Millions of people throughout the world are praying for the COVID-19 Coronavirus to end. We make those prayers for legitimate reasons, and unfortunately, even for selfish reasons. Yes, I’m just as guilty as you.

The sad part of this is that so many are praying to false gods, idols of some fashion, but not to the one and only true God of Heaven. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, John, Peter and Paul is always listening to those who call upon His name in sincere repentance and with a sincere heart.

Maybe God just wants us to take a break from all the world’s distractions and sit down and relax. Now that we’re confined to our homes, maybe it’s the opportunity we need to just talk to Him, perhaps slow down and listen to what He has to say. Is it possible we have strayed so far from His will that danger could be lurking ahead? Maybe He desires to warn us, to give us a chance to repent.

Have you ever been traveling and gotten off on the wrong road? You realize what you’ve done, then turn around and go back until you’re on the right road again to get to your destination. That is ‘repent.’

God had a few words for Israel that are most appropriate for us also.

“If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers. Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them” (Isaiah 1:19-23).

Those words describe us so well. Can’t you just imagine God speaking to Israel, then looking over at us and saying, “Are you listening?” Reminds me when we were children. One child gets the lecture, and the others are expected to be listening in order to learn from their sibling’s ‘mistake.’

In the following verse God is speaking to Lucifer (Satan), who had it all and then pride destroyed him.

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee” (Ezekiel 28:17).

I fear that we as a nation have done the same. Let’s face it. We are not short on pride. We think we are the best of the best. We think we cannot fail or fall. Our egotism is unmatched. But what is our future if we don’t listen to God?

In the next verse God is telling Moses that those He led from slavery to freedom have sinned. They have corrupted themselves.

“And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image” (Deuteronomy 9:12).

Just as Israel sought freedom to worship their God, many years later Europe had a people who sought the same thing, so God led them to the shores of America. However, we have taken this freedom and used it to corrupt ourselves. No nation has been blessed as mightily as this nation, so what happened? We started looking inward instead of upward. We are now so far off the charts in our sins, judgment is a certainty unless we repent. Thankfully, God is longsuffering (patient).

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalms 86:15).

In one respect, the COVID-19 Coronavirus could be a blessing instead of a curse, IF we would take the time to listen to God and obey Him. For most in this country, they may be so far gone, there may be no turning back, but maybe there are enough who will that God will delay His judgment. The words of God are:

“Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Most Americans act like their sins are a right that is theirs to enjoy. We act like our actions, sinful or not, should be accepted by all and there is no piper to pay.

Others across this land do not believe in God. They’re too sophisticated, but God wants us to listen to these words very carefully.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10).

Hopefully, some will take this time and use it wisely. Either way, He will be exalted.

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Dr. J. Vernon McGee once asked the question in one of his Bible studies, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

So far, this country does not arrest people for being a Christian. However, in other parts of the world, that is not the case. Christians in some other countries are arrested, imprisoned, tortured, their property taken from them, and many times even their lives. Often their families suffer the same fate.

It isn’t always easy for a Christian to tell if another person who claims to be a Christian is actually a Christian, but the Bible does say, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16a). The thought is continued in the remaining verses of this passage, that we don’t go to a pear tree to pick apples. We go to an apple tree to pick apples, strongly asserting that we know what kind of tree it is by the fruit on the tree.

Then there are those folks who insist they need no works as long as they have faith, and that is true if they mean that works cannot save anyone, but Jesus comes along and says through James, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). So, what is God saying in this passage when He made it crystal clear in Ephesians that only faith saves?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

To put it simply: God is speaking to non-believers about how to be saved in Ephesians 2:8-9, and He is speaking to believers in Matthew 7:16f and James 2:17f about what He expects after they are saved. In other words, if I am an employer and I hire Mr. X to do a certain job, Mr. X got the job because of what I did and through no credit of his own. However, now that he is hired, I expect to see the ‘fruit’ of my ‘grace’ in his ‘work.’

To be found guilty of being a Christian is all about identification. Mr. X is identified as my employee because of what I did for him. I hired him. I am identified as a Christian because of what God did for me. He saved me. The plum is identified as a plum because of what the plum tree did for the plum. It produced plums.

So the question begs the answer, is there enough evidence (fruit) in me to convict me if I were arrested for being a Christian?

Think about this:

If you had been there when Peter was in the courtyard when Jesus was arrested, would you call him a man of God (Christian)?

If you had witnessed Paul and Barnabas arguing about Mark, would you call Paul a man of God (Christian)?

If you had been there and watched David plot an affair with Bathsheba, would you call him a man of God (Christian)?

The Bible says God’s children produce good fruit and do not produce bad fruit (Matthew 7:18). How can that be, “do not produce bad fruit?” It is possible because our sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, whether we lived prior to the cross or afterwards.

Let’s face it. The court of public opinion isn’t always right. Even though the Bible says we should be able to identify our brothers and sisters in Christ, it also says we are not to make ourself a judge (Matthew 7:1).

However, there is one qualified to judge us all, and He says,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19, emphasis mine).

If I were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me? Many of us who call ourselves Christians are going to smell like smoke when all that wood, hay and stubble are burned up at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12).

Obviously, we can’t always tell for certain if someone is a Christian. Even if we were arrested for being a Christian, the court could also be wrong (Matthew 7:21-23).

I think at this point it makes a lot of sense to just take a long hard look inside ME.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html