August 12, 2013 (Monday)
At some point during the 1980’s, our church received the gift of a computer. It had been the property of a church member’s son, who had replaced it with a newer model. The Financial Secretary used it to keep records for the church. After a while, I took advantage of its word processing capabilities to type my sermon outlines and print them. In 1987, the church received a special gift that made possible a new personal computer at each desk in the office. Each machine was capable of storing much information, which was stored on what is known as a hard disk. I have a device on my home computer today that can store information equal to 300,000 of those hard disks that the church bought in 1987! I also have a device known as a “stick” (at least that’s what I call it), smaller than my finger, which can hold the equivalent of 3,200 of those 1987 model hard disks.
Technological advances continue to be made. One would think that a civilization capable of creating such things would be able to live in peace. Why, then, are the headlines still about kidnapping and murder? Why do the wars still rage? Why are the streets unsafe? Why does white collar crime continue to impact many lives?
Storing up information will not solve our problems, which are not in our heads but in our hearts. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT). God says, “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26 NLT).
Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:5). “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).
Which would you really rather have–a new computer or a new life? It is possible to have both, you know.