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Remember – Ecclesiastes 12:1

Apr8

In the first verse of Chapter 12, the author admonishes us to “remember our Creator in the days of our youth.” Here’s how the NLT words it, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”

In our younger days, particularly as we begin emerging as an adult, we can be heady about our new found freedom. We may find ourselves constantly pulling away from the restraints of our parents. When we are successful in liberating ourselves from such restraints, too often our actions are thereafter overly influenced by the desires of our hearts. A young heart that has not had time yet to be damaged by life’s unpleasantness. Yet, a heart which is naive and immature and can be easily led astray.

During this period of our lives we are just getting our balance as we take our first steps spiritually. What we once saw as not permissible for us as Christians, our immature hearts now rethink such actions. And without a steady intake of godly wisdom our hearts will become desensitized towards what is sinful (fiery darts). Our hearts will take over as our judge, not the Word of God. But what we forget is that the decisions, the choices we make in the days of our youth will follow us for the rest of our lives. (Good or bad)

When we get to the latter season of our lives we won’t find life as exhilarating as in earlier seasons. For troubles have been encountered. Some of those as consequences of choices made with a young and perhaps foolish heart. And some of those that just show up as a result of living life.

Honoring God while we are young and before life begins to knock us around builds up our spiritual reserves. So when we arrive at those not so pleasant times of life, our hearts have grown in maturity. We are less naive. As a result there is a lot less baggage with which to complicate our lives. Drawing upon our spiritual reserves, made while we were young, supplies us with protective power. Power we need in order to deal with life as we grow older. Therefore life is not as unpleasant as it would have been otherwise. All because we didn’t forget God in the days of our youth.

The Protective Power of Biblical Wisdom…

Mar31

I heard a comment by Dr Frank Turek the other day as I was listening to a podcast of his. A question was put forth, “If you found Christianity to be true would you become a Christian?” Some of the responses were ‘No.”

Basically, I think what he is saying is people don’t want to believe in God because God might want them to do something they don’t want to do. They want to call the shots. Be their own boss. They don’t want to have to answer to God.

Society makes it quite convenient for these type of thinkers to join a growing group of people who are caught up in this “New Thought” ideology. An ideology that promotes personal authority over faith in God and the authority of Christ. It can get confusing for those who are new in their Christian faith. Those without a solid biblical foundation can get tripped up as well. They hear terms that have the flavor of Christianity but without the substance.

Being the boss of your life carries with it huge responsibilities. A person who depends on themselves for all the answers in life will somewhere on the road come up empty handed. And from what I can discern, life has huge disappointments for these type of thinkers.

There is a book in the Bible titled, Ecclesiastes (in the Old Testament). It was written by King Solomon during the 10th century BC. He wrote it later in life after he had experienced life and had finally come up with some solid answers. A revealing narrative as to what is truly important. It warns us that living life dependent upon whatever your mind comes up with has a predictable end. Human endeavor leads to meaningless results.

Those who get tripped up by New Thought ideology do so because they are not growing in the wisdom and understanding of God’s word. They use their minds, without the influence of Scripture, to filter their experiences. They are influenced by human reasoning and are led astray. Slowly they become blinded as to what is Truth. Without the protection of biblical wisdom our understanding will be seriously jeopardized.

Proverbs 2:6-12 NLT

6 For the Lord grants wisdom!
    From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
    He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just
    and protects those who are faithful to him.

9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
    and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you.
    Understanding will keep you safe.

12 Wisdom will save you from evil people,
    from those whose words are twisted.