More Than Conquerors

The Covid-19 Virus

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution of famine or danger or sword? No for all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' Romans 8:35,37

The whole world seems to succumb to the Covid-19 pandemic. Today on the 25 October 2020, 42,946,446 of the world's population had contracted the Covid-19 virus infection and 1,154,857 had died from the disease. For a protracted and unrelenting period, countries and cities around the world are in some form of lockdown, isolated from each other with borders closed and economies devastated. In our lifetime, we have not witnessed a scourge such as this which threatens to bring us to our knees.

This tiny virus may have wreaked havoc to our physical bodies, our mental health and our livelihood but yesterday, a small group of elderly Christians from my church, Charis Methodist Church refused to allow this virus to dampen our spirits. Yesterday, more than 50 of us decided to meet in the Zoom Virtual Meeting platform to lift up our spirits. Despite restrictions of physical meetings we felt we could still show that even the more elderly among us have found ways to keep active within the Covid-19 restrictions. 

We showed pictures and videos of our interactions, all wearing masks or using virtual platforms. The older members quickly learnt to use WIFI and the Internet. We shared how our younger church members helped the elders to shop for groceries and to deliver food. We were encouraging each other and learning the heartfelt lessons from the exhortation of the prophet Isaiah,

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.' Isaiah 54:10

Indeed these are troubling times, the Corona virus has spun the world into a global depression. Many of us lost our jobs or took substantial pay-cuts. At such times, a long forgotten Christian chorus comes to mind, 'In Times Like These.'

In times like these you need a Savior,

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes He's the One,

This Rock is Jesus, the only One;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

 

In times like these you need the Bible,

In times like these, O be not idle;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these I have a Savior,

In times like these I have an anchor;

I'm very sure, I'm very sure

My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

So, we decided that although the virus may affect our bodies and health, it shall never affect our spirit because we have Jesus as the anchor of our souls.

We are reminded that this experience of living under some form of oppression, even persecution was also lived by the early Christian church. Yes, the apostles and the early Christian churches lived through untold hardships, yet they were not downtrodden. St Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor 4:8,9)

'We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. 

The early church under the Roman empire persevered until respite came with the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity. Since then and down through the ages, the Church and God's people experienced periods of blessings interspersed with periods of great difficulties and through it all we have prevailed. We are more than conquerors.

Lionel  

Must Life be a Struggle? Count Your Blessings

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hands."  Psalms 37: 23-24 

We used to have a small pond of Oranda goldfishes. Two of them in particular caught my attention. One red Oranda had a slice of its long broad tail bitten off. The poor thing was unable to swim properly. It was a struggle for it to stay afloat and to fight for food amongst seven other goldfishes. Yet it was feisty fish and was determined to have its space within the pond. For this red one, life is a struggle.

The other was a silver Oranda with a red cap which Pat called the Cardinal. In contrast it swam gracefully and effortlessly, spreading fins and its broad and long flowing tail. When I watched these two fishes, I long for that gracefulness of the cardinal and yet I best identify with the struggle of the red Oranda.

What has life in store for us? Is it one of struggle instead of graceful peace? What does God require of us? The Bible in Micah 6:8 answered this question "He has showed you, O man, what is good and what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." God requires from us, not just the usual outward show and outcomes of Christian witness but the depth of inner character. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. God has our best interest at heart.

Kent Nerburn wrote a book entitled 'The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life' which is a series of short essays of inspirational anecdotes of everyday experiences and seeing the sublime within each experience (Ref 1). Nerburn wrote:

To those who find God in the ordinary moments

Who know that life has meaning beyond the simple acts that make up our ordinary days

 Who feel the presence of God in the trees and the grasses and a baby's helpless cries,

in the loneliness of the elderly, the love of young couples, the good work of the labourers, in the silence of the night

Who are moved to tears by the kind act or caring word

Who stop to help the weak rather than seek the favour of the strong

Kent Nerburn is right, if we can see good in the simple acts including our own then we can live gracefully, treasure the times and the blessings. 

We were taught when we first became Christians that we should live our lives counting our blessings. There is an old familiar folk song call Count your Blessings which encourages us to go through each day with inner quiet, peace and strength

Count your blessings one by one

When dawn appears and day has just begun

They will light your heart with happiness

Make each hour bright and bring you gladness

Count your blessings one by one

When twilight falls and toil of day is done

And in sweet dreams they'll come again to you

If you will count your blessings each day through

Count your blessings while you may

For we are here with little time to stay

All around are hearts sincere and true

Lovely things abound just waiting for you

Count your blessings while you may 

The big or small which ever comes your way

For then you'll find this world a place of love

If you will count your blessings from above

To be sure, God has not promised skies always blue and there will be difficulties and challenges ahead. Whatever life may throw at us, we are asked to walk humbly with our God. In the overall scheme of things, life need not be a struggle.

Lionel

Ref 1. Kent Nerburn. The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life. New World Library June 2006/

1st published 14 Jul 2007