The swine flu has come, and it must be on par with the bubonic plague to hear some people talk. I'm all for taking necessary precautions. We don't throw caution to the wind. I wash my hands frequently wherever I go somewhere, and that was before the swine flu hit, or whatever it is called by some initials, Hemi, H202, R2D2, or something along those lines. Before you know it, someone will come out with a book, or at least an article, that will identify the swine flu with one of the seven plagues in Revelation. Scaring people to death is a scary business in the U.S.A., but there is more money to be found there than in Chrysler these days.
I don't have the cold, hard data in front of me, but I will take a wild stab at the fact that the chances of one getting seriously hurt or killed in an automobile are 10,000 times greater than anyone contracting the swine flu. So hear me out! Stay out of your cars! If you feel inclined to walk everywhere then, the chances of your getting hurt or killed as a pedestrian, may be at least 5000 times greater than getting the swine flu. Stay off the streets! If you feel inclined to hunker down, stay home, and not go anywhere these days, then your chances of getting hurt or dying at home are probably at least 3000 times greater than getting the swine flu, since most accidents happen at home. In other words, you might as well end your life now. Are you scared enough yet?
All the hoopla over the swine flu has me thinking about Psalm 37, a psalm that our family is slowly (and I mean slooooowly) memorizing together now. We only have covered the first eight verses, but three times in those eight verses we are told not to fret. Once it says it only causes harm when we do. We should not fret even when evil people seem to be getting away with their wicked schemes. Being scared stiff is not exactly a God-fearing option.
Pressing, persistent panic paralyzes plentiful people. That is more than a tongue-twister; it is a mind-bender and soul-killer.
This coming Sunday is Mother's Day when many preachers feel like they ought to say something about the virtues of motherhood. I love mothers, but one of the best advices I ever got as a young preacher is never allow the calendar to dictate what you should preach.
Instead, this coming Sunday I feel it necessary to address this issue of being scared stiff as Christians. Much of the talk of the end times these days borders on scaring people to death and not giving them much comfort. The latest bad news often spells good profits for books that push the panic button. It is high time we end the talk about the end times being a monetary boondoggle that keeps people ever speculating and constantly scared over the latest big news item.
Are you securely saved, or are you scared stiff? Are you scared to death, or are you saved to eternal life? As I read Scripture, the future coming of our Lord is not a blistering hysteria, but it is a blessed hope.
Yours in Christ,
Chris
