“The Old Ways”

       Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways,and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

 I liked the old paths, when:

Moms were at home,

Dads were at work,

Brothers went into the army,

And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;

Hard work did;

And people knew the difference.

Moms would cook;

Dads would work;

Children would be quiet.

Husbands were loving;

Wives were submissive;

And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;

And Men wore the pants.

Women looked like ladies;

Men looked like gentlemen;

And children looked decent.

People loved the truth,

And hated a lie;

They came to church to get IN,

Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded loudly;

Sermons sounded helpful;

Rejoicing sounded normal;

And “Amen” sounded often.

Cursing was wicked;

Drinking was evil;

and divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored;

America was beautiful;

And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;

Prayed in school;

And preached from house to house.

To be called an American was worth dying for;

To be called a Christian was worth living for;

To be called a traitor was worth fighting for!

Sex was a private word;

Homosexual was an unheard of word,

And abortion was an illegal word.

Preachers preached because they had a message;

And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!

Preachers preached from the Bible;

Singers sang from the heart;

And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;

Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;

Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;

And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;

Homes read the Bible;

Churches taught the Bible.

God was worshiped;

Christ was exalted;

and the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's Day,

Rather than on the first tee, the beach , or the lake,

Or being entertained somewhere else.

The old paths can live again if we make the commitment that they will in our own lives, and then spread them like a beautiful new trend across our nation!

 Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”  (Joshua 24:15).

 Let each of us make the same choice as Joshua’s this very day!