“That which has
been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is
there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been
in ancient times before us.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
“When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” (Trust and Obey, Public Domain) There are probably not too many Millennials who would know that hymn. John Stammis, the author, wrote over 100 hymns. I often wonder what he had experienced that was the inspiration for the words he penned. The life of a Christian living in obedience to the Lord, yielding to the leading of the Spirit is one filled with joy. But then there is this issue of sin, crouching at our doorstep.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’” – Genesis 4:6-7
The nature of man does not change from generation to generation, even if we want to believe that it has, nor does the reality of sin. If you consider people in the context of their flesh, the cultural and generational clothing and technology may change over the years. Just as I am typing this and not writing with a quill and ink. As many as 100 people, virtually around the world, will have read these words by the end of the day using computers, laptops, tablets, and even phones … incredible, yes?
But the spiritual nature of man has not changed and won’t change on its own. In every generation, until Jesus returns, there will be sheep and goats. Those who belong to the Creator God and those who belong to the god of this world. And for us sheep, our challenge across the generations is to trust and obey. If you watch the news you can see the depravity of man at work – the result of sin. You may think that the world is worse now than it has ever been. It’s not. Your frame of reference is a mere 80 years or so. Sin has reigned since the Garden of Eden and the fall of man. In Genesis 4, Cain murdered Abel. Even a casual reading of the Bible will reveal the heart of man and the heart of God. The need for Divine intervention – that would be Jesus.
When I would ask a good friend of mine, one of my mentors, “What do you think?”, he would answer, “Jesus Saves” This world is a mess. The only way to clean up the mess is Jesus. “I am the way and the Truth, and the Life ...” – John 14:6
I once heard someone say “If Jesus is not Lord OF all, then He is not Lord AT all.” God demands everything if we want to follow Jesus. No other gods, our whole heart, a living sacrifice, picking up our cross and going where He leads, living by faith , walking with the Spirit. That has not changed since Jesus spoke the words during His ministry and will not change, ever. We spend a lot of effort trying to figure out how to reach each generation .. how to attract them to the Light. God has already implemented a “trans-generational” solution. (John 12:32)
“ when I [Jesus] am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32
Perhaps you are having trouble with obedience? We all do to some extent, but when we walk with the Lord in the light of His word .. what a glory He sheds on our way! Jesus is the answer for the world today – and tomorrow – and forever. You just need more Jesus, the spiritual manna from heaven, in your diet.
“When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” (Trust and Obey, Public Domain) There are probably not too many Millennials who would know that hymn. John Stammis, the author, wrote over 100 hymns. I often wonder what he had experienced that was the inspiration for the words he penned. The life of a Christian living in obedience to the Lord, yielding to the leading of the Spirit is one filled with joy. But then there is this issue of sin, crouching at our doorstep.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’” – Genesis 4:6-7
The nature of man does not change from generation to generation, even if we want to believe that it has, nor does the reality of sin. If you consider people in the context of their flesh, the cultural and generational clothing and technology may change over the years. Just as I am typing this and not writing with a quill and ink. As many as 100 people, virtually around the world, will have read these words by the end of the day using computers, laptops, tablets, and even phones … incredible, yes?
But the spiritual nature of man has not changed and won’t change on its own. In every generation, until Jesus returns, there will be sheep and goats. Those who belong to the Creator God and those who belong to the god of this world. And for us sheep, our challenge across the generations is to trust and obey. If you watch the news you can see the depravity of man at work – the result of sin. You may think that the world is worse now than it has ever been. It’s not. Your frame of reference is a mere 80 years or so. Sin has reigned since the Garden of Eden and the fall of man. In Genesis 4, Cain murdered Abel. Even a casual reading of the Bible will reveal the heart of man and the heart of God. The need for Divine intervention – that would be Jesus.
When I would ask a good friend of mine, one of my mentors, “What do you think?”, he would answer, “Jesus Saves” This world is a mess. The only way to clean up the mess is Jesus. “I am the way and the Truth, and the Life ...” – John 14:6
I once heard someone say “If Jesus is not Lord OF all, then He is not Lord AT all.” God demands everything if we want to follow Jesus. No other gods, our whole heart, a living sacrifice, picking up our cross and going where He leads, living by faith , walking with the Spirit. That has not changed since Jesus spoke the words during His ministry and will not change, ever. We spend a lot of effort trying to figure out how to reach each generation .. how to attract them to the Light. God has already implemented a “trans-generational” solution. (John 12:32)
“ when I [Jesus] am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32
Perhaps you are having trouble with obedience? We all do to some extent, but when we walk with the Lord in the light of His word .. what a glory He sheds on our way! Jesus is the answer for the world today – and tomorrow – and forever. You just need more Jesus, the spiritual manna from heaven, in your diet.
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