AH, THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Ah, the good old days - you know when everything was better and didn't cost near as much as the "stuff we got coming at us today." Everything was simple, perhaps uncomplicated would be a better word. "There were eight baseball teams in the American League and eight in the National League, and I knew 'em all, even the guys who didn't play much," says my friend Marty. It seems like today's world has more of everything, and just about every state has a sports' franchise. We don't know the names of all the players anymore - there are too many of them. "It's frustrating," the sports fans say.

Nothing complicated about television back in the "good old days" either. You had three or four channels, and all you had to do was move the rabbit ears every once in a while to get a clear picture. Calling your bank on the phone was no problem either; you were greeted by a friendly voice who spoke perfect English who took care of your need right over the phone. Now, it's "press one for English." Yeah, the good old days sure were great and uncomplicated. Even the Israelites after their Exodus from Egypt longed for the good old days of slavery back in Egypt (Numbers 11:5,6). "The food was great," they said, "so we had to do some work," they reminisced. "The way it used to be always seems better" goes all the way back to the Exodus.

People don't change much, but what does trouble us is change itself. Maybe it's because of the uncertainty of the future, a preference for staying in our comfort zones, or having our security threatened. Whatever the reason, we are fearful of what the future holds for us. The "future" can be defined as traveling through uncharted waters. The future is a place where we are going but haven't been to yet.

Christians and non-Christians are different in a lot of ways, but when it comes to change, they are alike in some ways. One of them is the difficulty in dealing with changes that take place in their church. Two old friends of mine will not go into their church service until the singing stops, "they changed from singing the great old hymns to them ungodly choruses." They proclaim to all who will listen, "we used to sing the old hymns, but the new pastor wants that contemporary Christian music that ain't nothing but self-glorifying rock 'n roll." Some churches have gone to two services on Sunday to try to solve this problem, one to sing the old hymns and another for those who prefer the contemporary Christian music.

Going from the KJV to a modern-day translation is for many believers change that crosses the line. This goes beyond a mere change; it is the tampering with the faith itself. As one lady said, "If the King James Version was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me." Sooner or later the KJV is going to go the way of the dinosaur; it will probably be sooner rather than later.

Life is filled with a never-ending cycle of change; meeting the on-slaught of change is not a simple undertaking.

I Thess. 5:21 - "Test all things, hold fast to what is good."

Is it worth bleeding over? Then we challenge it; if it is good, then we acquiesce to it.

"It's not so much what the church doesn't know as it is what they think they know that just ain't so." Unknown author

TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT

When we hear "take this job and shove it," we think of a song sung by Jonny Paycheck. So consider this. Suppose your boss said he was sending you on a mission to a hostile nation that could be dangerous for you. Added to that, these are people you do not like and who are hostile to your own country. Would you go, or would you tell the boss to take this job and shove it?

NOW CONSIDER JONAH

Jonah decided he did not like his job as a prophet any more so he quit. The job was fine until Jonah heard the voice of God telling him to leave his own country and preach repentance to these hated Assyrians in the capital city of Nineveh. To Jonah, everything was wrong with this idea; these people deserve judgment not mercy. Israel had wars with the Assyrians in the past, and more trouble with them was just around the corner. Jonah knew this could be dangerous for him. Preaching repentance in an unfriendly foreign country was not part of his job, or so he thought. If your boss gives you an assignment working with people you do not like, you can accept it as God sending you there. However, there is a second option. You can tell him to take this job and shove it and simply walk out the door and forget it. On the other hand, if you are going to tell God to take this job and shove it, you cannot simply walk out. It would be best for you to not hang around; just in case He came looking for you. No matter how you look at it, this was a ballsy move on Jonah's part. If he was going to pull this off, maybe he should catch a ship going in the opposite direction of Nineveh. This would definitely be the best idea.

Jonah was the only Prophet who refused to do what God commanded him. Tar shish lay in (Spain), the opposite direction of Nineveh, and was known for its wealth, and would be a better place to find work more to his liking and less dangerous. Jonah was at peace with his decision; associating with people who have some class was more to his liking. Jonah did not just leave town, he boarded a ship to leave the country. We find him fast asleep below the deck of the ship during a great storm while all the sailors were terrified.

Everyone knows what happened next; God did come looking for him and found him content with the decision he made; sleeping like a baby as the ship rocked back and forth in the midst of a violent storm. When it was revealed that Jonah was the cause of impending disaster (see Jonah 1: 1-12), he learned that God's sovereignty covers a larger geographical area than just the land of Israel (1: 9). Jonah was caught and he knew it. There was no way out, he could no longer run from God. The only way to save the lives of all who were aboard the ship was to cast his fate to the God who made the sea. (1: 12)

Reluctantly the sailors cast him into the sea, the storm ceases, and Jonah lands in a living hell. For three days and three nights Jonah lives in the belly of a big fish. (1: 17) Jonah, humbled and frightened to the point of death, turns back to the Lord. After three days and three nights the great fish spits Jonah on to dry land. (2: 10) This has indeed been a life-changing experience for him. As Jonah sets on the sandy beach wondering what happens next, he muses, "is God through with me and did I get out of this dreadful assignment?" Perhaps God would be merciful and give him a task more his liking. I can't help wondering if Jonah expected God to say, "Jonah are you alright? I'm sorry I had to put you through this. Three days and three nights in that fish may have been a little too extreme on my part; I apologize for any inconvenience you may have suffered."

What God did say is recorded in 3: 1, 2, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and preach the message that I tell you." God did not change his mind and Jonah still did not like it, but he did as God commanded him. Jonah probably knew that if the Ninevites repented it would only be a temporary fix and there would be more trouble with these people in the future. He did not want to live to see it. (4: 1-3) In the end, Jonah did what God willed and not what he willed. Chapter 3 tells us that the people of Nineveh did repent and God withdrew His judgment on them. This is not what Jonah wanted to happen; Israel's most dreaded enemy deserved nothing less than judgment. Jonah did not change his mind and did not rejoice when Nineveh repented. (4: 3-11) It is interesting that God seemed to understand why he fled and was sympathetic to Jonah's anger. Jonah had a good point, but then again so did God. See 4: 11

Did this actually happen, or is Jonah in the belly of a great fish an allegory or just symbolic? Jesus refers to this event as a true happening, just as true as He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt 12: 39, 40)

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why didn't God just let Jonah go and live with the decision he made?

Was Jonah given a second chance to get it right? Or was this the intended route to Nineveh?

God does not seem to be angry or disappointed in Jonah's rebellion, nor does He appear to be disgusted with his stubborn attitude. Why is this?

Is it ever a good idea to tell an unreasonable boss to take this job and shove it?

IS EVOLUTION A RELIGION?

IS EVOLUTION A RELIGION?

Since evolution asks the same question as religion, telling us where we came from, where we are going, and what we should do on the way, evolution then has a religious nature and a materialistic worldview. Evolution is a kind of secular ideology and a substitute for Christianity. If it is a substitute for Christianity, and Christianity is a religion, then evolution as Christianity's substitute is religious. If the above evolutionary formulations do not suit you, you can always adopt the view of Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule, for which he received a Nobel Prize. Crick is a serious and well-respected scientist who thinks that life on earth may have begun when aliens from another planet sent a rocket ship containing spores to seed the earth. This is called the space cowboy theory. Of course, Crick doesn't explain how the aliens got there, or how they got here or why they left but, hey, this is science; and Christians have been called anti-intellectual for finding this view Biblically as well as scientifically unacceptable. Creation vs. Evolution is not a debate between religion and science. Rather, the debate is science vs. science.

The Bible in Proverbs 3:19-20 tells us that the universe was created through intelligent design. Therefore, the universe was created by an uncaused cause.

THE LAW OF WAITING

THE LAW OF WAITING

We all know about the law of gravity, but have you ever heard of the law of waiting? It really should be included as one of the universal laws. I say that because it seems like we are always waiting for something or someone. Mainly, we are waiting for something to happen. We go to bed at night and lay there waiting to get up in the morning. After we are up, we wait for our toast to pop up, and then we hurry to the corner to wait for our ride to either school or work. I would venture to say we spend two-thirds of our time waiting and the other one-third waiting for something worth waiting for. Still waiting for "Mr. or Miss Right" to sweep you away? "The law of waiting" is always waiting for you; it's like air, and its everywhere you go. The person who brings you a menu at a restaurant is called a waiter. Why is this person called a waiter instead of a magician? It's simply because you will have to wait for your order. For those who want to beat "the law of waiting," you can order an appetizer to be brought to your table promptly. Running a little short on cash? You will have to wait until payday. Then there is getting ready for church on Sunday morning. You're always ready, but you have to wait for the rest of the household, still trying to decide what to wear. There's no let up; it never ends, not even on Sunday. Sometimes it seems like we do more waiting than breathing. What keeps us waiting is anticipation. Our toast will pop up. Our ride will get there. Your soul mate is just around the corner. The meal will be served. You will not starve until payday, and all the family will eventually find the right clothes to wear to church.

GOD WORKS THROUGH WAITING

We know many things about God. He is just, rich in mercy and grace, and He makes us wait. He is never late, but he does not arrive early either. A friend said to me, "I know God works through making us wait, but I would like to ask Him, "what's wrong with right now?"

LAZARUS - JOHN CHAPTER 11

Jesus received a message that His friend Lazarus was sick. It was imperative that He get there as early as possible lest he die. Jesus then told His disciples they will wait two days longer before departing for Bethany. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, loved Jesus and believed He could heal their brother's sickness if He got there early enough. Martha felt there might be some hope. Why did Jesus make them wait? Jesus said Lazarus' sickness is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead four days, and there was a bad odor coming from the tomb. There as no doubt to the onlookers that he was dead. What the Jews saw was something that only God could do. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some believed in Jesus and some still rejected Him. Jesus was not early, but He was right on time. For Him to arrive early, a lesser miracle would have happened. But because He was right on time, He introduced us to a loving, caring, life-giving all-powerful God. Had He arrived earlier, we would not have seen the bigger picture of God.

WAITING ON GOD - II PETER 3:8

Noah, from the time of God's command to build the ark, waited and worked for 120 years before the flood. From the time of God's promise to Abraham, it would be 400 years before his descendants could claim the land of Canaan. Abraham had to wait until he was 100 and Sara was 90 before God gave them an heir. From the time of the decree to rebuild the temple to the time of the birth of Jesus was 490 years. Waiting for Christ to return: two thousand years and counting!

SPORTS

Sporting events capture our interest. It is with anticipation that we wait for the snap from center in a football game; in baseball, it's the next pitch to the plate. The waiting time for the snap or the next pitch is short, but the excitement of the wait keeps our eyes fixed on the quarterback or the pitcher. The excitement puts us in the game.

SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD

I John 3:1-3, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (NKJV)

Waiting for our Lord with excitement and anticipation takes us out of the stands and on to the playing field. Anticipation is what puts us into the game; we are part of the action. Whatever our doctrinal differences are on the second coming of Christ, and there are many, there is one truth we must get right. "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as He is pure."

PASSIVE WAITING

Sitting next to my son and me at a Detroit Tiger baseball game was a man, his wife, and two sons. His wife sat passively reading a paperback book. When one of the Tigers hit a home run, the excitement brought the crowd to their feet with a loud cheer, except for this lady. No matter the excitement throughout the game, she never stood, never cheered, did not take her eyes off the book, and was not even curious enough to look out on the field to see what her husband and sons along with the fans were cheering about. She was simply waiting for the game to end.

That we wait is not in question. The "law of waiting" states that we must wait, whether it's for a piece of toast, a traffic light, or the coming of our Lord. The real question is how well do we wait? We can passively sit back reading a paperback and be oblivious to the excitement that is before our eyes, or we can choose to enjoy the excitement.

ENJOY THE WAIT

We are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ; this is in God's hands. How we "do the waiting" is important to the joy of being a Christian. This is why all believers throughout history were looking expectantly and exhorted to be ready for His coming.

How do we enjoy the wait? I John 3:3, "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure." So the next time you're waiting for the toast to pop up, or that stupid stop light to hurry up and turn green, or pacing the floor while your clan makes up their minds how they want to look for church today, stop and consider the joy of waiting.