Living Transformed
Hi 2011, welcome to the timeline of history, where once added you always remain. I wonder what will happen in your allotted 365 days, both around the world and in my own little one. What ever it is I plan to live it moment by moment for that is all I have. I shall live with Luke 10:27 written upon my heart, stamped upon my mind and entwined in my conversation. Luke 10:27 -... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
My childhood was peppered with mentions of a book my dad read in his youth Henry & the Great Society. Having found the book again my dad gave it to me to read. The book was eye opening to say the least and only served as a tool to solidify what God was already working in my life, I love when He does that!
First, here is a brief description of the book:
Henry and the Great Society is the story of Henry, a contented farmer living as his father did and his father before him. His house had no electricity, no indoor plumbing, not any of the modern conveniences we cannot live without. He lived on the farm with his wife Esther and their three children, Brent, Jeff, and Hilda. He had no schedule to tie him down and worked the hours the sun kept. His family was loving and close knit, nights were spent telling stories, playing games and enjoying each others companies. He fell to sleep to the sound of the whippoorwill and the smell of sweet honeysuckle. Then progress came (the great society) and soon the life that he knew began to disappear. Further and further he became chained to the 'good things in life' and their hidden effects. Long gone were the sweet simple days he had so loved and in their place was the clamor of modern technology finding himself chained to a factory job and mounting bills. The story ends with his death, long gone was the close knit family and the things he loved most and in their place was only a sigh of wistful remembrance.
The book felt like a reflection of today, though it was written in 1969. The principles and workings of society have not changed and have only created new chains to enslave us with. Today people are living under mountains of debt, mortgages they cannot afford, car loans for the new cars they shouldn't have bought and a whole host of other things the world says we need and so we buy on credit. The principle of buy now pay later is so ingrained we think nothing of it, we are familiar with terms like zero percent interest, or no money down... It is what motivates us to buy cars, houses, computers... with out having the means to do so. What's a $50 monthly payment here and a $2000 mortgage payment there. Everybody else does it.
The world may live under such bondage, but should Christians (followers of Jesus) as well? Paul says in Romans 13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. When you owe some one or have a debt you are indebted to them until it is paid. When you sign your name on that dotted line you have agreed to the terms and conditions one of which is paying back what you owe most times with interest. Who are we to be indebted to, Jesus Christ. How can we be free to serve Him with our entirety if we are chained to temporal debts of this world? Look at what Paul says in the previous chapter Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to his world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How is living like the world giving glory to God?
Henry and the Great Society is a picture of how entangled we become in the things and progresses the world says we need, or should want. I recommend the book and think that all should read it. It is a quick read of only 116 pages, and the wisdom it holds is great.
Below are quotes from the book that I just love:
page 89- A famous classical scholar, in describing the decline and fall of the Grecian and Roman empires said, "In the end, more than they wanted freedom they wanted security, and a comfortable life, and they lost ALL... security, and comfort and freedom." Like them, we are being institutionalized, regimented and enslaved by a "Something for nothing" philosophy that is destroying us all by the weapons of our own greed. The great society stands by with its cleverly conceived credit system that allows us to spend our way to slavery while being denied even the pleasure of enjoying that which enslaves us.
Page 102- The victory Satan wants is to hurtle this generation to hell under the hypnotism of TV, the plenty of their materialism; the mind control of of his super-salesmen; the body control of a vast drug addiction in the form of pain, stress, tension, insomnia, and nervousness relief-offering drugs; and the supposed security of a false religious system that lulls us to sleep with its pipe organ and soft pews.
We need a prophet with the rough garments of camel skin and a diet not of Coke and hot dogs, but of locusts and wild honey; one who has been alone with God in the wilderness and who has seen this age through the eyes of God. We need an Elijah, or a John the Baptist, who will insult us, alarm us, awaken us and stir us to free ourselves from the entanglements of this life and look with renewed hope to the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But a prophet must have the authority of God's Word to persuade the people of the authenticity of his message.
page 106- The tragedy is that many of God's people are being destroyed in their testimony and usefulness, as well as in their fellowship with the Father, by the same means (by now pay later). It took me 20 years to understand that credit buying is seldom god's means of meeting my needs. In most of that type of buying I have done no more than any non-Christian man could do, and hence brought no glory to God, but further bondage to myself. I cannot give you any pat answers to this terribly complex problem of how the believer ought to live and conduct himself in this decadent world system. I cannot tell you how to live beyond its power. Each of us must be fully persuaded in our own heart how our liberty must be sought, but seek it we must at any cost. I am determined to be as free as possible of this monster of society around me and seek to glorify God in my way of life as well as in my body and my ministry.
I will leave you as the author H.L. Roush ended his book with 1 Timothy 6:6-21:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
