We are living in very interesting times, aren’t we? 

Thousands of years ago, King David had it even rougher than we do.  His own son had staged a coup d’état and had forced David to leave the throne and hit the road as a fugitive.  While fleeing for his life from his own flesh and blood, David wrote the following:

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.  I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  Arise, O Lord!  Save me, O my God!  For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.  Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!” (Psalm 3:3-8).

Decades ago, I gave my life to God by doing what the Bible told me to do to receive God’s grace and mercy.  I believed in Jesus with all my heart and confessed that faith (John 3:16; Acts 8:35-38; Romans 10:9-10).  I repented of my sins (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 2 Corinthians 7:9-11).  I was baptized into Christ in order to receive forgiveness of my sins (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:36-39; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27).  When I came up out of that water, I became a Christian, God’s child. 

And in all the good times and the bad times since that day – and yes, there have been some bad times – I keep coming back to one solid, foundational truth from the Bible.  God watches over me and protects me, even in midst of my sorrows and hurt, to the point where there is nothing in this life that could happen to me that would be so bad that it would overshadow the glory that awaits me as his child in heaven with him.

Jesus put it this way.  After rebuking us for futilely worrying about the necessities of life, the Son of God commanded us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34).  The apostle Paul gave a similar perspective that also looked towards eternity when he wrote that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).  In other words, life can and oftentimes does throw the very worst at the Christian…and the Christian will still win in the end because the Christian is saved from an eternity in hell by the grace of God.  Heaven awaits the obedient, penitent, baptized believer, guaranteed!

No wonder Paul wrote, “…If God is for us who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39).

No matter what virus, hardship, disappointment, burden, or sorrow given in this life, the Christian still goes to heaven!  It’s a great blessing to be God’s child!  Have you followed all of what the Bible says to become a Christian?  If you would like to study more about this, let me know in the comments.

Stay safe and be prudent, friends!