I'm not sure when I first discovered the library, but I know it must have been a happy day. My earliest memories off the library are from when I was about 8 years old in Kirkland, Washington at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. They had a great library!

It wasn't like any other library, for they had a T.V. set right there near the front desk. I can remember the librarian having some cooking show or, even better, one of those new game shows on and it playing softly in the background while we kids browsed among the books. My love for reading was fanned into the flames in Kirkland. Maybe it was from earlier when my mom used to let me sit up in her lap while she read fairy tales from the big book. Maybe it was because it rained so much that we kids had to find some quiet activity, and reading had a way of taking little boys on adventures that were suppressed from their inability to go outside on such days. It probably had the same effect on little girls, but I only have a faint memory of them even existing when I was eight. 

What I think really got me going was a competition (for those of you who don't know, a competition was something we had to encourage best efforts and high ideals prior to the days of participation trophies) in one of my elementary school classes where the teacher came up with the idea of paper chains that hung from the ceiling to show each child's progress. Each link of the chain was a strip of brightly colored construction paper (I think mine was green!) and she would add a link for every book you read. I can remember having a goal of getting my chain which started at the ceiling to reach all the way to the floor. When it finally did, I then proceeded to double down on my reading to get it to reach back up to the ceiling.

When we moved just outside of Houston, Texas a few years later my love for the library just got that much stronger.

They had board games!

I can remember me and my best friend David Bales riding our bikes there and seeing what game we could check out and play - right there in the library! It was true that we had board games at home, but they paled in comparison to the absolute pleasure a twelve-year-old boy could get from playing a new game in the relative silence of the library.

I wonder if libraries have televisions and board games anymore?

Well, a few years have passed since those wonder years, and while I rarely go to the library anymore, I have done my best to produce one wherever I am. I have an office with no less than five bookshelves, and my wife and I must have another half dozen at home. While I don't venture much into the modern public library these days, I am pleased to see that my grandkids all seem to love them. Now they have computers you can just sit down and use, as well as videos you can check out and take home to play in your own DVD player or video games you can take home and play in whatever one plays video games in. Who knows, they might even still have books you can check out!

I think it was Benjamin Franklin who popularized the idea of public libraries in America, and men like Andrew Carnegie who donated millions of dollars to make sure that one was available in a town near you, and I am grateful to the foresight of these brilliant men. Even more, I am grateful to these wonderful library ladies who are there with a quick "shh" if you get a little too noisy, and who seem to have an uncanny knack for finding just the book you're looking for, even when you're not quite sure just what that book may be.

More than that, I am thankful to my own mother and my early grade schoolteachers for implanting within me a great love for reading. It has not only kept me from being bored on rainy days, but it has also had a sneaky way of educating me along the way, even when I didn't even know it was doing so.

I wonder if there will be libraries in Heaven. I suspect there will, because it will certainly contain the greatest book ever written, by the greatest Author there will ever be.

"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways", says the LORD God. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, 

and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit.

For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies", says the LORD God." "Therefore turn and live!"

Ezekiel 18:30-32, NKJV

The thought of a fresh start is extremely appealing to most of us, especially when we find ourselves in the middle of some great mess that we have created for ourselves. And a fresh start is exactly what God desires for us when we find ourselves in such a condition. But it may not be for the reason that we are thinking, for the new heart and new spirit are as much for God as they are for us. And God is worthy of our making a new beginning for ourselves and for Him.

Think back to the condition of the world in Noah's time. We are told that the state of mankind was so bad that every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time, and that this advanced state of wickedness was so bad that God was grieved He had made man in the first place. But then, there was Noah! Noah was found to be pleasing to God, and God decided to create a fresh start for the entire world by wiping out every living being with the exception of righteous Noah, his family, and a few animals.

In effect, since men would not get a new heart and a new spirit, God removed them and started over with a brand-new people - people who would be descended from the only righteous family that was left on earth. And God did this because only people with a pure heart and a pure spirit are worthy of this great gift of life that God has given to them.

So, the LORD God started over with a new people, since the old people refused to get a new heart and a new spirit. And, make no mistake, God is worthy of such a people.

Fast forward about 2,000 years from the time of the flood to the time of Ezekiel, from whom we read the words above. God was once again dealing with a wicked people, a people whose every inclination was wicked all the time, and God was once again grieved with mankind. But this time, God was willing to given men another chance. Instead of wiping them all out, He gave them the option of starting afresh with a new heart and a new spirit. And He even gave them His reasoning for doing so: God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone!

So, He sent the prophet Ezekiel to warn the people of their impending doom should they not repent, but He also gave them an option: They could avoid this death if they would get a new heart and a new spirit. The reason for needing such a change was obvious, for their old hearts were wicked and their old spirits were corrupt! Men and women whom God had gifted with life itself, were living for their own evil pleasures and lusts, rather than living to serve the One who had so lovingly given them life in the first place!

In effect, God placed before them an ultimatum: They could repent and start to live for Him, or they could suffer the consequences. The tragic part that we learn from history is this: Though they were given a chance at a new start, the vast majority of them did not find God worthy of the change that was needed in them... so they died! The vast majority of these evil people died for the simple reason that they preferred pursuing their own evil desires, rather than repenting and serving the One who gave them both life and a second chance. Only a tiny remnant would decide to take God up on His offer of a new heart and a new spirit, and only a tiny remnant would survive.

Now we come to the state of our world, today! Take a good look around. What do you see? Do you see the wars that stem from deep-seeded hatreds of our fellow man? Do you witness the terrible results of drug addiction? Do you see the perversity of a society that is obsessed with immorality and deviancy? Do you hear the foul language that is on the lips of just about everyone we come across? Do you see the open hostility and animosity that sinful man has for those who do not approve of his sin? Do you see the widow and the orphans going without justice in the land... do you see any of this?

We better, for God is seeing all of this, and much more, and I suspect He is grieved with the activity of a people whose every inclination is seemingly only evil all the time! We better think about the state of this current world and, even more importantly, our own lives, for our time may be running out. God has proven time and time again that His patience, though vast, does have a limit. 

Are we getting close to that limit... do you think? Wouldn't we all be happier if we put away our sins and began to live the pure and wholesome life that God has designed for us? Don't you think your children and grandchildren are worthy of a better world than the one we are giving them at the present? Don't you think that God is worthy of better?

A fresh start is appealing to all decent people, especially people who find themselves in the mess that this current world is in. That fresh start is in fact ours for the asking, if we will just ask. Make no mistake, such a fresh start will come with great effort. It will require a different mindset than the one that most people possess today. In fact, it will require a new heart and a new spirit. And we must begin to change and do our best to acquire this new heart and new spirit, for if we do not, we will perish in our sins. We don't want that, and incredibly enough, neither does God, for He takes no pleasure in the death of any of His creation. 

God and Christ are worthy of that effort! So, let's get to work now! This world is in a terrible mess - maybe one of the worst messes it has ever been in. Furthermore, it is likely getting late in the game, for I don't believe that we have a lot more time to change our wicked ways before this wicked world's overdue punishment arrives. Since all decent people desire this new start, since our children are worthy of this new start, and since God and Christ are especially worthy of this new start, all that remains is for us to begin. It will take a new heart and a new spirit, and this will require repentance - a turning from our wicked ways and back towards our Father! He will help us every step of the way, for He has already told us that He takes no pleasure from our death. So, let us begin that new direction, today! We certainly will never regret that fresh start if we will simply take advantage of it. But, if we don't... I think we all know what will happen then.

It is time for us to present to God a new heart and a new spirit! 

But Jesus called them to Him, saying, "Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

Luke 18:16, ESV

I find myself focusing on the wrong things sometimes. Take the riots around America over whether or not to allow the people to stay who have come into our country illegally. Or how about the wars that are ongoing in Iran and Ukraine? Then there is the economy, and the fact that our government officials (who always seem to be rich) take more and more of people's money to the point where many can no longer afford decent living standards. On and on the list goes, and each item on that list, though genuinely serious, takes away our focus from that which truly matters.

I was reminded of what truly matters this past week. We had Vacation Bible School in our community, with about fifty kids in attendance each day. They started out by getting picked up on the "Gospel Chariot", a converted cotton wagon with welded on metal benches. The kids would ride through the neighborhoods, laughing and singing, as they picked up the other kids. Then they went inside and became quiet and reverent, as they eagerly listened to the Bible lesson for the day. They learned about how God and Jesus love them, and they in turn learned to love Them even more.

Then, it was outside for a much-needed break from their rigorous 45-minute study, and they refreshed themselves with twenty minutes or so of wild play time fueled by the sugar from cookies and punch. Then, it was back inside for another 45 minutes of Bible time before once again going back to the Gospel Chariot to be whisked back home. 

I've watched this same event for thirty years now, and it never gets old. And though I have seen it over and over, there was something that really struck me this particular year on the final day, for on that day is their short program to show their parents and grandparents just how much they have learned. I have been reflecting on this very sequence of events, and it struck me again just how much I have been focusing on the wrong things of late. It is not the "serious" worldwide events that are most important, nor is it the very real problems that we deal with on a daily basis with our own lives. No, it is something far more important and much more basic.

It is the children that matter!

This is the generation that we can do something about, if we will just wake up long enough to do so. It's not that the wars and the domestic problems and the economy are not important, because they are! However, these things are merely the same kinds of problems that mankind has dealt with since the first man and woman decided to sin and were removed from the shelter and safety of the Paradise that God had created for them. The result of sin is a variety of complicated problems which mankind will always have to deal with, so deal with them we must,

But it is the children that really matter. They are the ones who will inherit this mess that we have made, and it behooves us to help them prepare for this messed up inheritance. They are also the only ones who are absolutely innocent of the responsibility for the problems of this current world. Furthermore, they are the ones who are truly deserving of our efforts to do everything we can to make things better for them. We cannot do so by passing along our petty squabbles, partisan politics and favorite sins. The only solution is the one that we read above: We must bring them to Jesus!

These beautiful little people are dearly loved by God and Christ, and we have a responsibility to let them know that. We have a duty to teach them about the wonderful things God has done for them. We need to teach them about God's standards of right and wrong. We need to pass along God's expectations for these little people, so that when they grow into big people like us that they will do the right things. We have been getting it all wrong, for we think the solutions to the wars and poverty and hatred are found in the secular realm. We think that if we teach kids that the solutions lie in which political party we support or which culture we happen to be a part of, that then the kids will have a better chance.

And while it is true that some politicians seem to be a little less sinful than others, and that certain cultures are a little less messed up than others, these things are not the solution. Jesus is! And the sooner we learn this, the sooner we will stop preventing these children from coming to Jesus, for the sooner that they learn His righteous standards and apply them to their own lives, the sooner they can clean up the mess that we have left behind.

I have become firmly convinced that it is too late for my generation to fix the problems we have. We simply have too much hatred and disdain for those who disagree with us. Even worse than that. we simply have too much hatred and disdain for God and the true solutions that are found in His Word. We have already gone our own way, and the sad fact is that most people will continue down that destructive path. Don't get me wrong: It's not that it is impossible for us to repent and turn back to God and Christ, it's just that we probably won't.

So, it's up to the next generation - it is up to these little children that Jesus Himself commanded us to not impede when they desired to come to Him. It is when I look at these little ones in gatherings such as our recent Vacation Bible School, our local school's excellent Memorial Day programs, or when I'm just watching them play with their reckless abandon and pure hearts, that I begin to see hope for this mean old world. It is our children who are our hope, but only if we can bring them into contact with the one true hope. And that one true hope is Jesus!

Perhaps the only question left is do we think our kids are worth the effort it will take for us to bring them to Jesus? Every single one of us needs to answer that question, and then we need to get to the work of repenting of our own foolish ways and focusing on what is really important. Then maybe we will get our focus right again. Then maybe we will see that it's the kids who matter because in the big scheme of things, it is God and Christ Who matter.

And He began telling this parable,

"A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

We were talking in Bible class the other night about this parable of Jesus, and its message of how each one of us has a fixed amount of time to start serving the Lord. There are many lessons we can draw from this short parable, but the overriding message is one of warning and perspective. In short, we better get started bearing fruit in our service to God before it is too late for us to do so. The clear warning is that God expects His servants to bear fruit. Those who do not are just using up His precious resources. You can compare such a person to a tick or other parasite that just lives off his host without providing anything beneficial in return. It's a lesson that all would be servants of God need to take to heart.

But there is another side to this parable that got me to thinking about how many men view God. The clear implication in this parable is that God is the owner of the vineyard, and that we are the trees that are expected to bear fruit. However, as in so many areas of life, men often get to forgetting just who is in charge, and who is to serve. That's what I want to talk about today.

I have noticed that there are many men and women who seem convinced that God is here to serve them. If anything goes wrong in their lives, they are quick to blame God. They ask questions like, "If you really are God, why did you let this happen?' or they say, "If God will do this for me, then I will believe in Him." In fact, they base their entire relationship upon their perception of how God is or is not living up to their expectations. It is as if, in their eyes, that they are the owner of the vineyard and God is the fig tree. In their convoluted way of thinking they decide if God starts bearing fruit for them, then fine! But if not, they are going to cut Him out of their lives completely.

How foolish is that?

It's like a spoiled two-year old that throws a tantrum every time Mommy or Daddy doesn't give them what they want. These people really do live without a speck of appreciation as to what God has done for them, and they do not realize the incredible blessings that could be theirs if they would simply trust in God and begin to serve both He and Christ with all of their heart. This type of individual really does think that God owes them something. As a result, their prayers are something akin to a kidnapper's ransom demands: "Give me this, or else!" Because of this convoluted type of thinking, many people are foolishly giving God an ultimatum. They decide within their own minds that if God does not come through for them, then they will be through with God!

And, sadly, many times they are...

If we ever get to the point where we are genuinely considering whether God is worth our time and efforts, then we need to wake up before it is too late! Whether we asked to be born or not, here we are! The grateful individual will be most appreciative for the fact that God has created them. The wise person will understand that it is they who owe a debt of service to God, and not the other way around. Despite many people's apparent belief to the contrary, this world does not revolve around us! Nor were we put here to somehow judge God's adequacy in pleasing us.

It is a great gift that God did allow us to be born, and it is a tremendous privilege to be able to serve Him. To those who recognize this gift and privilege, God offers the opportunity of eternal service in a Paradise that we deserve no more than we do this precious life that He has so lovingly given us. If we are ever going to be able to take advantage of His offer of this very great reward, we will first have to gain the proper perspective. It is we who were created by God, not the other way around. It is we who are the tree that must bear good fruit in order to fulfil the purpose for which we were created.

If we have gotten these things mixed up, thinking that we somehow are the owner of the vineyard and that God is merely our vassal who is here to serve us, then we need to get our thinking straight. For it is abundantly clear that we are here for a limited time to prove our love and our worth to the true Master. If we can get our perspective straight and combine it with an appreciative desire to serve, then we will someday have an eternity of service in no less of a place than Heaven! But, if we fail to get our perspective right, we may find ourselves (much sooner than we could ever imagine) being plucked from our last opportunity to serve. What then will become of us? Perhaps we all should get to the pleasant work of producing fruit for the Master before it is too late!