Damariscotta Baptist Church

 

 

This week I continue to be confused in regards to what is happening with the CoronaVirus. I had a dental cleaning scheduled for this week and the automated reminder came to my cell phone asking me if I was going to make it. I was confused so I called the dentist just to let them know they should be cancelling their automated reminders and she was open. I was surprised. I asked how they could be keeping people safe and the receptionist told me they were taking people’s temperature when they arrived. Again, I was surprised and questioned whether they understood that not having a temperature was not a direct indicator as to whether one had the virus or not. Needless to say, I rescheduled my cleaning until July. 

It is difficult to know what information is trustworthy. Shouldn’t my dentist, who is a doctor, know the latest medical information regarding the pandemic we are experiencing? At this point I recommend erring on the side of caution. Since we are dealing with a life or death pandemic. 

In one of Jesus’ prayers for His disciples in John 17:17 we read, 

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Going to God’s Word, we can be assured we will always find the truth. Not only will we find truth, we will also find power. God’s Word has the power to bring us salvation, to heal our thoughts and our hearts, to transform our lives and to bring us closer to our God in heaven. When we need connection to God, we find He speaks to us through His Word. 

We may not be able to trust the dentists but we can certainly trust God. The problem lies in just how often do we find ourselves in God’s Word? It’s imperative that we make time to be in His Word, every day. We need to be putting the truth into our lives just as often as we put in the news around us, if not more. God’s Word is what has stood the test of time and we can be assured that no matter what happens around us, God’s Word will not fail. 

Here are some thoughts for this week. 

 

> Make sure you have a sustainable Bible reading plan. Take time today to analyze your daily Scripture intake. If we want to grow in our relationship with someone, we need to spend time with them. Even ten to fifteen minutes each day can bring you closer to God. There are a myriad of ways to fit those ten minutes into your day. Check out the APP function on your phone or find an on-line plan that will send you a daily Scripture. Or be old fashioned and open the actual Book and start reading. One suggestion I have used is based on the fact that there are 150 Psalms and 31 Proverbs, so if you read 5 Psalms and 1 Proverb a day you will have completed both books in a month. 

> Find a Scripture Buddy. Sometimes when we are left to our own devices we slip. Solomon recommends having a buddy in Ecclesiastes 4:9

Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

Find a family member or friend who you can share your Scripture reading with, maybe once a week check in with that person and see how you both are doing. 

I walk through town and see encouragement for us to be strong, “DAM strong” as a matter of fact, but with the world’s standards they are just platitudes. For Christians, the only way to remain strong is to stand on God’s Word.

Let us live our lives by the truth of the Bible. Then we will not be shaken by the viruses of this world and when things eventually do calm down, we will already have the peace around us.

Let’s pray.