I have a complaint against you, oh generation of mine. You have at your fingers resources that no other generation has had throughout all of history, and yet, for the most part, you are less intelligent, less disciplined, and less mature. It is a sad thing indeed to look out upon the plains of Christianity and see the withering that has taken place in the hearts of its people. Despite the fact that we have access to free, searchable Bibles we have no less knowledge of the Word.
Despite the fact that our travel is hundreds of times faster that travel was one hundred years ago we do little to spread the Gospel. We are blessed with the ability to fill our minds with truth by listening to sermons, audio Bibles and audio books as we drive, exercise, or walk, and yet we choose instead to listen to music which is far from edifying. If the people that surround me are any evidence, we struggle to read 20 pages in one sitting. Before us is the greatest compilation of knowledge that this earth has ever seen, and it is our decision to turn from those glorious heights of truth and understanding and steep ourselves in television, video games, and toys. Little wonder that we are so weak!
I don’t want to see my people waste their lives away on frivolous things, shriveling like plants without water before a raging sun. A withered tree does little good to those around it, and will not be remembered long, but those trees whose roots drink deep of water and life grow to give shade to hundreds and thousands, sheltering and saving them. Oh! To be that great oak under which men may sit and stare in awe at the God who caused it to grow! Once it was that the fountains to feed such a tree were deep and difficult to reach, but here we have easy access to the deepest waters and the surest streams. Books and the spread of the internet have done wonders in giving us instant access to that which men and women of the past worked lifetimes to grasp. Where once men had to comb the Bible from cover to cover to find every instance of a particular word, now we simply boot up our computers, type the word and the information is retrieved. Where once it was a rare thing to be able to attain a collection of books, today it is nothing more than the cost of purchasing them and shipping them to our door. Where once people had to travel miles to be able to hear an excellent preacher speak, we have simply to wait several minutes while their sermon downloads before we can listen to it at our convenience.
You young Christians, utilize these tools! It breaks my heart to see us trading the deep and powerful things of God for that which is shallow and weak. The man is a fool who trades a jewel for a rock, yet we think nothing of it when we trade our precious time for the meager return of entertainment. The apostle Paul commands us to, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph 4:1). If it is true that God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6) is not our calling much higher than to simply live a life of small, earthly actions and thoughts? Instead, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Coll. 3:1-2). Place no worthless things before your eyes (Psalm 101:3), my friends, and instead spend your time delving into those deep waters that will feed your growth. Cast away the stones that weigh you down and take up the jewels of the gospel and truth that will be placed in your heavenly crowns. Choose to study the word of God rather than to sit and watch a half hour of television. Step out your door and spend time alone in prayer rather than finding new bands on Myspace. Gather face to face with friends for an hour or two and talk of the Gospel and life rather than on Facebook. Turn off the music while you drive and simply think, or replace it instead with a sermon that will orient you on things much larger and more important than this world. It is a thing you will never regret as your head is cleared from the intoxicants of this world and you are freed to see the vast expanses that await those who will seek them. Do not be content to stand on the lowlands of the gospel. Instead, climb high into those peaks and cliffs and gaze out upon the ever-rising sun as it shines upon eternity. Flee from all dull and dark; “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” (Eph. 5:14)
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