FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART August 7, 2023

You might consider this a “Public Service Announcement.” There is another insidious illness going around that we all need to be prepared to prevent. Like the previous virus, this one is known by initials, “the B.T. virus.” As COVID impacted the senses of taste and smell, this one affects your vision. It causes a distorted image of yourself and the world around you. This terrible disease, which is rapidly spreading around the world, is properly named the “Better Than Virus.”

One of the symptoms of this illness is that it causes an unrealistic view of the person in the mirror. The infected individuals have an inflated perception of their own importance, while devaluing the worth of those around them. The virus makes it impossible to see their own faults and failures, but exaggerates the short-comings of other people. The B.T. Virus can easily spread from one family member to another, as it is very contagious. It is often passed down from parents to their children, due to the close and constant contact they share, creating an unhealthy household for the entire family unit.

I know that people have differing views about the necessity for vaccines to fight off diseases. However, the only known cure for this B. T. Virus is a regular inoculation with the Word of God and prayer. We read in Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think more highly that he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Consistent exposure to the Word of God is the best way to prevent succumbing to this dreaded virus.

Sadly, this disease has even spread to the pulpits and pews of many churches. The result is that pastors and people are left with a distorted view of their own self-worth, while neglecting to focus upon their reason for existing. As much as we feared that COVID could shut down our ministries, the greater threat to the Lord’s work comes from this “Better Than Virus.” It leads us to neglect the very people we are intended to help because all of our focus is upon ourself. Please join me in resisting the threat of this virus by staying humble before the Lord and connected to His Word and His people!

Serving in love, Bro. Jim