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"Believers In Christ: This Is Who We Are......This Is What We Do"

Our vigilance in preventing the spread of COVID-19 has appropriately increased. Many schools, businesses, events, and even travel have been shut down. Yes, and even some churches have been effected by this, shutting their doors for weeks on end. And, some extreme measures have been put into place for those deemed 'at risk'.
But, as followers of Christ, we are not governed by fear, panic, or worry. We are to, however, have respect for others who are more susceptible to illness (including the elderly and immune-deficient), causing us to operate with prudence and compassionate care, all the while modeling the strength and hope characteristic of those who know Christ. Christ followers should also model compassion for those who choose to respond differently or react more strongly to these circumstances and events. So what should we, as followers of Christ, do?
First, it’s important to be reminded about what we already know. WORRY is not our friend, and PANIC is not our way. Solomon says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (Proverbs. 24:10) Let it never be said that God’s people are governed more by fear than faith.
“Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.”
In times of crisis, the world needs steady people who are strengthened by God’s grace, and selfless by God’s power. Worry accomplishes nothing except weakness of heart and head. (*imho)
While we remain on alert against viruses of doctrine or disease, worrying won’t change our circumstances or lower our chance of infection. It won’t help us fight off illness or move us to action. It will only increase trouble. Rather than worrying and being anxious, Jesus calls us to respond with prayer and faith in Him. We need not worry ultimately because we know the One who has defeated sin and death.
It takes the same amount of energy to worry as it does to pray. One leads to peace, the other leads to panic. So,be sure to choose wisely.
If God calls us to worry about anything, it’s how to love people well. “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3). Peter says to press on in the midst of every evil. Whether persecutions or pandemics, we can trust in the Lord, knowing, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17)
Worry is common to man. But God has called us to face troubles and threats with courage, leaning our weight on Him. Christians have often stood out because they were willing to help the sick even during plagues, pandemics, and persecutions. They loved people and weren’t afraid of death because they understood that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”By stepping into the mess of sickness and disease, they were able to demonstrate their faith to a watching world. So, rather than just asking “How do I stay healthy?” perhaps we should be also ask “How can I help the sick?” Let’s be quick to help and slow to hide in basements.
Prayer-infused confidence, compassion, and selflessness should mark how we talk about the coronavirus. Why? Because our Savior put on flesh, and stepped into our sickness, sin, and death. He healed the sick and cared for the hurting. We must do likewise.
As you watch the world react to this crisis—itself a stark reminder of our mortality—don’t neglect to share the hope you have in Jesus. Share how He rescued you from the universal epidemic of sin, and the penalty of death. Share that your hope is not found in remaining healthy this side of heaven.
We’ll all face death eventually. Thanks to Jesus, we can come to that day with confidence.
We can remember that to live is Christ, but to die is gain. We truly have nothing ultimate to fear—not from the coronavirus, natural disasters, or anything else. (Just as He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He can calm this storm, too.) Let us continue to pray for the sick.
Let us continue to walk in God’s strength. Let us continue to love the brotherhood. Let us continue to do good to all men. Use your health to serve, not to hide. Jesus is sovereign over it all. And we are to continue to do the works God appointed to us until that work is finished, and He finally calls us home.

May our Lord Jesus Christ keep you all safe and secure in His grace and mercy, and lead us all in the way of righteousness for His namesake.