“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
This of course was written by Charles Dickens in his masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities. And this passage though profoundly deep in meaning, applies to each moment in the history of this world.
August 2, 2018, today’s date, is the best of times and the worst of times. Technology and science has made incredible strives over the past few years thus people are living longer, enjoying the products of our technological advancements, as well a the hope of a bright future.
August 2, 2018 is also the worst of times. The depravity of man is ever-increasing and we find evil ruling in places where good once prevailed. The word of God is under attack as never before and the Gospel of Christ is being mocked unmercifully. Lies are presented as truth in government, media, our schools, and even in many churches. Marriage has been redefined for the first time in the history of mankind and the precious lives of thousands of unborn children will be terminated this very day.
What should the Christian’s response be to all of the good and all of the bad that we experience on a daily basis? Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
There are so many things that seem to be beyond our control. Though our hearts ache and we are grieved by the state of our world, there is always something that we can and should be doing. We should be shining our light wherever we go. This is a great time to recommit to being light to those that are still in darkness. Our light should shine as well to Christians being attacked by the Evil One and his minions. We should be offering help and hope to them in the same way we would want them to minister to us.
Two thousand years ago, our Lord was completely innocent. He had lived thirty-three years without sin, and was the incarnate Son of God Almighty. Yet He was taken, beaten and abused unmercifully; publicly humiliated, and crucified for telling the truth. His message was spoken to give mankind a choice. That choice simply put was eternal life or eternal death, and he was murdered for giving us the choice … for speaking the words. When it appeared that all hope was gone, He arose on the third day triumphant over death and the devil! It is for that reason that August 2, 2018, is the best of times for those who have been born again. The greatest day of my life was over 35 years ago when I was born again. My life changed instantly from one of hopelessness, doom and despair to the greatest journey I could ever have imagined.
If I could go back and change one thing in my life, I would have surrendered to my Savior much sooner.
“Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it.” C. S. Lewis