July 11 – Nostalgia

Ecclesiastes 7:10 – "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' It is not wise to ask such questions."

       Usually this question arises in the minds of older individuals who grew up in a middle-class lifestyle; although the question can emanate from anyone who has lived to see large societal changes. That last word is what causes the question in the first place: CHANGE. That is a constant in our ever-moving western world of 2026. Societal structures, government, business, cultural mores, and technology seem to progress (not necessarily for the better) whether we like it or not. It is usually when we don't like it that the big question above is asked. This is where nostalgia kicks in. We long for the old days when things were better, when life was simpler, more community-oriented, less disjointed, slower, peaceful, and more godly. Often, life was actually better, due to the fact that we had more freedom, more money, less stress, and less regulation from governing authorities. However, sometimes the question is asked because life was so good that, in our minds, it verged upon the closest thing to utopia in a fallen world. Since that utopia has dissipated, we now want it back. That will never happen however, because we can't go back to the days of the local emporium or general store or non-existent social media, or whatever we deem to have been better. Life has changed!

       A renewal of the mind is needed once again. I am convinced that life is a constant series of repentings. Remember that repentance means a change of the mind. Then, John the baptizer told us to produce fruit in keeping with repentance; that is the action part (Luke 3:8). We must remember that we are strangers and aliens on this planet (1 Peter 1:11), a vapor that appears for a short while, then vanishes (Psalm 39:5, 6). The old days, as good as they might have been, will pale in comparison to the awesome things that God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). As part of the mental correction, Hebrews 11:13-16 encourages us with the following: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on this earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one."

       When life seems worse now than in the "good ole days", we Christians must remind ourselves, that we were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:12-14). God placed us in the exact time in history and location so that we would reach out to him (Acts 17:26-27). There are good new days ahead, even if they are only in the next life. Keep the faith; you will eventually get there!

November 4 - Soul Escape

        Psalm 124: 6-7 - “Blessed is Yahweh, who has not allowed us to be torn by their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the trap...”

        This psalm is one of the 14 “Songs of Ascents”, written after some of the Jewish exiles returned from a temporary stay in Babylon, due to being carried away from the land of Judah because of God’s judgment upon the sinful-majority nation. These Psalms mostly convey a sense of joy in the tempered, but not full, restoration of the nation of Judah. They are the words of “the remnant”, the very small group of faithful followers of Yahweh, who have always existed within the original “nation of Israel”, and even within the world itself. Most of these returning pilgrims were of the second generation of exiles, as most of the first generation would have died after approximately 70 years in servitude and/or exile as described by Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 25:11-12).

        Much can be gleaned in this Psalm regarding the ideas of judgment upon God’s people, the concept of “remnant”, and how both carry over into the current spiritual body of Christ, the latter being the logical fulfillment of the concept of God’s people. I want to focus on one aspect, however, and leave the big picture concepts above, for another time. That concept is the will and grace of God. Those people in Jeremiah’s time who were “destined” for the sword, famine, and plague, were all in God’s perfect exaction of his judgment upon them (Jeremiah 24:10). The very poorest of the poor were left in the land of Judah after the destruction of Israel’s temple, to linger in their poverty. Some were taken to Babylon as captives, in order to serve the kings there over time. (Daniel and his three friends were part of this group who actually served in high “government” positions.) It is this latter group who had the “privilege” of returning to the land chosen by God, at the allowance of Cyrus the Persian, who eventually conquered the Babylonians. I denoted the word “privilege” because sometimes God’s favor seems like a privilege to some and not to others. (Cross-reference Psalm 16 to get a gist of why David thought his pleasant fortune was a blessing from God – [hint: it had to do with righteous living].)

        For us believers in Christ, let’s look at this Psalm in a spiritual light. Our own sins nailed Jesus to the cross; there was nothing that we could have done to keep that from happening. The waters, mentioned in this Psalm, should have engulfed us (vv. 3-5), as our just punishment. However, Jesus broke the trap for us and allowed us to escape the snare (vv. 6-8), by being ensnared himself (Isaiah 53:4-8). The last verse in Psalm 124 finally sums up our only remedy: “Our help is in the name of Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.” Romans 5:6-9 gives us a fuller explanation of our dire straits and of our rescue. “While we were still helpless [a direct reference, in my opinion, to Psalm 124:8], Christ died for the ungodly....but God demonstrates his own love toward us - while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” That is the soul escape that Jesus purchased for us, because we could not accomplish it ourselves.

        Have you been set free from that inescapable trap that would cause eternal exile from God?