“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8 NKJV)
It is nothing new. It happens, and it happens more than once, in very generation. You see, there is always “The Thing;” the thing to wear, the thing not to wear on our body, the thing that is a certain kind of shoe, the thing to say, the thing to do, often things we were told not to do. There is always “The Thing.” “The Thing” dictates the design on your sports coat, the number of buttons on that coat, the length of your skirt, the width of the bottom of your pants, the place to congregate, the music genre, the number of bangles you should wear on your wrists, the type of car you drive, and even the size of the wheels on the vehicle. “The Thing” can be the nighttime soap opera or drama series of the year, the decision to have piercings or no piercings, depending on who influences you. “The thing” has evolved from linoleum floors (rolled out or stuck on pieces) to carpeted floors to shag carpeted flooring, to hardwood or even marble floors. Young people respond to adults when asked about certain things by saying, “It’s ‘The Thing.’” And grownups are not exempt. We talk to each other and often justify our life choices by saying, “It’s ‘The Thing.’” Even when it comes to the pillows we use for décor, we never used to karate chop them at the top to put somewhat of a small crease in them. We would just throw them where we though they went. After all until, not until “the thing” to do elevated them from being mere throw pillows, that’s what we did. (Keep reading! You can go work with your pillows in a minute.)
“The Thing” is always changing. Trying to keep up with “The Thing” can sometimes be unproductive, upset budgets, and even undercut good values and morals. “The Thing” can often be sin in a disguise, a distraction, and difficult to keep up with. Here is an example of the latter. I just thought of it as I am writing this morning. Once it was “The Thing” to have a small cell phone and if yours was too big you were ridiculed or you raised the eyebrows of your seemingly shocked friends when you pulled it out. Then “The Thing” reversed course and your status among your peers was one of envy when you got a large cell phone. And of course, “The Thing” is that your phone has to fit in the back pocket of your jeans, or your stretchy exercise pants since such attire is also “The Thing.” Or perhaps, you have a science fiction turned to real life watch phone that is in your mind, “the thing.”
It is hard to keep up with “The Thing.” It changes to much. And we really need to question if we should bother with keep up with some of the trends and acceptable things that join the contemporary ranks of “the thing.” However, there is one thing that never changes and that is the Word of God. It stands forever! The standards for living it contains don’t change! The instructions inside it are inflexible. The hope and comfort it provides never changes. It is always in style! It contains wisdom that cannot be challenged by the world’s greatest minds, in my opinion. Come on now! Who can compete with the mind of our all-knowing God. The lifestyle it leads you to is the same lifestyle it led your ancestors to live long ago, as well as the ancients found in Scripture. It is a code of conduct that never needs revised. Unfortunately, the trend for many has been to abandon “The Thing” which I reverently and respectfully refer to as The Bible. I encourage you today to make sure that God’s Word is your “the thing.” It not only saves you from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. Sin has its consequences, so we need “The Thing,” the Holy Scriptures, to circumvent such consequences in this life, even if our lives our secure from an eternal perspective. This unchanging “The Thing” will always benefit you. Oh, you don’t have to take my word for it! Read what the inspired word of God says in the closing verse. Pass this meditation on! Be blessed!
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 GNT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King