Change

Most of us no longer work the family farm or commute to work in the mills. Our society is no longer primarily agrarian or industrial. However, a strange, pandemic induced twist has sent many workers back to work on “the farm” where trade tools are now computers rather than hay rakes and garden hoes.

Social values are also changing. As we become more affluent, cosmopolitan and liberal, we tend to exaggerate and elevate our desires into purposes and to think in relative terms rather than holding tightly to high moral standards. We seek fulfillment in easy living, special recognition, mega-mansions, expensive entertainment, sex wherever and with whom we want, and guarantees that we are not only free to do and have anything we want but that society should work for us to attain it.

Speaking to Solomon, King David gave this counsel: “My son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT2)

That truth is both reassuring and disturbing. Where does God fit into our plans and thoughts? In our search for meaning and wholeness, we often resist God and the principles He designed to give us the best possible life. Our understanding of the world may change, but God’s purposes and the deep needs of our spirits will never be any different. That discovery of purpose is all about our souls and not about our material, sensual lives. It is more about humility and selflessness than self exultation.

Because we have become distorted images of what He created us to be, God has made a way for our restoration. In His wisdom, love, and grace, He meets the need of our fragile, fickle, stubborn, proud, poorly focused, broken, imperfect souls which are embodied in dust. He safe guards them by accepting the consequences of our waywardness through Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf and by forgiving us when we choose Him.

We may be ambiguous about being made in God’s image…but God is not. He has done everything possible to restore us to the image we are intended to be. Our repentance and His restorative power makes all the difference!

Considering Him and His life principles will transform the desires of our hearts.