“…but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ‘You will not certainly die’, the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

And so goes the original virus of sin. It has killed more than we can count. It has no respect for gender, age, race, marital status or socioeconomic level. Sin has come into the world by the father of all lies and has death in mind. If he can infect you with his lies, the battle is tipped in his favor. Convincing everyone that having your eyes wide open will give knowledge and wisdom, you know “god like” abilities, does sound intriguing. It also sounds freeing, for it allows anything you dream up possible. For all you imagine must be wise, good and right since you are “like God” after all. And so the virus sets in and with it the symptoms soon follow.

Like any sickness, it starts slow. One minute you are fine, but then you do not feel quite right. Before you know it, down you go and you are rendered weak. If it is serious, you are hospitalized. More progression and machines come to your aid to keep you functioning. Monitors are put into place and your vitals are checked regularly. You might recover and return back to your home. Perhaps you are able to leave the hospital, but rehab is the next step to healing. Then there is the other possible outcome, death. This was how it went with my mom. What started as a little image in her eye, became much more serious. Ultimately the cancer spread and she ended up dying. This cancer was not the result of her sin or by any choice of her own. She noticed a problem and sought medical attention. The Lord had other plans for my mom and now she is completely healed and sees Him face to face. Sin and sickness have no hold on her now. Praise God! Even though I miss her very much, I rejoice knowing I will see her again.

While this virus of sin infects us all, there is a cure. His name is Jesus and He died on the cross to heal you once and for all. It is up to you to take what is offered. My mom knew Him and trusted in His life, death and resurrection. I am so thankful! She is more alive now that she has ever been, even on her best day here on earth. Her and my dad made sure we knew this saving truth as well. They took us to “the hospital” or church and we learned about our sickness. We were not left without a way to be well, but learned of the antidote. I accepted my treatment at the age of 11, but honestly do not remember ever not knowing and believing in God. We have then done the same in our families and trust the Lord to keep the healing going.

What I know is that it is not too late to receive salvation if you are still breathing. Even if it is your last breath. To not have that peace, not only for eternity, but for day to day, would make for a fragile existence. Only in Christ, our solid rock, our Savior, is life worth living. The choice remains in our hands and must be made. Once salvation has been chosen, there might be some healing that needs to take place, but He knows exactly what you need and if you trust Him, it will be provided. If doubt remains because you have seen inside the hospital, met other patients and have no interest in the type of life they were peddling; I am sorry. People can get it wrong at times, I know I have. Fear, pride and insecurity give an unhealthy reflection of Jesus. The best place to get a true glance at the Savior is to open up the Bible for yourself. Do not just take my word for it, find out for yourself. You have the time.

May every time we hear the word virus, we be reminded of the number of people dying each day having never trusted in the Savior. May our hearts be spurred into action to represent Him and love people well. That does not mean we celebrate sin, but it does mean we respond to it differently. We see those who are sick with sin, look on them with compassion and gently show them the way to the ultimate Healer. Because deep down they already know they are sick and our response just might give them hope of being healed. May God bring revival to our land and He can start within my heart.