Things have changed
A couple of years ago, Cathi and I enjoyed watching a TV program on the ABC called “Back in Time for Dinner” which follows a family living in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. It explores the culture of the particular decade and the foods that they would eat and the social life of a typical family. It has been interesting to see after World War II and the rather spartan diet without refrigeration to the 1960s when there was an influx of experimentation with Chinese cooking. Another thing that stands out in the series in the early years was how separated family life was where roles were very separated between husband and wife. It is a far cry from how we live now in the 21st century. You don’t realise how much things have changed.
Well things are a changing, ever so slightly, ever so subtly at times but things have changed a lot in 50 years in our Australian Western culture. Our environment and the way we see the environment with climate change has changed. The question is, “How should a Christian view climate change?”1 The church itself and the way we do church has also changed over these years as well. With the advent of technology, the way we shop has changed with now a significant percentage being online. Also church has changed too with many churches live-streaming their services. The options nowadays are endless.
We are headed for trouble
Whilst many things have changed for the better, including the quality of coffee and the variety and choices of our food, I know from the Bible that we are headed for trouble. Very quickly our economy could vastly change with the collapse of the financial system and that would very quickly change the way we live our privileged lives. Bush fires, floods, earthquakes, virus epidemics seem to be overtaking us at the rate of knots and becoming more numerous and there are wars upon wars and disputes upon disputes. Lots of things to worry about if we let it. We are headed for the proverbial cliff and most don’t even know it.
So what should we do?
Firstly and most importantly we need to recognise that God is in control and that really the only thing we need to be concerned about is making the choice to follow God every day. He has saved us through His Son Jesus Christ and He promises to be our ever-present help in times of trouble. We can trust Him! Follow Him today and keep following Him.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah"
Secondly, we need to watch and pray, and prepare. Jesus commands it in Luke 21:36, the catch-cry of the Luke 21 website. Preparation as Christians is advocated and paramount. For example, we see that only 5 of the 10 virgins were wise and prepared by having oil in their lamps before the bridegroom returned around midnight in the “Parable of the Ten Virgins“.2 Read it in my EDV translation here.
- https://www.gotquestions.org/climate-change.html [↩]
- Matt. 25:1-13 [↩]
