Is it the Best of Times?

The opening sentence in The Tale of Two Cities has been running through my mind in a repeating loop.

“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.”

The Best and the Worst

Yin versus yang. Right versus wrong. Good – evil. Saved – unsaved. Light – darkness. Heaven – hell.

All around us, we see the best in others and sadly, we see the worst.

Then, the church shows up…

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

Colossians 3: 1-2 3

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

We must set our eyes on Christ who is above all things. Our hearts on our King seated on the throne of heaven. And our mind on things above.

Christ sits at the right hand of the Father

Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”

Historically, when a King won a battle, a hem was added to the train of his royal robes. This verse in Isaiah tells us that the Lord’s train filled the temple, indicating the countless victories He had won.

What a picture for us to set our minds on. Every time we enter the throne room of God in prayer, we stand on our Lord’s victories.

Here is what AI had to say when I asked it to verify this:  Yes, you are correct, in ancient times, when a king won a battle, a part of the defeated kings robe, often from the train (the trailing part), would be sewn onto his own royal robes, signifying his victory and causing the length of his robe’s train to grow with each conquest, thus visually representing his many triumphs; this practice was particularly prevalent in the Middle East and is often referenced in biblical texts like Isaiah 6:1 where the “train of his robe filled the temple.”

Oh weary warrior

Set your mind on this. We serve a righteous King. He is just in all His dealings with mankind. He has already defeated our foe and wears the evidence of it while sitting on His throne.

Believe me dear one, I know it is hard to take our eyes off of our circumstances and the evil around us. But when we obey Colossians 3:1 and 2, our peace is restored, we find rest for our weary souls, and the wisdom and strength to carry on. Polish those lamps, and set them on your lampstand. The world is in great need of Christ.