THE NEW CHALLENGES BEFORE US

The challenges before us are ever new and, ironically, always the same.  The young like new.  But as each generation (let me repeat, each) ages, it has a subtle way of crystallizing; fossilizing might be more accurate.  I still recall the family discussion--even mockings away from the table--of one set of my grandparents who refused to change their clocks for this new modern creation called Daylight Savings Time.  

I believe that one of the more profound supports to the existence of God is this very consistent theme; there are always new challenges before us.

We especially see this in the church.

New can be viewed as either progressive or jumping the  tracks of Truth.  Either could be true and must be evaluated.  Appraisal, however, cannot be without forthright challenge because  potential and possibility are quite likely to discover a new and better route.

This is very exciting to me.  Surely we do not believe we (this generation of Bible students) have sewn up discovery hidden within the leather cover of the Bible.  And just as truthful, surely we do not think that any generation before us cleaned up religious mess-iosity.  The Word of God is alive and active.  As we discover God to be bigger than we imagined we, simultaneously, find that our understanding was smaller than originally imagined.

The new challenges before us will probably be identical to those of the past.  Some truths mixed with significant understandings.  This does not discourage us; not in the least.  It enthuses us to wonder what there is about God--those multi-dimensional facets--that has not yet occurred to any generation.

Please be relaxed as we learn.  The old things of God need not our narrow minds to keep them going.  He knows how.  It is the mass of new which we also want in on.  We do not want to lose numbers from any generation because we were too timid to learn what He might need of us today.

The world is still dying...is still dying to know if this God-stuff is true.  It sees through our weaknesses when we barricade ourselves behind church walls to spew and sputter about the latest sins of mankind.  The hope is that we can humble ourselves before the Lord and look (along with our neighbors) upon the marvel and awe and immeasurable God who is consistently teaching us new things in new ways from new hearts....II Corinthians 4:16-18.