Fear of dying

Actually, I don't feel like blogging about it at all ... But the other day I thought of something that I would like to share with you. Hopefully, it might be food for thought or at least a good conversation starter.

I was wondering what is behind the massive fear of the #Coronavirus. I believe, in essence, it is the fear of dying. I can't think of anything else. Can you?

Let's be frank. What is the worst thing that can happen to you if you have this virus? That you die from it. So, the fear we see rising all around us is actually the fear of dying.

That reminded me of a song by blues guitarist Albert King: "Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die." A song, written by Loretta Lynn, if I remember correctly.

Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. How true is that. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but as Christians we should not fear death. Romans 14: 8 says: If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

The crucial question here is: do you belong to Him or not?

The apostle Paul went even further: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21). Ouch, I am not there yet. I want to stay on this earth for a while longer. But I also want to be able to speak as Paul did, simply because I have given my life to Jesus as well.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

[John 11: 25-26]

And, oh yes, here's the Albert King song.

Guidelines

Following guidelines. In context of the Corona virus we are busy doing so on a worldwide scale these weeks. And that is a good habit. Washing hands regularly, keeping distance, working from home when possible ... well, you name it. Those guidelines are there to ensure our physical health.

I would like to share a few spiritual guidelines to ensure the health of our souls.

Last year I posted a series on this blog about a healthy soul and it focused on the words in 3 John 1:2,

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Just as your soul prospers. It is so important to keep that in mind, especially now that a virus is spreading that fills people with fear, absurd fear. Fear is not good for the soul, fear torments and it paralyzes.

So, how do we take good care of our souls? I have listed a few basic guidelines, hopefully, they will help you.

💦Spend time with Jesus
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened... and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29)
💦Praise and worship
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103: 2) 
💦Listen to His voice
Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake (Isaiah 55: 3) 
💦Speak and receive sweet words
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16:24)

Wisdom has a name

If there is anything that we should desire, it is wisdom. "God knows the way to wisdom," I wrote at the end of my previous blog. Yes, and that way brings us back to Proverbs 8, the chapter on wisdom.

In that chapter "wisdom" is being presented as a woman; a wonderful fact in itself 😁

If you read chapter 8 carefully, you will discover the riches hidden in wisdom. Nothing in the whole world is more precious than wisdom. The chapter also contains quite a few special statements. Just to mention a few:

• My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just: none of them is crooked or perverse (verse7 and 8). Who can claim such a thing?
• I love those who love me and those who seek me find me (verse 17). Where have I heard that before?
• For whoever finds Me finds life (verse 35). Who said that?

Surely, it is clear that wisdom which is more precious than gold, silver and rubies is Jesus Christ himself?! In Colossians 2: 3 it says about Him:  He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge. We need to get to know Him better in order to gain wisdom. This can be done by reading His words and asking the Holy Spirit (our Teacher) to explain what we are reading.

Jesus is the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).

[I talk about this in detail in my book My Neighbor's House].

Where to find wisdom?

In my previous blog posts, I wrote about 'coveting' and 'healthy desires'. Thou shalt not covet ... who doesn't know these words from the Bible? To covet basically means yearning to possess something or greatly desiring something (especially when it belongs to someone else).

Are all desires wrong? No of course not. That same Bible says (Proverbs 8:11) that nothing we can ever desire can be compared with wisdom. Then it makes sense that we have to go after wisdom, right?

The search for WISDOM is a wonderful adventure. Do you know who wrote about such a quest? Job. When we think about Job, we usually think of all the drama in his life, but there was also a passionate search for wisdom. Job 28:13,

👉 But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?

Let's continue reading what he has to say about it, verses 15-20,

It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver.

It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.

Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.

“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?

Quite honestly, the price of wisdom cannot be determined, it far exceeds everything of value. We live in a world where there is a lot of knowledge and science. But wisdom, true wisdom, where can it be found? In verse 23, Job says: God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found,

I think that is a valuable clue. Don't look for education, experience or science ... God knows the way. That takes us back to Proverbs 8, the chapter about wisdom. Several clues can be found in that very chapter. Do you see them?