Skip to main content

Devotional Sermon #107: AMID THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC


The world is passing through a challenging phase because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It seems no country will be spared. We also have not seen the full measure of the pandemic's fury, in my view.

It will take the effort of all of us to come out of this situation; not just your effort and mine, but that of the entire world. The journey is not going to be easy without such cooperation.

We need to work together. If one avoids putting their hand to the plough, all it would mean is that we will be in this situation for quite a long time - with devastating consequences.

We protect ourselves out of our love for mankind. If I am infected, it means a lot more may be infected, and some affected, because of me. Remember, some of such people are dear to us, and it would really break our hearts to make them pass through such difficult situations.

We also protect ourselves out of the love for self.

We need to help, to the best of our abilities, those who may be infected and affected. This is not the hour for anybody to avoid lending a hand. Indeed, there is no greater need than this for the human race at the moment. The world may come to a complete standstill if we do not act enough within the window available to us.

As I thought about the current developments around the world with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic - the topical issue on everybody's lips and in every newsroom - I could not help but find the following poem quite inspirational and truly instructive:
                                    

"Human beings are members of one another, since in their creation they are of one essence. When the conditions of the time brings a member (limb) to pain, the other members (limbs) will suffer from discomfort. 
You, who are indifferent to the misery of others, it is not fitting that they should call you a human being."
["Adam's children are limbs of one body, that in creation are made of one gem. When life and time hurt a limb, other limbs will not be at ease. 
You, who are not sad for the suffering of others, 
do not deserve to be called human."]
Saadi Shiraz - Popular Iranian Poet 

May this poem jolt us into greater and more effective action against this global pandemic! There is a role you can play in all this, in your own way and by the means possible to you, all the time driven by nothing but pure love.

PRAYER

Prayer Point: That I may understand that I ought to be my brother's keeper and conduct myself accordingly, always.

Father, I come to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jesus demonstrated what it means to be a brother's keeper, which I ought to be, and which all of Abraham's offspring ought to be - keepers of their brothers and sisters.

Jesus paid the supreme price for you and me. Truly, there is no greater sacrifice than to lay down one's life for one's brothers and sisters.

Help me God, I pray. Help the body of Christ in this regard and forgive it for the way members have behaved towards one another till now.

May we learn from Christ! May we have the heart of Christ! May the wellbeing and happiness of the next person be our own joy!

Indeed, the world would be a much better, happier and more peaceful place if we all would behave towards others in the manner we would want them to behave towards us.

Let the light of unity and love fill my soul. May the same light fill the world. May we get help and care whichever side we turn and as long as we need them!

I pray that the Holy Spirit would equip us fully for this!

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Devotional Sermon #116: WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD - Our most powerful sermons of all time

Do whatever He tells you to do. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.” John 2 Verse 5 [NIV] Do you find obeying God a hard thing to do? Do you struggle with obeying God? Or do you question why you need to obey God at all? "What's the benefit, what's the point?" some wonder. This message discusses one good example of obedience to God from the Bible, to inspire you. Christians should strive to obey God always and to keep their will aligned to God's will and purpose for their lives. The Holy Spirit is our ever-present helper in this regard. This message demonstrates the power of walking in obedience to God and of living a life that is fully surrendered to Him whatever your circumstances. Your plans and your decisions should align to God's will without exception. Oh, how important obedience to God is! How blessed they are those who live in the perfect will of God! Oh, the spiritual rewards, even the natural benefits that flow from
11 comments
Read more

Devotional Sermon #115: SETTING A GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS - Short daily devotions and prayers

Philip found Nathanael and told him,  “ We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ” “ Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? ”  Nathanael asked. “ Come and see. ”  said Philip. John 1 Verses 45-46 [NIV] Nazareth was a despised town. That is why Nathanael was taken by surprise that Jesus could have come from there. Nazareth was regarded as a desert, where nothing useful was expected to grow. Nathanael's surprise was quite revealing;  "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.     What a viewpoint! People could be viewing your country, city, or village in a similar light. "Can anything good come from there?" they may be wondering. Yours might be a locality that is expected to produce nothing good. Despite this, I encourage you to surprise people like Jesus did Nathanael by originating from Nazareth. I urge you to surprise people, for the glory of God
2 comments
Read more

Devotional Sermon #60: DEATH & BEREAVEMENT - Message of hope after losing a loved one

The death of a loved one is always a tragic incident  to the family. The sorrow normally is so powerful that it casts a dense and dark shadow over the bereaved. Time appears to freeze. Nothing seems to matter anymore. It is a time of mourning - an episode that none of us can get accustomed to no matter how many times one might have experienced death in the family. Help is desperately and urgently required if those affected are to quickly find the strength to cope with their loss. This sermon attempts to offer hope and comfort to the grieving. I hope you will find encouragement after you are done reading it. You may understand, from past experiences, the message that I am trying to convey here. The distress and emptiness caused by the death of a family member or any other loved one are normally very difficult to imagine and absorb; sometimes the loss comes suddenly, and thus totally unexpected.    It is hard to cope with the death of a mother, father, sister, brother, child, or fri
Read more

Devotional Sermon #114: SHOW THEM JESUS - Powerful daily devotions

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1  Verses  35-37 [NIV] This is an excellent example of, and lesson on, how to lead people to salvation; a good example of how to win souls for Christ. This was a very effective method, in my view, judging by the results achieved.  Soul winning is probably the most important activity that the Christian should undertake for the sake of both the Lord and mankind - bringing souls into God's Kingdom. Tell somebody about Christ before the day ends; win them over to Christ! This is the spirit of the above-cited bible scripture. You are a Christian, and are now enjoying the benefits of salvation, because somebody took it upon themselves to win you over to Christ. They might not have shared the Word with you; instead, they might just have invited you to a place where the Word was shared, as happen
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #113: THE VOICE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS - Free daily devotionals

“ Finally,  they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? ”   John 1: Verse 22 "I am the voice calling in the desert."  "I am the voice crying out in the wilderness." That was John's answer. That is what Christians should say about themselves; that's what Christians should be in this life. That is what you should say about yourself, and honestly so. You should be seen to be calling out, to be truly crying out for the salvation of mankind. It would be unfair of you to claim that you call out or cry out when you never do. But then why should you act dumb when you can speak? God expects the Christian to be ever calling out, ever crying out, for noble reasons. While John cried out to prepare people for the first coming of Jesus, we should of necessity also cry out because Jesus is coming for the second time, this time not as a baby in a manger, but as a roaring lion, the King of Kings! That's wh
1 comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #112: THE SECRET OF GOD'S BLESSING AND FAVOR - Our most inspiring sermons of all time

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1  Verse  16 [NIV] I am going to share with you a personal perspective on God's blessings, the way that I have decided to approach the issue for myself. Some Christians probably take the same view, but I believe there are many who hold a different view, and that's perfectly acceptable. There are many things that a Christian is required to do, consistent with their Christian faith. Giving in church is one of them, sacrificial giving for that matter. We should give because we are supposed to behave exactly as our Lord did as He walked the earth. We are only good to the extent that we are like Him. If you give, you walk in the likeness of Christ. If you don't, you walk in the unlikeness of Christ. That's as simple as it can get. I give because my mission is to be like Christ in the world. I give to make a contribution towards the Ministry of the Holy Spirit which has made me st
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #102: RAISING HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES - Daily devotions for women’s encouragement

I have observed and have become convinced that there are just two kinds of people in this world. The lives of these two kinds of people are as different as day is to night. Only two kinds, not more, not less. That is the message of this textual sermon. There are various difficulties, challenges, trials, and tribulations in this world, but only two kinds of people. There are various levels of poverty, but only two kinds of people. There are various forms of sickness and disease, but only two kinds of people. You put the two groups under the same kind and level of difficulty or pressure, and they react differently. It's amazing. Whatever challenging situation you face today, you are either hopeful or hopeless about it. These are the two kinds of people that I have been referring to - one kind is of the hopeful,  the other is of the hopeless , regarding a specific challenge that they might be facing in their lives at any particular time.   You are either hopeful or hopeless about y
Read more

Devotional Sermon #110: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE GOD AND MANKIND - Short powerful devotions

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1  Verse  5 [NIV ] This bible verse refers to Jesus Christ, the One who was in existence in the beginning. It refers to Jesus as 'the light'. According to the Bible, the life of Christ is the light of mankind. This is remarkable; it means that those who have His life have this kind of light in them - the light of mankind. And it's not just about having this light in you, you must let that light show through you, for there would be no point in lighting a candle if you go on to hide it under a bushel! This is probably the greatest lesson you will ever learn about how to be a light that shines in the darkness. You must first accept Christ, the light, so that you may be saved. The life of Jesus Christ is the source of light. In other words, Jesus Christ is the light of mankind. He shines in the darkness and confounds it; not only that, but the darkness has not and cannot overcome this li
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #101: YES, YOU CAN DO IT - Daily devotions for today

I remember the time when I was still a teenager. I kept grudges; real grudges, I mean. I did not know how to forgive; neither did I have the willingness to do so. If somebody did me wrong, they were supposed to pay for it! I was a stranger to God back then - I had never experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Any talk about God actually had a jarring effect to my ears; it still does to some folks. I also would tremble in anger, sometimes to the point of shedding tears - even against an elder! I recall a day I got so angry at an elder that he almost fell off the chair on which he was sitting. The elder was evidently wrong; I could not tolerate it anymore - but seething in anger did not make me right either - it's only that I did not know at the time and actually felt justified in my actions. But since then the Lord has re-molded me. Praise to His Holy Name!  If you see me now, you see a totally different person. Simple. I now can forgive and do forgive. I
Read more

Devotional Sermon #111: I AM NOT THE CHRIST - Short easy sermons

"He (John) himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." John 1  Verse  8 [NIV] I think we are in some kind of problem as the body of Christ. The problem, in my view, is that an increasing numbe r of men and women, even teens and senior citizens are, whether by word or deed, trying to take the place of Christ. Haven't you ever come across church denominations in which congregants seem to, or actually, worship the leader? That's idolatry! The congregants appear not to acknowledge Christ, and by their actions, neither do they seem to have anything to do with Him. All they are eager to do is please their leader, with the leader becoming an idol in God's sight. Never worship other gods. Never worship false gods. Never worship idols. Never worship your pastor. That is what God expects each one of us never to do!  I have earlier claimed that a Christian, because of their relationship with Christ, is actually a light. Jesus is 'the source light
1 comment
Read more