Through Christ, We Can.

Good Afternoon Crown & Joy Family!

This is Pastor Stan. I’m about to do one of the first of a series of what I call corona devotionals, or devo for short. About 2 to 3 minutes is what I’m shooting for. So, let us begin.

As you may recall in late January, I preached on the text Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him (that is Christ) who strengthens me. (ESV)”

As we explored that passage, we came to see that Paul had come to a point in his life that he could be content in whatever his circumstance – he says, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need (vs 12).” Christ was that secret. He came to realize that through Christ he could face Christ being preached by his enemies to hurt him while he was imprisoned; face the uncertainty release or execution at the conclusion of his pending trial; that he could face the despair of want or the temptation of plenty. He learned that through the experiences…and he learned that through these experiences, not from a video on YouTube, or whatever that looked like in his day.

Little did any of us know that a serious trial awaited us in just a few short months. We now face a runaway virus that cannot yet be treated with any of the modern or homeopathic medications or procedures we currently have in place. At the same time, it is a contagion able to ride on doorknobs and grocery carts long enough to infect somebody and bring to the point of death. This contagion has forced our hand across the globe to the point of making our homes feel like bunkers against a pending cold war nuclear holocaust.

In the midst of dire predictions of thousands of deaths, the words of Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit ring out – we can do this! Through Christ we can do this!

• We can handle the emotional stress and strain of being restricted for the sake of others.
• We can take risks that make sense without undo fear. The younger can serve the elderly and infirmed. Our families can share food with the less fortunate.
• We can worship on-line since at one time our Christian forebears worshiped in the catacombs among the dead.
• We can adjust to the inconveniences of video connection if it means loving our neighbors well.
• We may not be able to break an Olympic record or build a million dollar business through Christ. But we can handle whatever life throws at us because the presence of Jesus is in our lives and will be and will give us sufficient strength to endure what we all are facing right now in our own unique ways.

All right. God bless you. See you next time, next Wednesday.