聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥淭here is nothing new except what has been forgotten,鈥�- Marie Antoinette.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So here is a new message: God has a plan for us and God loves us. No, I mean God loves us. We have forgotten much.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ecclesiastes tells us:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎 generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But beware! What we fear most is change.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪ecurity is mortal鈥檚 chiefest enemy,鈥�- Macbeth.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e would rather have our present insecurities than fly to ones we know not of,鈥� Hamlet echoes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The day will come when everything changes for us. A good reminder is when we leave the graveyard and one of us remains behind. Now what was I saying about God鈥檚 love for us?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏ut for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.鈥� (Malachi 4:2)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Here is something to reflect on, something we may have forgotten. Or perhaps it鈥檚 new. Jordan Peterson, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto, was speaking on postmodernism and investigating literary and religious themes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Peterson defined sin by looking at its Greek origins 鈥� meaning 鈥渢o miss the mark.鈥� As an archer aims his arrow, we try to aim our lives in a moral direction. We may miss the mark.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We are familiar with the Adam and Eve story and our loss of paradise that left us in a life that includes suffering and pain, and eventual death. That is our current state. Look around and see that it is true.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We may dodge this reality by pursuing self-gratification and expedient pleasure to counteract the pain of Adam鈥檚 curse. This seems to be working. Many are doing it. But are we thinking ahead?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 God loves us. In a new way we might understand Christ鈥檚 mission and His sacrifice. Great sacrifices will improve the future, Peterson says. We use drama and art to represent our struggle and illustrate our story, Peterson says.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Bible gives us very artistic explanations of how this works. A tree growing beside a stream will never lack for water. That is us if we daily listen to God鈥檚 word, Psalms 1:3 tells us.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In another passage Jesus speaks to someone He loves who has been following the Commandments: "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 What about storing up all we need in this world and then having a life of ease?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏ut God said to him, 鈥榊ou fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.鈥� (Luke 12:20-21)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So how do we prepare for that day when everything will change for us? That day when we will be left behind as they all file out?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Plant your roots by that stream. Seek the God who never tires of loving us, the God of mercy, not justice (Matthew 9:13).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Seek the New Jerusalem where the mountains will drip with sweet wine, the hills will flow with milk, and the streambeds run with water (Joel 4:17-18).
