Swine Flu for Christians
I recently sat in a coffee shop and as I was quietly minding my own business and doing my work as a young fellow lounged on the couch across from me and sneezed and hacked his way through the better part of 90 minutes. Each time he coughed he looked at me as if to say, “Sorry. I know I shouldn’t be here because I’m probably making you sick.” With every type of flu going around this winter from swine flu to seasonal flu I was frustrated. (By the way, if we’re going to have a pandemic flu why can’t it have a cool name like Creeping Panther Flu or Mako Shark Flu?)
This guy caused me to think about how I still can’t get the flu shot because it’s not available due to shortages. Unfortunately there is one type of innoculation that I see that a lot of people have received over their lifetime. They have received the “Jesus Shot” which means they are now calloused and innoculated to the effects of the Savior.
These are the people that grimmace when you start talking about Jesus or quickly cut you off to tell you that they go to church on Christmas and Easter.
Just like the flu, I’ve found that a person who is truly infected by Christ runs a raging fever for Him that never stops and they don’t ever get over it. But unlike the regular flu illness, this flu gets better with time and heals us in the end.
Don’t be afraid when someone with the Jesus “bug” coughs on you because you need that kind of infection. And don’t settle for the innoculation of a little bit of Jesus because what we all need is a good raging fever!
Hachoo!!
May 21st, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Flu is a contagion. It’s a lot like man’s original sin nature. It doesn’t just affect us, it infects us. As sin permeates every fiber of our being, there is no innoculation or remedy to correct it that we can provide through self help. It takes its course, then is expelled by a strong immune system OR in the case of some, leads to physical death.
Apart from a measure of unmerited, unearned grace outside of ourselves, all the self help remedy’s in the world will not eradicate the natural man. Yet, here comes Jesus! His death for sinners, and His precious blood destroyed sins dominion over us, and put to death the old man. The NEW man is now innoculated with a new nature, one that has made us “dead to sin”. Therefore, it will never again have power over us (Romans 6).
The power to overcome sin, power to eradicate sin, and the power to experience victory over sin is ALL external. It all comes from Him (and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God). Grace. So, go ahead and sneeze. I’m innoculated.