Bulletin
“Christians: Timeless Optimists”
The earth rotates, revolves around the sun, and time continues. With the constant change in time there is a constant change in the events of life. These changes in life do not always work to our favor. In fact, the writer of Ecclesiastes explained, “I returned and saw under the sun that – The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all”(Ecclesiastes 9:11). Both good things and bad things happen to all men whether they deserve it or not. The majority of the populous dwell on the negative. They harbor frustration concerning past events so they can take them out of their mental filing cabinet when other instances arise. Not only do they remember the negatives in their life, but they expect them to reoccur. This is called pessimism.
Pessimism and time go hand in hand. Time denotes change, and change threatens misfortune. The pessimist rolls out of bed wondering what bad thing will happen to them that day. The sunrise is not a symbol of a fresh start, but an ominous indication of trouble, and hardship. They live their lives under an umbrella of negativity which deflects anything good that might fall their way. This way of life is not an inconvenient absolute that some unfortunately are born into. It is an intentional infliction upon the ignorant, and willfully ignorant, given by the father of lies (cf. John 8:44). Life is sacred because it is given by the Holy One for a purpose. It begins only with immense potential for good. The Devil would have us believe otherwise.
The Holy Script is laced with optimism. In fact, the entire purpose of scripture is positive. Even the record of negative occurrences prove to have positive purposes – “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The gospel is a message of health and wealth, but not in the sense that most desire. The health and wealth it offers is only possible because it is not plagued with the physical reality of time and chance. It cannot possibly offer supreme happiness in the abundance of earthly treasures and soundness of body because those cannot be universal absolutes for all citizens of mankind – “but time and chance happen to them all.” It offers that which can only be offered by the One who is not restricted by time – our timeless God (cf. 2 Peter 3:8) – “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 1:8).
The passage to timeless optimism is through Christ. He proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The gift that remains on the table is eternal life (cf. Romans 6:23). This offer is not influenced in any way by time and chance. The offer is firm, and without partiality. Once that which is offered is secured it cannot be taken away, for it is eternal (cf. Matthew 6:20). Thus optimism rules. Pessimism does not, and should not, rule in the life of a saint, for the prize can only be forfeited. There is no negative outcome independent from self-infliction – “[look] carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright” (Hebrews 12:15-16).
Christians can be described as timeless optimists because of the immutability of God’s counsel, “in which it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). The earth rotates, revolves around the sun, time continues, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Pessimism is not fit for a Christian. We are to “rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)! Rather than allowing Satan to engulf our lives in uncertainty and negativity, find solace in this truth – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).
