Matt. 25.34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Jesus talks of one who visits the sick. Many don’t like visiting the sick because it’s inconvenient or unpleasant.
Now, because of our perceived knowledge into sickness and disease, many are not visiting the sick because they think it’s dangerous.
One step further—some are not visiting well brethren because of fear of sickness.
God has not called us to a life of safety, but to a life of love and obedience. The media and our government continue to bombard us with messages about our safety safety safety. And how do we ensure our safety? They tell us to quit most human contact and interaction. This is not what God has called us to!
We shouldn’t stop what we are called to do just because we might get sick.
The main care of our generation right now is getting flu and Covid vaccine shots and staying away from every other human. But our main care ought to still be the kingdom of God, our brethren, and our neighbors. Trust God! Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
I love the line from C. S. Lewis in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe:
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Our great King Jesus is not safe. It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. He is the judge of the nations and will break them with a rod of iron. No, He is not safe. Neither has He called us to a life of safety. Our main goal on earth should not be to live as long as possible or as healthy as possible, but to live in obedience to our King.
I’m not advocating throwing caution to the wind and being stupid about life, but I am advocating an allegiance to Christ which transcends our love of this world. If Christ calls us to suffer and die for Him, yet we are not willing to put ourselves in the way of a virus, what does that say?
Let me make this personal. Do I really believe my Lord is King, in ultimate control of my life and destiny, and has the power to protect or kill at His pleasure? Then do I believe God has called me to be with my brethren – not to forsake the assembling of myself together with my brethren – to visit the sick and distressed in their trouble – to help the needy – to encourage the faint-hearted? Does my present life prove this faith? Have I continued to obediently walk with Him over the past few months, or have I given way to the fear promulgated by the world around me?
To all who may read this, I encourage you to do your own soul-searching and ask yourself, “Have I put safety over my brethren?” If “yes,” then let’s ask God to give us direction and help us get back to work in the kingdom!