Fall is a season fills with amazing scenery. Each day in our local area, more and more tree leaves change to beautiful colors. It is time of the year that we can appreciate God’s creation of nature and experience cool and nice weather because before long, without our notice, winter is going to visit our doorsteps. Unfortunately, Fall is also a season of influenza when chills start to set in. Yesterday, my colleagues asked me if I want to go with them to take advantage of a free “flu shot” provided by my working company. Thinking of “why not”, I went with them. The moment when we entered the place of giving flu shots, we ran into a crowd of people. Apparently, many people have the same thinking as we were.
Talking about flu shot, I realize that it is not meant for a “cure” to all influenza viruses in the upcoming season. Rather, it is a “possible” prevention to protect us against influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the season. In fact, depending upon the type of vaccine you are receiving in the season, it may or may not be effective against the viruses that you are about to encounter. My experience was: it could be very effective in one year; on the other year, however, it would be completely off the base. According to the CDC (Center of Disease Control), there are three different flu vaccine production methods. They are egg-based, cell-based and recombinant. Regardless of its production method, the selected vaccine would inject a small dose of certain strains of virus, via flu shot or oral, to the body of whoever elects to receive. The body immune system would then produce anti-body against those invading viruses. The generated anti-body is supposed to protect the vaccine receiver from getting sick when later the same viruses actually attack. Therefore administering“right” strains of viruses is crucial.
This interesting process lets me think of a prevention measure that God provided to His people, the Israelites, during the Old Testament time. As God’s will is to have His people followed His commands and live a holy life, God used prophets to convey His messages and to foretell the danger and judgments would result, if they fall into idol worshiping. The messages carried by the prophets are supposed to let the Israelites to have “spiritual anti-body” generated and as a result, they can run away from sinning against God. It is somewhat similar to a flu shot except God’s messages are no guess work – they are specifically conveyed to “foreknown” sins that Israelites would commit in the future.
Is God’s flu shot process (i.e. prevention measure) effective to the Israelites? Uh… it was not so, during the Old Testament time, I would say. This is due to mankind’s sinful nature – we can’t be free from sinning. The only remedy, according to apostle John, is to receive God’s son, Jesus Christ, as our personal savior. Because John indicated that “anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 凡從神生的，必不犯罪，從神生的必保守自己，那惡者也就無法害他 (1 John 5:18)。
Today, God provides a new flu shot process for all believers – they have the Holy Spirit dwells in their hearts. The Holy Spirit would constantly provide advices and warning to them preventing them from continuing to sin. This is certainly more effective than the old process of using prophets, because it is internal and ever-lasting!
Therefore my dear friends, in this crooked and rebellious world, do you have the ever-lasting “flu shot”? If not, you should consider to get it.
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Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.