Are You Ready?

The Story

Today I went to the grocery store after spending time at school on our limited schedule.  I prepared myself for this trip by having a mask and gloves in a sandwich bag to avoid contamination.

After parking the car and getting out, I proceeded to put on the mask.  I felt silly, so I took it off and remembered I have a daughter at home that has asthma and she has been really worried.  So I put it back on, put on my gloves, shut the car door and walked into the store.

Once in the store, I got a cart and started shopping.  Then began to notice something, senior citizens were wearing masks and gloves, but not young people.  Some people were social distancing and some were not.

I got to the cash register and waited until the belt was clear to load my stuff, like the sign said.  I waited for the person in front of me to leave and put my stuff on the belt. The cashier got paper towels and disinfectant and sprayed the kiosk off before ringing up my groceries.  I thanked her, but she was not wearing any protection either. After paying and leaving the store, I put my groceries in the car and finally took off my protective wear and threw them away.

On the way home I was thinking about that experience and how proud of myself I felt for protecting me and my family and others from this terrible pandemic.  I was listening to the radio and the song, “How He Loves Us” by Shane and Shane was on my Christian radio station 98.3. I started car singing and began thinking about how much He loves us.  But, also, about how people don’t think He loves us because it may seem to them like he isn’t helping us at all. Then, I thought “Well maybe this IS Him loving us by giving us MORE TIME to get our lives right.  And for God’s Warriors to push for accepting Him as their Savior!” WOW! What a Revelation!  

What IF?

What if this is your last chance?  What if He’s trying to get your attention?  What if He needs you to become a Warrior? What if there is no more time?

Everyone is NOT focused on the Unseen, ETERNITY!  Everyone is STILL focused on what is seen, THE VIRUS!  But we should do this: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18

What if we’re missing the point?  In the past, God allowed things to happen when His people(Christians) and sinners (everyone else) forgot who He is!  Look around! Before this, we(all of us) forgot who God is! WE (all of us) were living like WE owned us, paid for us, were invincible.  But guess what????? We’re not! God bought all of us at a price! HIS LIFE! THIS WEEK!!!!! A LONG TIME AGO!!!!!!!! No one is paid for on their own without GOD!  We are ALL sinners!!! For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.   Romans 3:23-25a

How do I Change This?

ACCEPT Jesus as your Savior (the one who saves, the one who loves you, the one who can help you).

BELIEVE He is YOUR God in YOUR heart and LIVE IT OUT in YOUR LIFE.

CONFESS (tell God) your SINS and LEAVE them with him (don’t pick them back up and continue doing them) and ask for FORGIVENESS of your sins (anything you did wrong, even if you don’t know what it was ).

DISCIPLE others (tell them about who God is and what He has done in YOUR life!

FORGIVE others (not for their benefit, but for yours) It will set you free and you will begin healing.

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  Romans 10:9-10

The Benefits:

LIVE a life free of WORRY (not trouble),The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.  Psalm 34:19

EXPERIENCE  eternal life (live with Jesus and your loved ones in Heaven)  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

NO FEAR of the FUTURE (knowing and living for God has no fear because you know when you die you are going to be with HIm in Heaven!  Praise God) That’s a GREAT feeling!

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

Living a life with God is the best life you could ever live.  He changes you, loves you, protects you, provides for you, heals you, saves you.  You will NEVER be without protection when you have God as your SAVIOR! Let Him in your life today!  He will lead you and guide you to safety, every time!  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8