A friend sent me this recently, and it caused me to ponder Jeremiah 6:16 (again – it’s one of my favorite “wake up” verses). Everything it says isn’t straight out of the Word (I for one do not believe America would be just fine if we got prayer and Bible reading back in the “public” schools), but it is very evocative of the good childhood I had in a different America. Keep going if you are interested in some rambling thoughts on this subject!
“THE OLD PATHS I liked the old paths,
when Moms were at home. Dads were at work. Brothers went into the army. And sisters got married before having children!
Crime did not pay; Hard work did; And people knew the difference.
Moms could cook; Dads would work; Children would behave.
Husbands were loving;Wives were supportive;And children were polite.
Women wore the jewelry; And Men wore the pants. Women looked like ladies; Men looked like gentlemen; And children looked decent.
People loved the truth,And hated a lie;They came to church to get in, Not to get out!
Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful; Rejoicing sounded normal; And crying sounded sincere.
Cursing was wicked; Drugs were for illness; And divorce was unthinkable.
The flag was honored; America was beautiful; And God was welcome! We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school; And preached from house to house
To be called an American was worth dying for; To be called a Christian was worth living for; To be called a traitor was a shame!
Preachers preached because they had a message; And Christians rejoiced because they had the victory! Preachers preached from the Bible; Singers sang from the heart; And sinners turned to the Lord to be saved!
A new birth meant a new life;Salvation meant a changed life;Following Christ led to eternal life.
Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God; Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord; Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus; And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!
Laws were based on the Bible; Homes read the Bible; And churches taught the Bible.
God was worshiped;Christ was exalted; And the Holy Spirit was respected..
Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's day, rather than in the garden, on the creek bank, on the golf course, Or being entertained somewhere else.I still like the old paths the best!”
What a simpler time that was! Many factors have gone into making lives today so much more complex, but I think we will do well to place our focus on the people of God, His Church. What a difference today than when I was a child! Today, God’s people think like the world, so it is no wonder they act like the world and make life-altering decisions like the world. They need rest for their sad souls.
I talk to mothers who just don’t know what is happening with their children and who desperately want to do something to change the direction their family is traveling. They know in their souls that something is wrong. Sometimes, I think they avert their eyes or their minds, hoping it will all go away if they “just do the best they can”.
Jeremiah 6:16 has God’s answer for his restly people. His Word always holds the answer. “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” WHAT??
He tells us how to find rest for our souls – it is pretty obvious, right there in black and white. STAND in the ways and SEE -– take a good hard look at the life choices in front of you. That means taking some time for proactive thought and action, meditation, focus on the situation. Turn off the “Babylon box”, iphone, or laptop. Pray fervently and ask for the old paths. We cannot just hope. We cannot expect some expert to come along and perform a miracle. We cannot just wait for “the old ways” to fall down like fairy-dust on our family. Proactive prayer is needed.
ASK. It is hard to ask for something that will restrain the flesh and require real change. Then there is the next imperative verb -– WALK. When the Lord shows us the good way of the old paths, it requires obedience and consistency, dependence on His empowering strength, to WALK. Then there we will find rest to our souls. The sweet rest of surrender to His best way for us and our families.
Oh, my, but what was the reply of the people of God in Jeremiah? And I am afraid it is the reply of much of the Church today. Let’s talk about that in another post. This one is L-O-N-G! God, help us to see what You are trying to open our eyes to see this day!
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2 comments:
Thank you, Mama. We needed that to stir our souls. That was very good and much appreciated. It takes day to day diligence and restraining the flesh as you said to see our families turn out in a way that pleases the Lord.
Love, Molly
Excellent. It is very challenging to walk on the straight and narrow when others don't seem to "need" to, but it is the little foxes that spoil the vines. All those little compromises sown into the lives of our children add up to a lot of whirlwind reaping in the long run. I guess that's where the church in general is today. We must all be vigilant.
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