ESTABLISHING OUR HEART June 29, 2020

These days, one cannot help but feel fear and anxiety, especially considering the rapid rise of CoViD-19 cases around the world and around our community.  And it may also be affecting our leaders too, for otherwise brilliant men and women seem to be losing grip on reason and logic and are seemingly inept when it comes to controlling people’s compliance to health and safety protocols.  The masses too, seem to be exhausted from all their fears, that their “bahala na” attitude has come out, exacerbating the contagion around them.

Is this all we were made of?  Are we only so good and do so well when things come our way, but when tragedy strikes us and kills us silently yet menacingly, we forget that we were gifted with intellect and reason?  Have we forgotten who made us, and who destined our lives?  But then, this is what some leadership mentors speak of when they say, “crises proves character”.  We are known by what we do when things happen of which we are not prepared, and of which we have no or very limited resources at our disposal, and against something for which all our smarts and strength are powerless against.

However, as children of GOD, let us not forget what gift and power has been given to us.  The Word today in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 has the Apostle Paul telling us that he and his assistant Timothy, and all those who serve as our spiritual guides and leaders, are there to comfort and strengthen us against the afflictions we face daily.  It shouldn’t surprise us that we are experiencing them for truly, when we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and dedicate our lives to worshipping and serving Him, we know we will have to take up our cross—be they daily challenges, or once-in-a-lifetime but forever-changing events, like the pandemic.

Verses 2 part b) and 3 part a) tell us that the apostle and Timothy and the leaders of our faith are there to: “…establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions.”  If we are alive and safe as of this moment, we know we are yet destined for something better and greater.  Hence, we must set our hearts at rest, and keep moving on with life and with our daily struggles with firm resolution.  We can beat this pandemic.  We will survive and thrive.  We only need to strengthen our faith.  We only need to do what is right to fight against it.

We also must stop being selfish, greedy and paranoid.  Instead, we must act out of truth and love, for in verse 12 we read, “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.”

We must not fear what tomorrow brings and instead, look ahead to our great reward, as he said in verse 13: “To the end He may establish your hearts umblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

We do not know exactly when this pandemic will end, just as we do not know when this great day of our Savior’s return will come.  But we can choose to believe that instead of mourning and fear, it will be a joyful celebration for us if with every breath that we take between now and until then, we establish our hearts in Him.