Understanding the Times
In the book of 1 Chronicles, the Bible mentions a tribe of people who supported King David known as the men of Issachar. They were "men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do..." (1 Chronicles 12:32). From the first time I read that verse I made that a prayer for myself and for the people that I lead.
Well-worn but still true, the frog in the kettle gives a great illustration for us of where things are. If the frog is thrown into boiling water, he will jump out immediately. If you place the frog in a kettle of cool water and then slowly raise the temperature, he will be boiling before he knows what hit him. I have no idea why anyone would want to boil a frog but the application is clear. My concern is that many believers do not understand the times in which we live. Our lives our so busy and our schedules so full that we do not notice the water boiling around us.
American culture continues its march headlong into decadence and immorality. While that is nothing particularly new, what is new about this is the rate and pace of our nation's decline. Less than 20 years ago, "gay marriage" was not legal in a single state. Since 2015, gay marriage is the law of the land. 10 years ago, transgenderism was hardly part of the national conversation. Today it’s all we hear about it seems. If recent years give us any barometer, our culture will continue rushing down this path. To understand this is to understand the times.
Now, let's consider what we need to do. Courage is the order of the day. We can't be intimidated by the cultural intolerance of anything outside the acceptable narrative. Truth matters. All truth is God's truth. We believe truth and we speak truth. We will not participate in lies no matter the cultural response. Sometimes disagreeing with the official narrative earns you the label of being unkind or even unchristian. We ought to see these statements for the manipulation that they are.
For Christians, we understand the teachings of Scripture are not in vogue. We must decide whether we will believe God's Word and continue to affirm its truthfulness or whether we will capitulate to the culture when we are coerced. The pressure will be immense. In the future it might cost you your job to hold to a biblical worldview. You might be passed over for a promotion because of the church you attend or the ministries you support financially. You might be ostracized in other ways. Now is the time to prepare our hearts and determine that we will faithfully stand for Christ in our generation.
Our faith is not a private feeling we hold. Our faith is built on very public and historic truths. Jesus walked this earth. He lived a sinless life. He died on a Roman cross and rose on the third day. The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive. These aren't religious opinions, they are historical facts. The rest of God's Word is the same. We will cheerfully and faithfully testify to the truth of God's Word. Let's pray today that we can be like the men of Issachar and that God would give us understanding of the time in which we live so that we would understand what we need to do!