Progress?

I've been thinking a lot about progress. I found this at Jay Vorhees blog -




It's a picture of a what the Rand Company of the 1950's thought home computers would look in 2004.

So I guess it's true, we've come a long way baby. But progress isn't always linear. Just because our technology is progressing doesn't mean that everything is moving forward. Take, for example, this quote from Owen Hanson, "After thousands of years, western civilization has advanced to where we bolt our doors and windows at night while jungle natives sleep in open huts."

Often our progress in one area brings about regress in other areas. I'm not very happy with our vision of progress in North America today. Often we've progressed to the point where we are able to see things from our viewpoint without the "hindrance" of seeing things from a larger perspective. We can live fat and happy in our consumer oriented society without thinking that we are ignoring the cries of the poor and oppressed from other parts of the world. Have we really made progress? That's a huge question and one that we need to wrestle with.

Paul wanted Timothy to make progress. But it was a different kind of progress. He wrote - "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (I Timothy 4:7-16)

How do we progress in our faith? How do we take one step closer to Jesus Christ? In regards to a church, progress is often seen as higher attendance, more professional services, a new or updated building. But spiritual progress often looks different than the world's progress. It often appears as weakness or brokenness. Sometimes it looks to the world as if we are moving backward. Kind of like the cross looked like a failure from the world's point of view.

We're called to make progress, but let's be sure that we don't misunderstand how that looks.