Christian Relief or Stimulus Package during the Coronavirus Situation
1 Corinthians 4:8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
Prior to the pandemic, we had all the luxury in the world including our jobs, wealth, financial stability, or even just physical contact with society. We seemed to have taken all that for granted until the pandemic slaps us in our faces.
We need to break off from the typical consumer culture of constant complaining and to appreciate that all the things we are enjoying are due to the suffering, blood, sweat, and effort that were laid down before us.
We need to see this pandemic as a lesson or chastisement from God, to teach us prideful human beings to acknowledge simple things in life. We often get so blinded with arrogance because of all the technologies we have created, but even with the most advanced of them all, we would still plead and ask God for the simplest things in life, such as fresh air, freedom to move around, and the opportunities for social contact.
Relief Package 1: We are borrowing the grace of God
We constantly seek around us for comfort and a sense of security. During this pandemic, Christians have been granted a huge sum of the relief package. Praise the Lord! Let this sermon remind us again, that the best blessings and relief package from God is actually our Salvation!
It is the most important thing ever in our life. The cost was his very own life, to trade his righteousness with our filth and sin. What more could God give you than to give you his own life. We should be looking and focusing at the silver precious stones up in the Heaven, and eternal life up there given by our Heavenly Father. We should be praying, “Lord make me aware of what I should be thankful for.”
Without salvation, we would still be completely wretched and miserable, filled with various types of sins, including ungratefulness, fornication, adultery, jealousy, pride, anger, depression, anxiety, etc. Without salvation, our lives would not be changed for the better.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Salvation brings us away from the wickedness of the world. What else can we ask for, knowing that we are saved from the tribulation that is to come? Imagine if we would have to go through the tribulation, the Anti Christ’s persecution and the wrath of God.
Salvation and Eternal Security are two of the most gifted doctrines ever to be preached, but it is also the most damaging. This is because some Christians tend to take advantage of that, and not take God as seriously as they should, to serve the Almighty God with all conviction. We need to always keep in mind that God is the one who pulls us through critical moments in life, His grace rescues us through tough times and affliction, yet so many times we fail to give him credit and compliment.
Another thing to keep in mind is that God’s grace towards us should not be held only with love and appreciation, but also with reverential fear, that we should not abuse God’s love for us. God can take it back at any moment, or allows Satan to have legitimate excuses to lay his hands upon us, and causes misery and a series of unfortunate events in our lives.
Relief Package 2: We are borrowing from the Church
Often times we have also taken individuals in Church for granted. The people who serve in the Church, who are involved in the technical and technological side of the ministry; the pastors who preach on the pulpit, these people are not getting enough credit and encouragement that they need.
We are not worthy of calling ourselves pious or faithful to our God if we fail to show appreciation to our brethren and sisters at Church, who dedicate their time and effort in maintaining the Church and its ministry, more importantly, the Pastor who stands up for God and preach the word of God with boldness.
Our discontentment towards our surroundings actually comes from our eagerness to find faults and complaints. That usually takes our happiness away from us, if we keep finding something good in everything around us instead, that instantly changes our mood, and to develop a more positive state of mind. In addition, that also allows us to give more grace towards others and learn to direct the criticism we have towards others to ourselves, but in a constructive way.
One important takeaway is that every one of us has a character deficit. God gives us that characteristic for a reason, and we if learn how to see others’ character deficit in a good light, that can be turned into something useful to glorify God.
For example, a person’s overzealousness that may be perceived as something negative by most can actually be good quality and component for street preaching.