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West Nile
“Most assuredly, I say
to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has
everlasting life, and shall not come into Judgment, but has passed
from death into life” (John 5:24)
Doesn’t it always seem like it? Just when you
think it’s safe to leave the house, something ELSE happens!
Years ago, when we left California, there were
birds everywhere and most of them were “sparrows,” except that many
of them, I am told, are actually “wrens” which apparently look
something like sparrows and everybody thinks they are, but they
aren’t. Rarely, in those days, you would see a crow, but somebody
recently said they really aren’t crows, but actually they’re ravens,
though everybody thinks they’re crows!
A couple of decades later, when I returned to
reside in Southern California once more, there were crows
EVERYWHERE! Or if you believe those people who claim to know such
things – There were unexpectedly lots of RAVENS. There still are
lots of sparrows (or wrens, if you prefer), but you don’t see them
much because they seem to be hiding from the noisy crows (also known
as “ravens”). There were pigeons as well before my departure and
after my return (though they may be penguins in disguise).
Sadly, a few days ago, my wife found a sparrow
(wren?) that was not moving in the back yard, and then spotted
another one hopping around, apparently unable to fly. We followed
the advice given in a newspaper article about West Nile Virus and
called the Animal Control people, who said they would “try”
to come out sometime later in the day. I asked about the West Nile
article and told them about the hopping bird, hoping they would
commit to coming sooner – the article was a concern. They said, “Sorry…
we get over three hundred bird calls a day…” - just in Long
Beach, California!
When they arrived in the late afternoon, my
wife told them about the hopping bird and asked if it was West Nile
Virus? The Animal Control person answered (with no hesitation), “Yes!”
and my wife asked if the birds (both of whom were now not moving)
would be examined for West Nile? “No,”
the man responded – “Most of (the
local birds) have it… We don’t even
bother to test anymore.”
You’ve probably heard about West Nile Virus.
It’s an illness spread by mosquitoes and is commonly found in
Africa, West Asia and the Middle East. Symptoms include fever,
headache, tiredness, and aches, which sounds a lot like the flu,
except it can also lead to Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
and meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and
the spinal cord). That’s very bad, indeed.
The disease has been established in the
“Western” world for the past few years, having been found recently
in two Irish citizens who had been traveling in Portugal, and it’s
now well-known in many parts of the United States, like New York
City, which has a species of mosquito that can survive through the
winter. The mosquitoes bite the birds and carry the disease from
birds to people.
Thirty-five cases of West Nile Virus, including
one death, have been reported in Orange County, which is near Long
Beach, California, where we live. Those statistics are not
considered reliable, however, because as yet, West Nile is not a
reportable disease. Symptoms like encephalitis and meningitis ARE
reportable, but not West Nile itself. There may be a lot more
cases, but the doctors are not yet required to tell us.
The Disease Control people recommend that we
spray ourselves with insecticide, which is very much like jumping
out an 18th Floor window to escape a burglar in your
apartment. We work with the AOWAC (Agent Orange Widows Awareness
Coalition) and have seen the results in innumerable people who were
sprayed with the herbicide Agent Orange. Many chemicals (like
insecticides), may have a “good” effect” on the short term, but they
can reach out in later years and kill you through various cancers
and other disorders.
What can we do, because we want to LIVE, don’t
we? Of course we do. And we don’t want to live in a way that makes
us afraid to leave our houses. Everybody wants LIFE to the fullest,
which is why human beings try to avoid ANY kind of restrictions,
which, by the way, is the problem of humanity – Everyone wants
things their way.
West Nile Virus has likely been in the world
for centuries, as have many other diseases and maladies that
surround us, though most of them, mercifully, we know nothing about
as yet. It’s interesting that West Nile was confined to a
relatively small and rural part of the world until recently. Much
like AIDS, which existed in rural Africa and then spread over Africa
and infected the world, West Nile is now out of the box and into our
lives.
What do we do? It’s a good question. Do you
remember Howard Hughes? He was the famous billionaire who became so
afraid of disease and death that he literally hid in his room and
wouldn’t come out anymore. He died a recluse, with long
fingernails, long hair, and fear in his heart. That is not “life” –
That’s a living death! And notice that his billions did not go with
him when he died. He died alone and now has nothing at all.
Jesus said, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him
who sent Me HAS everlasting LIFE, and shall not come into Judgment,
but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). Note that
the life He offers is not only “everlasting,”
but it is ours right now, when we trust in Him. Do you also notice
that His definition of “life” is not
like ours? We think of “life” as self-willed energy - Doing what we
want to do, when we want to do it with no restrictions at all. We
want life without end, and we want to be “bullet-proof” while we are
living it. God has a better idea – He makes us new in His Son!
West Nile is a reminder that we need the Lord,
for it is just one of many disorders that show our vulnerability.
Some see this and become “hedonists”
out of fear – They just get drunk and stay that way. But God has a
better Way; the only Real Answer for you and me. He gave us Jesus,
Who is abundant LIFE for anyone who has fallen into the disease of
fear. Just BELIEVE in Him and receive His life – Forever.
Father, we BELIEVE Your Word; believe in You.
We want the life YOU give us and so we trust in You now. Thank You,
Lord, for giving us LIFE. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchontheNet.org
E-mail:
Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel: (562) 688-5559
PO
Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans
5:8)
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