Articles
Are We Contagious?
Over the last several weeks here in Snyder and around the State and across the country, people have been infected by the Flu, Pneumonia and Strep just to name a few. In world news, there are reports from China that the Corona Virus has spread from their country into other parts of the world. These illnesses are extremely contagious and have caused widespread health problems that have affected thousands. These illnesses are transmitted because people are c and sometime they don’t even realize that they are spreading the germs. This is a domino effect and for a time as we come into contact with sick people sometimes we get it and it is passed from one person to the next. In a similar way, we too can pass along and be contagious with our attitudes and the way that we live our life. Someone who is positive and encouraging to others is someone that we want to be around isn’t it? These types of people are those that generally put the well being and the interest of others before their own. These types of people have attitudes that are contagious and we find ourselves wanting to be around them because they encourage us, they build us up and generally make us feel better about life.
Paul, in writing to the church in Philippi, urged them to live their life in a way that was worthy of the sacrifice that purchased them from their sins. Not only that, he also encouraged the church in “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves”.(Phil 2:3) What he was really asking them to do, was defy their own human nature and conduct themselves differently than the rest of the world. It is counter cultural for us to look out for others over ourselves. Paul wanted their attitude to be like that of Christ. He wanted them to live their lives in such a way that they were contagious. Jesus put the rest of the world before himself, because he was asked to do so; he took the cup that God was asking him to drink and he went to the cross on our behalf. Paul says that he “humbled himself and became obedient to death”. People flocked to Jesus just wanting to be around him, because he was contagious! How can we live our lives in a way that is contagious?
Darrell Chappell
