The Bare Necessities

Recently in a neighboring state, an unsuspecting Walmart manager caused an uproar by deciding that baby strollers were not essential.  Perhaps he didn't need a stroller, a baby monitor, or a crib, but let me tell you, some people absolutely do.  And boy, did he ever hear about it....

At the same time, I was asking one of ECM's country directors about the hardships faced by those in his country, and about the items that were most necessary during this difficult time.  Funny, he didn't mention baby strollers, or a lot of other things that we might have mentioned, for that matter.

He said food.  His people needed food.

Now, I know that food is not the only thing that people need, but his answer sure did highlight for me a stark difference between our countries.  No one in America would say that we don't need food. Of course we do.  It's just that we always have food.  It's just a given to most Americans, even during this pandemic.  It's like saying that oxygen is essential to life.  It's true of course, but really, when was the last time there wasn't any?

His answer also highlights an important aspect of ministry to the human race: meeting physical needs.  When he expressed to me the need for food, he wasn't saying that spiritual needs were not important, and he wasn't even implying that they are not most important.  He was just saying that right now, food is more important than Bibles or sermons, neither of which you can eat.

Don't get hung up on trying to figure out what the necessities of life are, and which are most important.  I for one would not like to be a Walmart manager trying to decide what is essential for an ever more aggravated US population! As Christians, we are called to meet needs when and where we see them.  See a hungry person, feed them.  See a poor person, clothe them.  See a person hungry for truth, tell them about Jesus.  When you meet these needs and countless others, you are sharing the good news of Jesus with a world in need.  And that, my friends, is essential.

It's Good Friday. So What?

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

The calendar says it's Good Friday, and that Easter is just two days away.  But all I hear on the news is COVID-19 this, coronavirus that.  Wear a mask, don't wear a mask; don't shake hands with anyone; and by all means, stay six feet away from everyone.  And please, please stay inside (unless what you've got to do is really, really important, like buying mulch for landscaping your yard, or running to the store to get that chocolate bar you've been craving, or getting take-out for dinner from your favorite restaurant).  Yet we are supposed to remember that today is Good Friday, the day Jesus died.

Well, it is true that we have been hearing a lot about death lately.  Mortality rates, death counts in every country under the sun, and fear that only comes when people begin to consider the possibility that they might be next.  We are certainly afraid of death.

So the question comes to my mind: why did Jesus actually have to die?  I certainly know people who are uncomfortable with the idea.  Frankly, I am uncomfortable with the idea. I also know people who outright reject the notion that God requiring Jesus to die for us is like, the best plan?  Really? Surely God could have come up with a better idea.  Couldn't he have just said, "OK, it's all good.  No, really, I've got this taken care of.  You're all in!"  It sounds good, and there are many days I wish it were true, especially when I spend time with really nice people who won't accept the message of forgiveness and salvation through Christ.  But the problem is, it just doesn't match with what the Bible says about God.  He is loving, yes, but he is also just.  He is holy and righteous and cannot just ignore sin.  So, as much as I would like that to be different, I can't change who God is, at least not without changing what Scripture says about Him.   

I'm no theologian, but it's pretty clear to me what the Bible is saying.  By ourselves, we just don't make the grade. (You can read for yourself in passages like: Leviticus 11:44-45, Isaiah 6:3-5, Leviticus 17:11, and Romans 3:23-26.)  But what is also clear to me is that God loves me and has made a way (see Romans 5:8) for me to be saved.  It's not really my place to question his methods, as much as I might wish for other options.

So today is Good Friday.  Jesus had to die because God required it, based on who He is.  But the key here is that God did make a way for us.  It's there for the taking.  In the midst of COVID-19, when fear is the emotion of the day, we can find peace because someone else died for us.  So when we die (and we will die, if Christ doesn't return first), we have nothing to fear. Because of Christ, this is a very, very good day, indeed.