All of us know how Covid-19 has impacted our whole way of life.  I still find it strange that when I go to a store, I see people with face masks on.  I certainly understand why, but it’s still a weird feeling to see this in the U.S.  And then we see how this virus has impacted our economy, affecting virtually every segment of the American workforce.  And as a result, a lot of people are really struggling to meet financial obligations.  But looking beyond these things, we can talk about the physical and emotional impact of this virus on a whole host of folks. Whether you catch the virus or not, it’s obvious that this virus has altered our way of living.

But how has Covid affected you spiritually?   There’s no doubt that this virus has affected the local church.  Churches have not been able to meet together for worship as in the past, and most of the church programs have been put on hold for fear that we might inadvertently spread the virus.  But what about your personal walk with the Lord?  Has your walk with Christ become rather sickly and anemic in the midst of this pandemic?  Is your spiritual life so dependent upon outside Bible studies and other programs that when those are not available, you just sort of hobble along spiritually and become more and more complacent and apathetic?   Are you consistently spending time in God’s Word and prayer, or have these things been sort of pushed aside for the time being?  And what about church worship on Sunday?  Are you staying home for worship because it takes less effort on your part or because you have a genuine concern about your health?  Now don’t misunderstand me here.  We know that there are people in our church who need to stay home and join us livestream, but sometimes I wonder if there are some who are going to the stores and work during the week, but using Covid as an excuse for not coming to church.  Maybe not.  But my point is simply this – it’s easy in times like these, to just sort of throw spiritual discipline out the window and become somewhat flabby spiritually.  (like the Covid /quarantine weight gain!  Have you experienced this?)  We can either focus on doing what feels good at the moment, or we can see this as a great opportunity to nourish our souls and become strong in the faith.    

Listen, these are tough days that we are living in.  They’re not fun and I know that we all can’t wait until we can resume some semblance of normality.   We’re tired of this “social distance” stuff!  We’re tired of feeling blah!  We long for things to get back to normal.  But until then, we have to ask – “How does God want to use this pandemic to feed my soul and to mature me in my faith?”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ – I want to encourage you in these strange times to seek after the Lord with your whole heart.  Get to know Him better through His Word and Prayer.  Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.  Don’t allow the sin of apathy and complacency to infect your soul so that you simply coast along.  Rather use this time to deepen your walk with Christ so that you might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.