It's Contagious!

II Peter 1:4 -- "...He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Struggling to focus as the stark, sterile, fluorescent lights whizzed by over-head, I finally got a good bead on a room number just over a door as my taxi-driver-like "chauffeur" raced me down the hallway for yet another CT scan. There was a big yellow sign taped next to the room number that read: "QUARANTINE! gloves and mask required." 


Now, I realize that my head was more than a little fuzzy due to the cocktail in the IV drip hanging from my arm, but I couldn't help but wonder what contagion warranted the bright yellow sign for the room a few doors down from mine own. Was the person alright? How long had they been in there before I arrived? ...and an even BIGGER question poked through the drug induced fog swirling around in my noggin' .... how did the hospital personnel escape nasty little contagions that hitched rides on in-coming patients? How in the world do they NOT come down with EVERYTHING inadvertently welcomed through the automatic glass doors?

Well, believe it or not, there IS a certain amount of protection that comes from working in a medical facility and the bright yellow sign on the door mentioned two items that make up medical armor: gloves and a mask. The donning of these things may seem simple, but it's amazing the huge amount of protection one can have just from slipping them on.

It works the very same way for us. On a daily basis, we are bombarded by nasty little potentially hazardous spiritual contagions. I Peter calls it - corruption caused by evil desires. - Not unlike an emergency room, our lives can become a little chaotic trying to juggle all the things that come in through the door,  but WE have been given precious protection in the promises given to us by Jesus Christ. Our gloves and mask have been graciously provided. Now, all decked out in our armor - what if - WE could spread a little contagion all our own?

Well, now there's a thought!! I Peter says that we've been given GREAT and PRECIOUS promises so that through them we may PARTICIPATE!! That's right! We have been granted the means to escape the IN-coming nasty little contagions .... now let's get out there and PARTICIPATE!! Let's spread a little bit of our own highly contagious offense!! These great and precious promises can be shared!

After all, JOY can be spread just as easily as can anger or hatred, no?