Last Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs died at the age of 56. Mr. Jobs was one of the pioneers of the personal computing era and the founder and CEO of Apple.
Many years ago Jobs asked a now famous question of John Sculley. At the time Sculley was the head of Pepsi and Jobs wanted to recruit him to take the lead at Apple. Jobs asked, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?” Who would not rise to a challenge and opportunity like that? And in fact, in terms of how technology affects how we live, work and play Steve Jobs revolutionized our world. There is no question about this.
But here is another Jobs quote to ponder. “The problem is I’m older now, I’m 40 years old, and this stuff doesn’t change the world. It really doesn’t. I’m sorry, it’s true. Having children really changes your view on these things. We’re born, we live for a brief moment, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much, if at all.” Jobs words are sobering and 180 degrees opposite the first quote.
So, why would Jobs say something like this? Well, as Jobs said, “It’s true.” Technology doesn’t change why we are born, why we live and why we die. Technology doesn’t answer any of the big questions in life. It doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. There is only one thing that does—the good news of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.
In the first century the apostle Paul walked by foot into the city of Thessalonica and made known the good news of Jesus Christ. A great many people came to the faith. But there were also many merchants who were angry at Paul and his companions because the market for idols was declining. So they accused the missionaries before the local authorities saying that they had “turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).”
In one sense what these critics said was true, though in its natural state our world is already upside down. Our world was turned wrong side down at the fall of Adam and Eve and it’s been lying flat on its back ever since. The only way to get turned around in the right direction is by faith in Jesus Christ.
So let me paraphrase Jobs and ask you a question. Do you want to live like everyone else, or do you really want to change your world? Only the believer in Jesus Christ has the power to live right-side-up in a topsy-turvy world. Only a person who has faith in Jesus Christ can escape being “conformed to this world (Romans 12:2).” In fact he or she can be transformed more and more into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Only the person who has faith in Jesus Christ has the sure and certain expectation of everlasting life. The promise is “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (1 John 5:11).”
Scripture declares, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).” Do you want to change your world? Jesus Christ changes everything.
We as Christians who worship God, and live in this world with it's daily distractions can appreciate a sad moment like this to bring focus to the real meaning of our lives and our walk with our father. Because of this communion we can see a higher and happier life.
ReplyDeleteSobering thoughts...we all think of ourselves as so much more advanced than those who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago becuase of our gadgets. But the human heart has not changed.
ReplyDelete"There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus” (Blaise Pascal)