The Bible is the greatest book ever written. Its truths are timeless, always relevant in any age or circumstance (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35). It has been my goal to model the writings here to honor God’s Word. I want to expound the truths of scripture in ways that will be as relevant today as they will be a hundred years from now. Because God’s truth is timeless, I seek to never tether that truth to a specific moment in time.
This proves difficult when momentous cultural events or tragedies occur. My heart desires to help bring the clarity and peace of God’s Word to bear to help people cope with difficult moments and keep our focus on God’s bigger and perfect plan. With that in mind, the question we all must ask ourselves in a potential seminal moment is, “What will change?”
The old saying goes, “Everything old is new again.” Solomon may have been the first to record a version of the statement when he wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Every generation I’ve ever talked with says theirs was the best time to grow up, and yet every generation of Christians, at some point in their lives, has thought that things have never been as bad as they are now. Life ebbs and flows in a somewhat predictable and repeatable cycle. There have always been wars. Political assassinations have been occurring throughout history. The martyrdom of Christians is not a new concept either and has been occurring since the earliest days of our faith. Everything old is new again.
As shocking as violent events in our culture can be, each one always leaves us with the question, “What will change?” We have very short memories. The outrage that now burns so hot will cool as soon as the next tragedy or atrocity occurs. Headlines will fade until there are but a few who still cling to the emotions felt at the time of the previous tragedy.
I have lived through many moments that cause people to declare, “This changes everything!” To our collective shame, this is almost never the case. People grieve and move on. Everyday responsibilities and concerns crowd out the flash of emotion we feel in any particular moment. It’s not something any of us should be proud of, nor does it reflect our finest moment. We have no control over the speed at which the media replaces the coverage of a particular evil with the next. But we can control, in a small way, how these moments will change us.
So I ask you, considering the latest cultural moment, what will change in your life? How will you allow the Lord to use it to change you to look more like Him? What new habits will you resolve to form in your life because of what happened? Who will you become to make certain the moment is not just a tragedy but the springboard to new courage and boldness in proclaiming the gospel to this dark and dying world (Ephesians 6:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:2)? What will change in your heart? Don’t let the moment pass you by without allowing the Lord to use it to spur you to greater faithfulness to His mission and greater love for the lost (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:13-15).