“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
– Colossians 3:23 KJV

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
– Ephesians 2:10 KJV

Good early morning, Lord. Today’s study notes hit right where we all are… dealing with community… and TRYING to love one another. How could I not think on this whole COVID-19 Pandemic? There are so many suffering, so many who have lost their lives, and many of them died fighting on the front lines to save those stricken with COVID. It makes me think on my dear friend Nitin of Daily Bible Bytes for You who is a doctor in India, and had his long time doctor friend and mentor come down with the virus. Then had another friend who lost his mother one day and then his father a few days later. Both parents in the same week! I read that the same day I saw a local news report of 2 teenage boys losing both of their parents. Just yesterday Nitin was sharing about another doctor from the front lines passing away from the virus. 😦

There are so many in my own community in my county, the city, and the state. If I were to try to name all of the friends and family who have lost someone or come down with it, this would be a very long post. And that would not even represent the ones who have passed, yet the families will not tell the public it was COVID. There is actually a stigma for some people, as if this disease was something to be ashamed of contracting. Hundreds of thousands around the world have died from this disease. Millions have contracted it. How does one attach shame to such a ruthless and invisible killer? We had a cousin in our family who died from it, but we did not know for a month because the family not only wanted to keep people from gathering for a funeral (understandably so), but they were actually ashamed to let anyone know it was COVID.

And then there is this whole mask debate, the unbelievable accusations of this being a hoax, the argument of a constitutional right, and quite frankly just a pent up world looking for an excuse to blame someone for the fact that they can’t do everything they want, when they want it, and the way they want it. A world who is upset that their world changed over night and will more than likely never be the same. A world where they could not even escape with sports, Hollywood, immorality, favorite snacks and comfort foods, no dining out, nor getaways for quite some time. So many special once in a lifetime events were postponed or cancelled altogether. This is what comes to mind when I think of community right now. But praise Your Holy name that is not all I think of.

WordPress Community! I thank You for allowing me to know, have, and be a part of this community You have blessed with encouraging one another. That includes being honest about our own experiences with COVID, along with the raw emotions everyone is feeling. I am especially grateful for those who are still trying to keep it all about You, even in their experiences, and bringing those raw emotions to You openly in their blogs, and being sure to look for those sought out and needed answers in Your scriptures.

Even the ones who wrote this little devotional book (Woman of God, Wonderfully Made) way back in 2012 (that I am noting from now in 2020) wrote on being made to love our community regardless of our disagreements or circumstances from a very beautiful Godly heart.

“You may not always love your neighbors, but God does. You may consider some people in your community to be unworthy of your time and effort, but God doesn’t. God loves each person in your community no matter his or her faults, weaknesses, or sins. The question isn’t ‘Who deserves my acts of service?’ but rather ‘Who needs my acts of service?’
In Christ Jesus, you can serve your community without considering its worthiness. In Christ Jesus, you can love your inconsiderate neighbor. In Christ Jesus, you can display God’s love to the hurting world. When you serve others, you serve God. When you love others, you live our your love for God. It all comes from Him, because of Him, for Him!” 

Thank you for Christian Community… fellow believers who are determined to keep it all about You, to keep their faith in You, and to still be absolutely convinced even now that YOU ARE GOOD! We may not understand everything going on. We may be lost in a very dense fog. We may be angry, hurt, and devastated with loss and circumstances that no one could have imagined happening. In ALL things, You are STILL A GOOD AND LOVING FATHER AND GOD! Thank You for Community, God! We need You, and we need each other! ❤

Inspiration: WGWM Study Notes, Week 2 Day 4