Do not say, "Why were
the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions. --
Ecclesiastes 7: 10 (NIV)
Ahh, the good old days"
That's what the world wants us to believe. That is what the devil wants us focusing on. Nothing can trip up a Christian from serving the Lord for today than to think to fondly of what has already passed. Nothing can obscure our future greater than living in what has already been. Today's deep theology is this -- no matter whether good or bad there is nothing that you can do about what has already passed. The key verse from Ecclesiastes today reminds us that it is unwise to entertain the thought that somehow the days of our past are better than where we are.
The first reason why it is unwise is your past is already written but your present is still being worked out. You may find yourself in a deep valley today. Perhaps that valley has run deep for a long time, even years. That does not mean that God intends you to stay in that valley. You have not seen the end of this story yet. You have not seen the deliverance the Lord will provide for you. You have not yet seen your joy. You have not yet seen how He will make you better because of it. You have not yet seen the lives you will be able to touch and reach for Jesus because of it. Instead of bemoaning the condition you find yourself in -- rejoice in the position you have in Christ. Paul said that he rejoiced in his hardships and persecutions because that was when the Lord was truly strong in him.
The second reason it is unwise to speak so fondly of the good old days is that your best days as a child of God are ALWAYS ahead of you! The Bible says that we do not hope in vain like the world. We have the blessed assurance beloved. We know that Jesus is coming back and He has gone to prepare a place for us. The good old days? Was there pain in the good old days? There won't be in heaven! Was there suffering in the good old days? There won't be in heaven! Were there tears in the good old days? There won't be in heaven! Focusing on the past as if there is something wrong with your present is forgetting the future God has already promised you! Christianity is not supposed to be some miserable existence. Jesus said he came to bring us the abundant life now. I am not speaking of the abundant material life the bless me theology has warped God's intention into. Today is not better because of wealth in this world but because of riches in Christ.
Lastly, it is unwise to long for the good old days because it skews where our focus should be. God has more great works for us to do if we would just focus on Him in the present. He has paid for our past and has secured our future but He has a work for us to do today. Here are the words of the Apostle Paul:
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to
reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through
Christ Jesus, is calling us. -- Philippians 3: 13-14 (NLT)
What makes these words so much
more powerful is that Paul wrote them while chained in a Roman prison, knowing
that he was facing death shortly. He had already evangelized the entire known
world. Yet he refuses to look at the past as something to be admired. He
refuses to think that he is done. That he has accomplished what God wanted. He
does not look back. He only strains forward to see what God has next.
The good old days"please.
Rev. Anthony
