When
I was five years old and preparing to enter the world of education, I was armed
with a pencil box, tablet, raincoat and my first pair of boots. A rainy day couldn’t come soon enough for me;
I could wear my bright red raincoat and my shiny black boots. I could walk through mud puddles and splash
my way down the sidewalks.
During my
grade school years things began to change.
The pride of wearing boots changed to horror when my mother would call
as I went out the door, “Don’t forget to wear your boots”. In high school boots took on a whole new
look; zippers and fake fur were added along with new colors of red or white. Of
course black and brown will also available.
The years
following were generally bootless years; my high heels went through water, over
ice and caused a few falls. Then came
children; my little girl was so cute in her yellow slicker and matching boots
as she marched off to school. More
children came and as they grew up they complained about wearing boots. I
couldn’t believe my ears; a foot of snow on the ground they didn’t want to wear
boots. Like my mother before me, I’d
call after them, “Don’t forget to wear your boots”.
As the
years go by, styles change with the times.
Amazingly, my grandsons don’t have a problem with boots. They have ice-fishing boots, hiking boots and
camouflage boots to mention a few. They
like to keep their feet warm. Now the granddaughters are into boots; all
kinds, all heights and all colors. Wow!
You may
wonder what all this has to do with the approach of a new year, but it really
does. Time changes a lot of things and
we, as the human race, change along with it.
I’m using the example of a simple change such as boots, but there have
been many greater changes.
The last 50
or 60 years have brought so many changes there is no way to count them all;
this is called progress. We have
integrated thousands of these changes into our lives without even thinking
about it. Many of them are really good
changes that help us in many ways. The
progress in communication is probably the greatest accomplishment of all. If it wasn’t for the internet, you wouldn’t
be reading this right now.
Sadly, all
this progress and change also bring things that challenge our spiritual
growth. Unlike the change in boot
styles that we accept and wear, a Believer must not accept anything that holds
back our spiritual growth.
Just
because the world has come to accept things like men and women living together
rather than getting married, doesn’t mean we should accept or condone that life
style. The Word of God tells us this is
called ‘fornication’. To clarify this word, Webster’s dictionary defines
fornication as (voluntary sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and an
unmarried woman/ or between two unmarried persons). Let me give you a couple of
scriptures showing why this is sin:
- Flee (run from) fornication. Every sin that a man does is
without the body; but he that commits fornication, sins against his own
body. 1 Corinthians
6:18 (KJV )
- Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.1 Corinthians
7:2 (KJV )
- Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
This is only one thing a believer must not accept; there
are so many others. We all enjoy
television and some of the things it offers, but so much of it is not what our
eyes should see or our ears hear.
Television, in its earlier stages, only presented programs that the
entire family could watch. There was no
swearing; no sexual activity and no horrendous violence. Gradually, swearing, sex and violence began
to creep in and soon we were all watching it.
Today, filth of the world dominates television; cursing and swearing are
the norm, nudity and sexual activity are the norm and violent acts beyond our
understanding.
We wonder what this coming year
will bring into our lives; will we recognize it for what it is, or just go with
the flow? The Bible tells us that as we
approach the last days, many will fall away from the faith. “Let no one deceive you by any means; for
that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first...” (NKJV )
2 Thessalonians 2:3
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Fellow believers, stand firm and stand strong. I could list a great amount of negative
things that we may have to face in the coming year, but I believe we should
concentrate on the blessings of God Almighty.
- We can look for the ‘Blessed Hope’, which is the return of Jesus Christ.
- We can be assured that no matter the trials or troubles that come our way, He (Jesus) will never leave us or forsake us.
- He (Jesus) is an ever present help in times of trouble.
- No weapon formed against you will prosper.
- When you feel you have no strength – He will be your strength and your shield.
- God promises his children and their children will not go hungry or beg for bread.
- He promises he will provide our needs which are; food, clothing and shelter.
- He will guide our pathways and lead us in paths of righteousness.
There is not enough room to write
down all of God’s blessings and the above are just a few, but if we stand
strong in the Lord and believe his Word, we will be in his care. Therefore we can look toward the New Year
with hope and peace. Just like the
boots, styles change, but we don’t have to go along with every change Times
change, but we don’t have to accept these changes if it goes against our
beliefs. The world is not my guide and
it should not be yours. Make this Psalm
your prayer for this New Year.
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