The Good Ole' Days!

 

I have gotten a little nostalgic lately and YES, my age is showing. I long for the "good ole days." The older I get, the more I long for simpler times. I can't help but wonder what exactly made the good ole days good?  

I was reading Jeremiah this morning and the entire book is filled with sadness, warnings, destruction, exile, and longing for the good ole days. It sounds a lot like 2023! Jeremiah states over and over again, the mistakes of Israel and he warned of the consequences. As I read from this prophet, it made me think of the place we are at in the twenty-first century. How did we get here? How do we get back to where it all began?

This is what the Lord says; "Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!' I posted a watchman over you who said, 'Listen for the sound of alarm.' But you replied, 'No! We won't pay attention!' Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people's situation. Listen all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word." (Jeremiah 6:16-19)

I firmly believe that our modern technology, social media, and scientific progress are not inherently bad. Our lives are so much easier than ever before in the history of mankind. But, like Israel, we have made one fatal mistake. We have caused our own problems. We have turned good to evil, and peace has been changed into chaos. 

The part that made the good ole days GOOD was God. 

In our rush to progress, in our excitement of modern conveniences and easy living, we have forgotten the one thing that would guarantee the good ole' days remained GOOD. 

We forgot God! 

When we got to the crossroads we forgot God's word. We heard the warnings of the watchmen but didn't heed the alarms. Instead of seeking God for the path to take, we traveled down our own road and that road has lead to destruction. "It is the fruit of our own schemes, because we refused to listen to God and rejected his word, not the progress of technology, that has turned the good in the good ole days to days filled with darkness. 

If we want to return to the Good Ole' Days we can do it with one simple step. Return to God. As a follower of Jesus Christ who longs for the peace and joy of simpler times, it is my task to make sure God is not forgotten. HIS GOODNESS WILL LEAD US BACK TO THE GOOD OLE DAYS!