The Good Old Days

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.Ecclesiastes 7:10

When people are ungrateful to us, we often start complaining, "Things are worse now than they ever were." But we shouldn't talk like this. Elderly people tend to say, "When I was a child, everything was better." They are the "people who praise the days gone by," as one poet calls them. But the author of Ecclesiastes says this isn't true. Things never really went that well. We only realize how bad things are now because as we grow older, the number of things that annoy us also increases.

Children don't pay much attention to news about someone deceiving or murdering someone else. They keep on playing, running, and riding. They think it's the worst thing in the world when someone steals another's marbles. Only then do they become angry. But when they become adults, they become sensitive to the troubles and disloyalty of people around them. They get angry when a horse breaks a leg, when the cattle don't fatten properly, and so on.

The world has always been filled with troubles, but we haven't always been aware of them all. When we were children, nothing bothered us. Our lives remained relatively calm. But the world has always been wicked. Therefore, make sure that you have a quiet and peaceful heart. Don't become upset when you see these evils. Though you can't change the world, make sure you are changed into a new person.

From Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, James C. Galvin. ©2005 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530. Sent from the Martin Luther's Faith Alone Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Grace, Freedom, Laughter!