Past and Present

How strong is our connection to the past? How strong does it need to be? I have met people who believe that the Bible is less relevant to today's world because the Bible is so "old, so outdated". The notion is that it was fit for the times in which it was written, because it was written by a particular people, and in a particular historical and geographical context. Such remarks in my experience are generally made by folks who have not read the Bible, but instead have read the "cliff notes", more or less.

"But aren't we supposed to be about now--today, as in 'sufficient for the day is its own trouble'," Matthew 6:34? While that's true, that doesn't mean that we are to forget about the past. Not by any means. The Bible is full of ways for believing men and women, to keep the past firmly entrenched in their thinking. Having a strong link to the past should give us a deeper appreciation for the believers who have gone before us. When we see what they went through for the Lord, we gain a realistic sense of the importance of the great commission, an importance which transcends time.

It's easy to take for granted, the tremendous gift that we have in our laps on Sunday mornings. Our link to the past, the believers in its pages, and what they did in for the glory of God should remind us all, of just how vital a knowledge of scripture is for our growth and walk in Jesus Christ.