Is The Economy Everything?
COVID-19 has made most people fearful and uncertain about the economy. Yet the Bible teaches about godliness with contentment.
If we learn such contentment, we will not be brought to such a fearful state in an economic crisis. Lastly, find out what could be more precious than acquiring riches.
Godliness With Contentment Is Great Gain
On our journey toward sanctification, one of the most difficult things to achieve is “contentment”. Some people feel that having more materially is good, but they do not realise that their “discontentment” causes them to face great obstacles in pursuing godliness and loving the Lord. Because of their discontentment, they often fall into needless sorrows. The joy that Christians should have is often taken away from their hearts. Therefore, we must truly understand why the apostle said, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Succumbing To A Universally Accepted Gospel?
The gospel definitely embraces attributes of humanity. But the gospel in essence is nothing human, to start with. It is not about the good works of men. It has nothing to do with philanthropic ideas. It is not even about the love which you and I are talking about. Rather, it is a gospel from heaven.
The Gospel Is Not A Social Gospel
In the whole of history, the church has two missions. One is to protect the purity of the gospel; the second is to preach the gospel of saving souls. Martin Luther said, “If we preach the gospel clearly and courageously, we will certainly be persecuted.”
We Are Made To Be Social Beings
Have social distancing created a “new norm” in our lives? Is everything going to be done remotely through the computer from now on? Does people shun commuting to work? Are people leaning towards less interaction? Are online services going to be a normal practice? No, we’re not. Why? Because we are created to be social beings.
What Do We Recognize In Leadership?
“Competent or incompetent leaders are shown through a crisis”. Is that a fair statement? How do we recognize leadership? Find out how God’s leadership must reign in a crisis, and how HE chooses and develops leadership in His church.
Facing Sickness and Death
The Bible not only gives us the assurance of eternal life in Christ, but also the assurance of how we should walk to the end of our lives. In particular, when we are facing the reality of some sickness, or perhaps the disease is not that serious to cause us to lose our lives, but it brings a lot of inconvenience to us and those around us. At that time, how should we face such suffering with the understanding of the Lord’s word? Let us get the answer in this aspect from Paul’s experience today.
A Time To Slow Down
One of the things that Covid_19 has compelled us to learn involuntarily is to slow down. Now, think about what could be the most detrimental culture a first world nation has done to us. Some say it’s a post-modernist thinking, some say it’s materialism, decline of kinship, some say its overconsumption, inequality, or growing atheism, now you can have a whole list of that, but one big problem, which I could identify is our lack of time. And this could be one key problem that could have intensify those problems that are mentioned earlier.
The Time Set By God
If we are people who have eternal life, our every moment now is very precious. Even if we go through the vicissitudes of time on earth, we will see the significance of time, and will constantly use every moment to exchange for eternal blessings.
Can COVID-19 Be Seen As A Judgment?
Every time when Calamity or Pandemic struck the world, the human mind will be drawn to the causality. “Who brought about this Calamity, what resulted in this Pandemic?” And of course, the study of science will only restrict us to a natural cause. Say with the Covid_19, most people will attribute that to some viral transmission from some animals, or a research that could have gone wrong. Yet, when enough have been said, it is in man to yearn for a supernatural cause, esp when it comes to things that has widespread consequences. Be it a natural disaster that kill thousands or a pandemic that infected millions, the human heart needs an answer that goes beyond science.
