I was arranging some things in our garage and came across a memory from the past. Hidden on a shelf was an old magazine carrier from my SWAT days. The magazine carrier hung on my duty belt along with my other gear.
Because we were the first generation of SWAT units, we had to buy our gear on our dime. Nothing was provided for us. A visit to our local Army/Navy store provided us with used military gear from the Vietnam War. Compared to how well-equipped officers are today, our team would appear dated and ill-equipped. While modern equipment is vastly improved and offers greater levels of security, we had the basics in place and were able to get the job done.
I can always tell when a believer or ministry is in trouble. They are on a constant search for the latest spiritual gadget or a pursuit of a “new” interpretation of an old and established truth. In that dangerous drift, they can miss the timeless and unchanging truths that do not change over time no matter how religiously hip they may sound. Old truths are abiding truths that allow future generations to do what has been done down through the ages.
Some of what appears to be an advancement in our understanding of theology or how the Church should look is less than what it promises. The most important things in a life of faith do not change over time. It’s not how we carry our faith that matters. What matters to the Lord is that we still carry our faith and believe that He will do in our day what He has done in the past.
When David faced Goliath, he did not bring to that encounter something new. He used what had worked for him in the past. While he was being mocked and dismissed, David said, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (I Samuel 17:34-37)).
Use what you know that works. The Lord will honor your act of faith because faith is timeless and not empowered by something new. You may be mocked for your faith like David was mocked but the Lord will guide your act of faith to its intended target not because it is new, but because it has been proven effective.
Very well said. We appreciate your desire to keep “the main thing..the main thing”. There is No substitute for THE WORD.