With so much tragedy going on it’s hard not to get discouraged. The Corona Virus, or pandemic of 2020 has a lot of Americans searching for truths, stability and safety. As a society, we can be full of hate and disarray during times of uncertainty. Acknowledging this downfall may be the very thing that reminds us to try a little bit harder to be helpful instead of harmful.
As Believers, we know Christ has given each member of His body a Spiritual Gift to Strengthen, Build up and Manifest the Church in His Word. These spirits are, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. In this image below, we see them stacked as if to say, they all start with and are based on our fear of the Lord.
Fear of God refers to fear or a specific sense of respect, awe, and submission to a deity.
When we come into awe of something, We become spiritually aroused by the foundation that God has given us. We become passionately driven to share His word, His works and His guidance with others. We spend time Praising and Rejoicing over this new found energy and epiphany of the realness of our Lord.
In our Fear of the Lord, we gain Respect. If we respect something, we want to know more about it, therefore we innately build our Knowledge about it.
Once we have more knowledge about a subject, we are less likely to be fearful. We will have strength and fortitude instead of fear because we will possess truth about the situation and fear mongering cannot reach us.
With our passion in place, our knowledge we have earned and our strength, we can then start to counsel others in the way of the Spirit! Giving others solitude and peace to find their piety in Christ.
In counseling, we find compassion, empathy and understanding. Through our own struggles and failures we see that not everyone is perfect, but that we must be patient and kind. In this part of our walk we find Love and what it truly means to Love one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.“
And finally wisdom from these wanderings we do here on Earth. For if any trial comes upon us, should we not be grateful for the sufferings as we suffer with Christ? It is the Glory of these gifts that will be shown on Earth as it is in Heaven.
1 Peter 4:12-13
12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
We have Hope in these things revealed to us as we go through the trials and tribulations of today’s time. When we choose to Love one another instead of persecute each other, we cover the sins of many!
1 Peter 4:8
8. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Christ’s death was out of LOVE. God Loves us and wants to Save us! What better thing to save someone with than Love?
As we meditate on this passage in First Peter, we recognize that even our Love for others can cover sin. In the way that we are directed to use our Spiritual Gifts to strengthen one another in the Body of Christ, we see we are to Love one another to cover sin.
1 Peter 4:10
10. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Are we not more powerful with Love than with arguments? Do we have something to prove with Love, or is it unconditional? Who are we to bring wrath when appointed only to bring Grace and Love? Our steps are being counted as we proclaim our Faith to others. Let us not smudge our own faces with the ash of this world’s death even in our separation from it.
With Christ dwelling within us, we can pardon sin in this world. We can pardon the afraid, the mongering, the wicked politicians, the hateful and scournful, the public reactions, the journalists. We can cover their sin through Love. By praying for them, lifting them up, being graceful and hopeful in the face of adversity. These are the mandates to the Believers by the King of Kings. This is the direction He has asked us to walk.
So, we must ask ourselves daily, are we living this way? Are we truly moving mountains by Faith, or merely telling great stories of old?
Believers, we need to be living these revelations, these epiphanies, in every moment of our lives. This is where we can find the Kingdom of Heaven. It is within us to live this way. It has been rooted in our minds and blown over our bodies as a spirit we inherited upon Christ’s Rising. We must seek the better way to traverse this world until God has rectified it from wickedness and brought into the fruition of His Glorious plan. When we do, we gain the Fruits of the Spirit.
Most of us yearn to live a better life, our best life right? So let us live our best lives right here, in the storm, while we can exercise the Spiritual Gifts Christ breathed over His Nation upon His Resurrection. He is not interested in our Dinners or Church Services, our rituals or traditions, He is after Our Ways, Our Hearts and Our Minds to seek Him first so that all other things can be manifested in Christ.
KEPT COVENANT 