Living with a Substitute
In HIS Presence: The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it (Genesis 2:15).
We live in a world where substitutes are often accepted as being the real thing. Years ago, a leading soft drink company decided to change the way its soda tasted. The company created a new drink and rolled out an elaborate ad campaign calling the drink the "new" cola.
When the public realized this new product would replace the original, there was outrage. People vowed to boycott the company by refusing to drink any of its products. Immediately, company executives realized that they were in trouble and withdrew the new product line. They quickly adopted a new marketing slogan regarding the original cola: "It's the real thing!"
What potentially could have spelled disaster for the company became the basis of a marketing program that is still going today—"It's the real thing!" In other words, there are no substitutes or fakes. The original thing is the real thing.
When it comes to the subject of the family, we have cast aside the original plan God gave us in Genesis and adopted a "new" plan. Instead of turning to His Word for advice, we now switch on the television and tune in to the talk shows and our families are suffering. If this is all we hear and practice, then we will be headed for deep trouble. God has a plan in mind for the family. It is real and amazing, but first we must be willing to embrace it.
One Minute Please:
We live in a day of substitutes and in a time when the real thing looks cheap.
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