What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9, ESV)
Golfers often make me think of seekers. We seek out the next best golf ball or piece of technology, the next best course to play, the next best tip to help our swing or stroke. There have been several improvements to the game and there is a constant fine tuning of ways things in the golf swing can be done, but the main things have stayed the same—it still comes down to trying to get the ball in the hole in as few of strokes as possible.
Without even realizing it, we can come to the Bible or to church or to a devotional with the mindset of wanting to hear something new. Can the Bible really be relevant to my life? Do parts of it still apply, but other parts don’t? The fact is that the Bible tells us who God is and reveals his character to us. In learning about who God is, we learn that we are not at the center of the universe and never were to begin with. God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end.
As much as the world wants to tell us that we are smarter, wiser and better now, we are no different than our ancestors.I write this today as a reminder as much for myself as I do for you. We are inundated with messages like “live your best life,” “you do you,” and “do whatever it is that makes you happy.” But you’ll have a hard time finding this me-centric theology in Scripture. Perhaps because it’s not there.
Much of looking for what’s new revolves around oneself. So we ask, “What will God’s word do for me?” But we are to focus and put our attention on the Lord. Why? Because we are not ultimate. Only he is.
To see God above ourselves, we can start with two questions that reveal what matters most to us: What are we most afraid of and what do we love more than anything? These questions show what rules us, in anxious times and relative calm. When we are honest in our answers, what we value most emerges, whether it’s a game, relationship, work, money, power, or God. If it’s not God, we’ll know we need a reset.
As much as the world wants to tell us that we are smarter, wiser and better now, we are no different than our ancestors. We are still sinful, fallen people. Though we may not have the same idols as carved golden calves, that’s only because we have made sophisticated idols and dressed them up to look as though we are enlightened, not primitive. Our pride blinds us.
To see again, let us remember the wise words of Solomon that there is nothing new under the sun. But what is old is so very good. In writing Psalm 27 more than 3,000 years ago, David asked for one thing, to seek after and to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. If you really want to put things in order, start there, with God.
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Aimee Neff
May 16, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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