This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118: 24

Psalm 118 is full of God’s mercy.  This Psalm starts with praising God for His mercy and ends with praise to God for His mercy.  The bottom line is that the Lord is our Rock and our Salvation.

I can’t help but think about what we, this country, the world for that matter is going through.  We are literally sitting in our homes while history both is made and repeats itself. This is not the first pandemic this world has seen and it will not likely be the last.

Having been cooped up in my home along with the rest of you, it’s hard to not think about it.  After all this is a real situation and not one to be made light of. 

People are caught up in thinking that this is the end times.  Truth is, the end times were just as present and in motion before this as they are now. 

Then there are the conspiracy theorists who think that this whole COVID-19 pandemic was dreamed up and created in a laboratory and spread to the world as a cover-up and distraction.

There are other people who say this is a ploy of Satan to plague the world.  That makes me think back when we had a very old sound system that would act up and malfunction during services and people would blame it on the devil.  I would just say, it’s old and broke. 

We have to remember that no matter what we face, all things work to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His will Romans 8:28

Maybe it is the end times and the Lord may come today.  Maybe the Coronavirus was created in a laboratory somewhere.  May the ole devil is having a hay day. I’m not here to debate any of this, but only to make a point.  We, as a society are giving a lot of thought to a lot of things we don’t have the answers to, or any control over.

And one thing for certain remains. God is still in control and Jesus is still on the throne.

What we do know is this.  God loved us so much and desired us so much He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place.  And when Christ did this, He conquered the second and eternal death so you would never have to experience it.  Instead, we are able to have eternal life through Christ Jesus.

Another thing for sure is, no matter what is going on today, this is another day the Lord has made and given to you.  If you are reading this post, you were blessed with another day by God’s mercy and grace.

And since you are reading this and have been given another day, the proper response is to rejoice in this day and be glad in.

Energy Follows Intention

When I was a little boy my dad taught me how to catch a baseball.  I will never forget getting that brand new leather baseball glove for my birthday.  I can still smell the leather as I took it out of the box.  I remember the feeling of the stiff leather begging to be broken in as I put my hand into it for the first time.

My dad and I went out in the back yard to play catch.  He started out tossing the ball to me and I missed catching it each time.  The thought that went through my head was, “I can’t catch the ball.”  My dad kept telling me to keep my eyes on the ball.

My focus was on missing the ball and my dad was telling to focus on the ball. Since my focus and mindset was on missing the ball when it was thrown to me, that is exactly what happened.  I missed it every time.  The same was true when it came time to pick up the bat and hit the ball.

Once I changed my mindset and began telling myself that I was going to catch and hit the ball and that was my intention that is what I did.  I caught the ball no matter how fast it came in.  I hit the ball more times than I missed it.

It all came down to where my focus was, and my intention.  Where ever you focus your attention, that is the direction you are going to head in.  The same is true in any situation in life.  We end up where we put our energy and attention.

Every time our family has headed to Disney Land we never accidently ended up at Six Flags.  I’m not going to try to say what we are going through is something you should avoid thinking about.

What I do want to encourage you to think about is the goodness and graciousness of the Lord.  The fact that Jesus died on a cross in your place so that you could be clothed in His righteousness and be given the right to be a child of God was His intention to extend Salvation to the world.

When you focus on the goodness of God it is intentional, never accidental.  The goodness of God is never determined by what is going on in the world, or the situation you face today.  The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)  Nothing can change that.

The World Is Full Of Noise

Its easy to get caught up in what other people are saying.  Its not hard to be convinced and swayed to thinking one way, which can result in emotional chaos, false beliefs, and thinking errors. 

I went on a walk along the Rio Grande River with my kids and a few of their friends to get out of the house and breathe some fresh air.  The talk was nonstop.  Nothing was being said, only words to hear themselves talk.

After a while, it was driving me crazy.  It was just noise.  I like to walk and clear my head, not fill it with more clutter and noise.  I had to distance myself from them so I was not being affected by the “noise” and I could enjoy the peace of the open space.
 

When our heads become full of noise confusion can set in and we don’t know what to think.  It’s super easy to let how we feel in the moment direct our attention; resulting in confusion, becoming emotional, anxious, and even depressed.

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 14:33

I confess I have found myself bored and spending more time on social media than I normally would.  I came across this post that said: “Being confined to our homes makes me feel like we have been sent to our room to think about what we have done.”

It’s true.  You do get to choose what you think about.  Taking time to clear your head of all the noise and think about the goodness and grace of God is a good thing.  Once again, it is an intentional act that will result in peace and comfort.

Here in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is talking to the church regarding speaking in tongues.  He was making the point that everyone has something to say and offer and it is not something that should be confusing or just a bunch of noise.  People were speaking in tongues and no one could interpret what was being said, and in some cases, people provided made up interpretations.

The world has a lot to say that gets confusing and noisy.  Everyone has something to say, and sometimes they do so just to hear themselves talk.  God has a simple message of peace, love, and salvation all provided by our savior Jesus Christ.

Who Do You Listen To?

No matter what is going on in the world, people have something to say, and other people are there to listen and hang on every word. 

I recently asked someone why they thought and believed the way they did.  Their response was shocking but not surprising.  They said, “because someone told me”.  I have asked people why they vote the way they do.  I get the same answer.  “Because someone said this and that” about the person running for a particular office.

The problem is people put their trust in other people.  The scary part is that those same people listen to other people the same way they listen to them.  What is scarier than all that when you think about it, no one really knows, and yet they put their trust in this uncertainty.

⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
⁹ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.  V.8-9

It is better to not only trust in the Lord, but it is also better to listen to God’s words over other people.

The world says “panic, we are in a time of crisis, the sky is falling”  If you don’t agree or think so, go to the store and look at the shelves.  They are empty in many places and sparse in other areas.  Prices have gone up as a result of scarcity.  Just because we are home does not indicate an increase in consumption necessarily.  Fear drives panic, and panic drives behavior.

The Lord says to be at peace. In fact, look at what Jesus says to us in John.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

There is quite a difference and contrast between what the world says and what Jesus says.  Jesus tells us He gives us peace and to not be afraid.  The world says panic, the sky is falling, be afraid.

It all comes down to who are you going to choose to listen to?  Where are you going to put your faith today?

It’s Better to Stand On Solid Rock

The chorus on “The Solid Rock” hymn says:

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand