Sign of the Times

 You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Matthew 16:3b

 

I had a very brief but thought provoking conversation with a friend. It was about how much we do not know about what is going on in the world.

Both of us have husbands who not only seem to know a lot, they also seem to understand what the implications are for the future. Is it a woman thing that we don’t have the same insights, or interests? Another truth that we both admitted is that we are not interested in reading about history. Both of our husbands love history and reading about history.

Now, we are both readers but we don’t consider reading the news and history books as enjoyable as they do. They understand history, they have read the books of great men, and have paid attention to the progression of events in our time. They see how they have been shaped by the past and what they point to for the future.

The thing that was so thought provoking is that neither of us accept this as we used to. We have been friends for a long time. Our husbands have had this kind of knowledge and understanding since we met. It used to be fine with us to let them discuss these things while we talked about the kids or books or our faith.

Not anymore.

We find ourselves listening to their conversations, wishing we had paid more attention to what was happening in the world. We are seeing that these things are affecting our own little worlds. The cost of living is skyrocketing. Public education has become untrustworthy. People have become hostile standing up for their own rights while ignoring the fact that we all have rights. The world has become more scary than it used to be – or was it always this way and we weren’t paying attention?

Ladies, In Jesus’ words, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”’ Matthew 22:37

We are all for loving God with all our heart and soul. We are not as quick to use our minds. It requires time and energy – things many of us are short on when we are young and so are our children. Later, I have found that we occupy ourselves with other things. We may even want to avoid knowing what is happening because then we feel responsible to take a stand or make a statement or a move for change. These things can be uncomfortable which may just be a sign of the times changing.

Now, it is not well received by our culture when we stand up for our Christian principles and biblical truths. It is frowned upon to believe and teach that God’s laws are the only laws under which a society will flourish. Sadly, some of us don’t know when God’s laws are being transgressed because we not only don’t know His Word, we don’t know what is happening around us.

It is my goal to be better informed than I have been. Just as important is that I want to try to gain understanding of what happens in the world and how that effects Christians or Christianity. More and more Christians are being told what they have to do and how they have to respond to unbiblical expectations (healthcare directives that insist on unbiblical provisions, requiring that we accept lifestyles that the Bible clearly calls sin, and political parties that ignore Christian principles, etc.). In response, we will need to speak up in order to protect our freedom of religion and defend our faith.

Will you and I even recognize the opportunities if we don’t know what’s happening around us? I pray God will help us to want to know and to be able to argue for His Law/Word.

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.                                                                                        Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)