Times Gone By

Times Gone By "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1st Thessalonians 5:16-17 Several days ago I was doing some research on another devotional that I was writing, and came across the words "Auld Lang Syne" Every New Year’s Eve, one of the most common English-speaking songs people sing is a song called “Auld Lang Syne.” Isn’t it funny how it’s possible to sing a song all your life and have no idea what it means? It turns out that “auld lang syne” is a 17th century Scottish song written by a man named Robert Byrns. His transcription of the words “auld lang syne” means “times gone by.” So when we sing this song, we are saying, “We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet for the times gone by.” As I thought more about this well known song, I couldn’t help but begin to do a little reminiscing myself. I got to thinking about just how awesome it is to finally reach a place in life when you can honestly be thankful for everything. I mean everything. All the good, the bad and the ugly, everything that has ever had the fortune or misfortune of passing through the curtains of my life. I am more and more convinced, that until we truly believe that God really does work out everything in conformity with the purpose of His own will, we will never be ready for the next round of the growth process. A very well known scripture articulates this remarkable truth very well when it says: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purposes." Romans 8:28. Then when we ultimately come to the realization that God is after one thing, and that one thing is “us” giving “Him” EVERYTHING, then (and only then) will we gladly, without hesitation, partake of that cup of kindness … yet for the times gone by. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven July 3