what were you thinking?

The world has been stopped in its tracks! Every news headline, every social media post, and every conversation is infected. It’s ALL about THE VIRUS!

This morning, as we read The Word, I was reminded of these verses:

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 RSV

My salvation means I am the temple or house of God’s Spirit! And Jesus, my Lord and Savior said:

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand
Mark 3:25 RSV

To me these verses say, it is SO very necessary, in the midst of this crisis, to be focused on living as though we are the temple of God; heeding the guidance of His Holy Spirit within us and not allowing the terror of this world to divide our focus. A world gone mad and a desire to live an undivided life, in Christ, brought me to Paul’s Corinthian letters:

For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:1-7 RSV

In this passage Paul writes of “divine power.” The phrase captured my attention and led me to 1 Corinthians 2:5 where he (Paul) wrote:

I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5 The Message (MSG)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

But the LORD is the TRUE GOD; he is the LIVING GOD and the EVERLASTING KING
Jeremiah 10:10

God’s Word tells us in this world we will face trials and troubles. It also tells us “the thief (the enemy) comes to kill, steal and destroy” –to divide and conquer. By dividing our thinking between faith and fear we become vulnerable to the world’s mess. “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” And Christ told his followers:

I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?
Matthew 6:25-33 CVE

“But I’m stuck at home and I’m bored!”

“Take every thought captive.”

Turn off the news. Put down your phone.
Write a story. Read a book. Paint a picture. Learn to cook.
Study your Bible. Take a walk. Learn to knit. Or sew.
Use you imagination!

The cure for boredom is imagination. There is no cure for imagination. And you can direct your imagination in any direction you choose.

My prayer today: Abba Father, I come to you in praise and thanksgiving for all you offer us, IN Christ. Your Word speaks of protection and guidance, and we accept that you send your Holy angels to carry out Your Word. Turn this World to YOU, Abba. You are mighty to save. In Jesus name. Amen.