Corona Devo 14

I wish I was living out my faith more authentically (genuinely) lately.  We can talk a good game, but I think one of God’s purposes for us in studying the Bible is to teach us, stretch us, and (sometimes in my case): correct us.

All of the Corona-chaos and (at the same time), the Corona-nothingness, is really doing a number on me. 

In reading scripture today, I feel like the Lord looked me straight in the eyes and said (My paraphrasing): “Wake up and start living the faith that is in your heart.  Stop squirming in your circumstances, and remember that you can trust Me, and I am in charge (of all of it).  Plus, please stop the “woe is me” act and why don’t you help someone else feel better today?”
 
Of course the Bible says it slightly different words (below), but that was what I heard.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  ~Hebrews 10:23-24

Let us hold “tightly” – When I consider the word “tightly” I think of related ideas like “strongly”, or “with a fierce grip”, or to do something “seriously”.  Let us hold tightly (strongly, seriously, with a tight grip!)… to the hope we affirm… ~Hebrews 10:23

Let’s get serious about the faith that we (some of us) have claimed for a long time.  For me, it seems like this (shared) Corona-stage in all of our lives is a bit of a rubber-hits-the-road kind of moment/season for our faithwalks.  It is rattling our norms, our finances, our health security, and maybe our faith.  It is easy to have “faith” when things are going well, and the going is easy.  It is much more difficult to live out faith when the going gets tough.  And I feel that the going is getting tougher.  How about you?

Let us hold tightly without wavering

I like the sound of the term “without wavering”, and words and phrases come to my mind like “wholeheartedly”, “standing firm”, and not being tossed about like a wave coming in and out with the (news media) tide.  That is the kind of faith that I want to have.  In the good times, and in the harder times, and right now, during the Corona times. 

I see myself being challenged (by God’s word) to be all-in (not wavering), and to be emotionally involved with Jesus and his role for me right now as we live our days out differently than we ever have before.  I can’t sidestep my faith right now, or detach from it.  Nor do I want to, but as we become more confined to our homes, I have to take an honest look at how “tightly I am holding” to the hope of Christ.  And would I consider myself unwavering in that hope of Him?  The truth hurts.
 
But I know that the Lord is (purposely) turning my gaze inward on myself and my soul, and my “claim” to love and live for Him.  Am I doing that to the best of my ability as we settle in for what may be a long stay-at-home order?  He loves us too much to leave us where we are at.  He has a better place/attitude/day(!) to move us in to, if we are willing.

What are we holding tight to?  Ouch--again, the honest answer might be “the news”, or our latest self-imposed schedule for us at home or the kids.  But the Bible says that we should hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm ~Hebrews 10:23

“Affirm” means to “state as a fact; assert strongly and publicly.”  If you know Jesus, and have accepted Him in your heart, then the hope that we have in Jesus we can state as a fact; assert strongly and publicly.  We can talk about/affirm it—our hope and faith. 

Back in our pre-Corona lives, we could “show” our hope and faith by attending church with others (and similar activities), but in this new landscape of faith that we are living, we need to live it personally, and we don’t have to “show” (off?) our hope to anyone but ourselves, and those within ur home.  Now there is no public reception of our hope and faith: it is just us and God.  Maybe he has been waiting to get down to the heart of things with (just) us. 

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm  ~Hebrews 10:23  We say that we have hope—let’s LIVE it.  Tightly and without wavering.

Can I be trusted?  Obviously not.  I feel like I keep failing in living well during this new normal of Corona. 

But WONDERFUL news, everyone.  There is One who can be trusted.

for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ~ Hebrews 10:23

God will keep His promise to love us, to care for us, to provide for us, to give us a “hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God will keep His promise and God can be trusted: Nothing else and no one else was made to uphold us the way that God does.  Everything else will come up short for us: our friends, spouses, family, kids, job.  Everything and ANYthing else that we put our hopes in and on will let us down.  But not God.  …for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ~ Hebrews 10:23

……Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  ~Hebrews 10:24
Has anyone else noticed that God repeatedly encourages us to encourage others? 

It feels good to encourage others, and it makes us move out of focusing on our own junk.  I challenge us to take God’s advice from Hebrews 10:23-24:  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  

Let’s realign ourselves today.  I want to hold on tight to Jesus and my hope in Him, because I can trust Him.  And along the way, let’s love others and encourage them to pass it on!

Blessings,
sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/