Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Timeless blessings

The eternal God is your refuge (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Our world is fascinated with new things.  New ideas.  New technology.  New relationships.  Old ideas seem out of date, even restrictive.  Few people have the patience to get things done with old technology.  The desire for sampling new intimate relationships leads to cheating, divorce, and living together in a no-strings arrangement. 

But new isn’t always better.  New ideas, new ways of doing things, haven’t stood the test of time.  People who abandon the old ways in search of something fresh and cutting edge often find out that our ancestors were actually pretty smart and knew what they were doing.  How many times has new software been released that is full of bugs that need patching, or a new car hits the street that needs a whole lot of warranty work?

Another problem with new things is that they don’t stay new.  Designer clothes go out of fashion in just a few months.  Bleeding edge technology is yesterday’s news almost as soon as you get it home.  People who are devoted first adopters are slaves to change, and are never be satisfied with what they have.

And new things have one more flaw—they lack the comfort of the familiar.  New technology is frustrating until you get comfortable with using it. New jeans don’t feel as pleasant against the skin as those that have been thoroughly broken in.  Long-running TV shows might retread the same old plots, but there is comfort in spending time with characters that you’ve known for years.

One institution that is seen by many as hopelessly old fashioned is the Church.  They hunger for new music, modern ideas, fresh ways of doing things.  But the Church has been around for two thousand years.  Most of the best-loved hymns are centuries old.  The teachings of Jesus and His apostles come from God Himself and are just as relevant for today as they have ever been.  The Christian Church has stood the test of time.  It offers things that never grow old.  Forgiveness.  Connection to God. Understanding of who you are and why people act the way they do.  Guidance when what is right and wrong becomes hard to figure out. Hope for things to get better in the future. Comfort in times of trouble, companionship in loneliness, and peace when sadness comes. The Lord is eternal, and His Church offers timeless blessings that never go out of style.

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