) “The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.”
- “Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”
- “The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”
- “My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.”
- “An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished.”
- “The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.”
Most of us mess up life and we also have some pretty lame excuses. But the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from unrighteousness . . . “ That’s an incredible promise.
But it comes with a premise: “If we confess our sins” . . . “Confession comes from a word that means “to call it the same thing.”In other words, when we sin, we don’t need to make excuses, or blame somebody else, or try to wiggle out of it. We need to say, “God, this was sin. You call it sin; I call it sin, and that’s all there is to it. Please forgive me.”
We also need to base our lives on the fact that….God’s Word is the truth!
Let’s focus on what is the truth… Lots of opinions on what is true. Many say the truth is relative…whatever you choose as your truth is true for you. Americans don’t seem to agree about anything. Ben Franklin said the only thing for certain is death and taxes…and yet we argue about both of them as well. Just as there are lots of versions about the truth regarding Covid and vaccines….there are many versions about false gods claiming to be the Lord.
Lots of disagreements about sin, forgiveness, eternal life, and about who Jesus is, and is He who He (and His word) says He is? Is He the ultimate TRUTH? Well, Jesus Himself answers that:
John 14:6…Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus (the Truth) will set you free!
John 8:32…And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Well…we are not imprisoned or enslaved…so, Free from what? Sin! Many think they are “pretty good” or “good enough” or “better than so and so”…or that they can determine what’s right and wrong…and of course, they think that sin is what other people do. They don’t think they sin, so they don’t think they need a Savior.
But God’s Word says that we all sin…and even one sin separates us from God.
Romans 3:23… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And that includes you! And that is deadly! Romans 6:23-24… For the wages of sin is death, and yet Jesus has the vaccine Romans 6:24…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And unlike our Covid vaccines, His is 100% effective! He removes death from our sins.
So….as we talked about earlier…another important question is, what is your “end game” for forgiveness and eternal life?
There are only 2 options.
1 John 1:8… If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (bad choice…deadly consequences)
Or 1 john 1:9…If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (the best choice)
One last thought. We got the Pfizer vaccine. We need to go back for a second dose. Maybe more doses as new strains come around.
Jesus already died for all of your sins! Through faith, YOU ARE SAVED! 100% And yet, we sin, and are around sin daily. We need to confess our sins to God and seek His help to repent, avoid, and turn from those sins.
So what can you do?
- Turn to the One who can protect you from the consequences of this deadly sinful nature. Jesus! He is dying to forgive you…He can not stand the thought of eternity without you there with Him.
- Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior…the TRUTH!
- Confess your sinful condition and seek His healing!
- Tell this truth to as many people as you can!
Humor for your day:
A man was pulled over by a police officer… As the officer approached the vehicle he noticed a large number of knives in the back seat. Looking at the driver he asked, “Sir, do you have a good reason for needing all those large knives?” Smiling the driver said, “Why yes, I juggle them.” Realizing the officer was giving him a skeptical look the driver said, “Sir, with your permission I’d be more than glad to give you a demonstration.” Cautiously the officer stepped back and said “Alright, but you’d better be telling the truth.” Shortly the man was on the side of the road tossing the knives high into the air with ease.
Two old men happened to drive by, and both gazed in astonishment. The one looked at the other and said, “Sure glad I gave up drinking, these sobriety tests are getting ridiculous!”