Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”
Jonathan, my youngest son, and I are working on taking down an old house. This old house represents the last visible standing vestiges of Dale’s Mill, a once thriving community near Screven, Georgia. All that is left of this once proud house built over a century ago is the leaning section that once served as the kitchen and dining room to the main house.
As Jonathan removed the rafters from where they had served for so many decades, I thought about how a young man, probably much like my son, nailed those same boards in place so many years ago. My mind drifted back to my youth as I remembered how several old houses from the mill’s glory days were scattered through the pine forest. Now they are all gone. Along with the people who lived in them and the way of life they represented. All that’s left of this once bustling community is the remnants of the old house we are taking down.
As I hefted a board my son handed me, I was struck by its solid weight. After more than a century, this board was much stronger, stouter, and straighter than boards milled today. With enough of these boards one could build a fine and sturdy home, a home that could stand for another century.
So are the ageless, solid doctrines of the Scriptures. Such truths that have weathered the storms of time and stood firm providing shelter and safety for believers. Truths like God’s sovereignty and holiness and the perseverance of the saints. Truths that are stated in the Bible and engrained in the great hymns of the church. Hymns like Amazing Grace, All Creatures of Our God and King, A Mighty Fortress is Our God . . .
So many Christians seem to live under the delusion that newer is better. Too often the church of today has jettisoned the old principles and truths of God’s word. Doctrine, we are told, is stuffy and the old hymns out-dated. Really? Christianity’s truths and worship are not new. Let’s not discard the solid historical truths of the church for particle board imitations.
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