Passing Fancies

Many have observed the rapidity at which our world changes.  Fads come and go; nations rise and fall, technological revolutions continue to transform our society.  Probably nothing can better illustrate this phenomenon than the meteoric rise and dramatic decline of Blockbuster Video stores.

In 1989, a new Blockbuster store was opening in the U.S. every 17 hours.  The future could not have been rosier.  Founded in 1985, Blockbuster’s mushrooming growth reached a peak in 2004 of 9,000 stores.  Today, just eleven short years later, you can’t go to a Blockbuster store to rent a DVD.  The chain filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and officially became defunct last year.

As such, Blockbuster becomes a metaphor for the transitory nature of this present world.  The lifecycle may exceed the thirty years of Blockbuster, but human innovation and ambition divorced from God will all fail in the end.

The Old Testament quotes the Creator as declaring, “I am the Lord, I do not change.”  Any worldview that ignores the reality of creatures’ accountability to their Maker, whose eternal laws of justice and morality govern the universe, will ultimately be dashed upon the rocks of despair and destruction.

It is easy to be driven with earthly concerns which will lose their significance a moment after death, even as the novelty of driving to the neighborhood video store to rent a DVD has been superseded by more efficient means of accomplishing the same end.

Wise people anchor their lives in the unchanging truth of the Lord of the universe.   He will never become passé; His Word will never be rendered obsolete.  He can give your life significance that will transcend even the devastation of death.  Ecclesiastes ends with these words, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”

Finding Happiness in 2015

Most sane people desire to live a life filled with peace and happiness.  While fleeting at times and difficult to prescribe for many, a recent survey of over 15,000 Americans reveals a secret to happiness known to many but ignored by the majority.

This survey of American adults, between the ages of 18 and 60, reveals that people who attend religious services weekly are almost twice as likely to describe themselves as “very happy” when compared to those who never attend such gatherings (45% vs. 28%).  The other end of the spectrum confirms this pattern.  Twice as many people, who never go to religious services, view themselves “very unhappy” as those who do attend (4% vs. 2%).

Moreover, while the study found that personal identification as religious or an affiliation with a particular group were also linked to a sense of happiness, the strongest factor was weekly participation in church services.  

One cannot explain this phenomenon merely as the fruit of social interaction.  The survey found that religious participation produced a greater sense of happiness than for those who were merely socially engaged in other ways.

And these results are not a fluke in 2014.  Ten years ago a social survey found similar patterns.  In 2004, religious Americans were again nearly twice as likely to view themselves as “very happy” when compared to the non-religious (43% to 21%).  And the reverse was also then true: those who never attend worship services were much more likely to indicate a lack of happiness (21% vs. 8%).

Truly there is nothing new under the sun.  The Bible warns against “neglecting to meet together.” In view are not social relationships in general but specifically focused interaction to encourage faithfulness to and worship of the Lord.

If there is a spiritual void producing unhappiness in your life, make the weekly worship of God your focus in 2015.

The Reality of Christian Oppression

It seemed the entire civilized world breathed a collective sigh of relief recently when Meriam Ibrahim was finally permitted to leave Sudan.  She had been sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging for allegedly converting to Islam from Christianity, despite her claim that she was raised by a Christian mother and therefore never renounced Islam.  While we thank God for Miriam’s freedom, we grieve for the millions more still facing oppression for their faith.  

Who are the most persecuted people in the world?  Christians.  In our own nation, it seems that every viewpoint is valued and protected except that of followers of Christ.  Worldwide, the situation is worse.  

According to the International Society for Human Rights, a secular organization with members in 38 nations, Christians are the target of 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today.  The Centre for the Study of Global Christianity states that, throughout the world, 100,000 Christians are executed every year – because they are followers of Christ.  The Pew Research Center has determined that Christians face some level of discrimination in 139 of the world’s 195 countries (stats cited from the Belfast Telegraph).

But the nature of persecution in much of the world dwarfs what we in the West have to face.  We may be harassed for wearing religious jewelry in the work place or praying publicly in Jesus’ name or expressing our faith on a dorm bulletin board.  All the while believers elsewhere are languishing in jail, having church buildings destroyed, being hacked to death by machete-wielding radicals, or being forced to endure tortures and forced labor.

Such a reality comes as no surprise to Christians who take Jesus’ words seriously.  He promised that if the world hated and persecuted Him, it would do likewise to His followers (John 15:18-20).  We who know Christ must never forget the spiritual war that is raging and determine to remain firmly established upon a biblical foundation, come what may.  And let us rejoice that, in the end, truth and righteousness will triumph.

Wise Words from a Founding Father

Thomas McKean was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a President of Congress, a Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution, a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, a Governor of Pennsylvania, and a Governor of Delaware.  While serving on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1778 he heard the case of Respublica v. John Roberts.  Roberts was sentenced to death after a jury found him guilty of treason.  A few days before his execution, Chief Justice McKean called Roberts to appear before him and issued the following stern words of advice:
 

You will probably have but a short time to live. Before you launch into eternity, it behooves you to improve the time that may be allowed you in this world: it behooves you most seriously to reflect upon your past conduct; to repent of your evil deeds; to be incessant in prayers to the great and merciful God to forgive your manifold transgressions and sins; to teach you to rely upon the merit and passion of a dear Redeemer, and thereby to avoid those regions of sorrow – those doleful shades where peace and rest can never dwell, where even hope cannot enter. It behooves you to seek the fellowship, advice, and prayers of pious and good men; to be persistent at the Throne of Grace, and to learn the way that leadeth to happiness. May you, reflecting upon these things, and pursuing the will of the great Father of light and life, be received into the company and society of angels and archangels and the spirits of just men made perfect; and may you be qualified to enter into the joys of Heaven – joys unspeakable and full of glory!

Though 236 years old, these wise words still serve as sound advice for us who are alive today.  McKean was a man with impeccable credentials to speak to the bedrock issues of life.  And he did not hesitate to use his position of great prominence as a platform to speak wisdom to those in need.

America today desperately requires leaders with similar character and courage who are determined to lead our nation in a direction God can bless.