3 replies to this topic

[Thinker]

An article by A.W. Tozer caused me to think on this subject. Although some might wish it would vanish, aging isn't magical! There seems to be more than a few Christians who subconsciously "feel" that they will become better Christians as they grow older. They may observe that some older Christians are more devoted, more serious, more committed, etc. What they may not realize is that those who are spiritually mature didn't reach a certain age where, all of a sudden, they became mature. Their growth and ours is not a product of physical aging. Only God can initiate and sustain Spiritual growth. His ordained means to produce Spiritual growth is through faithful involvement in prayer and the Word. Studying, knowing, believing, applying and obeying His Word, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and drawing power and strength from the Throne is what brings authentic Spirituality for young and old. Those who are born again and who begin their new life doing these things will mature in proportion to their use of these means. Consider carefully, in sequence, these three verses from God's Word: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (II Tmothy 2:15). "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever" (II Peter 3:18). "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth is confession made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). Elisha A. Hoffman's hymn title is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves: "Is Your All on the Altar?" The lyrics explain: "You have longed for sweet peace, and for faith to increase, and have earnestly, fervently prayed; but you cannot have rest or be perfectly blest until all on the altar is laid. Would you walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word, and have peace and contentment alway? You must do His sweet will, to be free from all ill, on the altar, your all you must lay." The chorus drives home the question and gives the only proper answer: "Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart, does the Spirit control? You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest, as you yield Him your body and soul." Selah! If we wait for Spiritual maturity to happen, it won't! Use God's means, faithfully, and you will find that you are growing into a mature and dedicated disciple! Thinker (Ron)

[reader]

I do not know who said the following but I have found it true in my life:  "If and/or when I do my part, the Lord does His part and their is victory."  As the song says, Jesus Never Fails!

[Ginger]

I’ve enjoyed the post Aging Can't Do It!

An individual can beat himself or herself up for failing to do things as he or she perceives obeying God to be. I am a person with this tendency and write what comes to mind...

I’m over 70 years old and can testify that aging can’t do it. “God KNOWS” became two favorite words because He knows my mind and heart better than I do.

Whenever a person beats up on his or her self and a Scripture comes to mind it can be helpful to stop and ponder on God’s grace, His tender mercies, and rely on the Holy Spirit and Scriptures.

What automatically comes to mind:
Christ in me the hope of glory,
Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,
Jesus said that He began a good work in me and He will bring it to completion,
Thoughts of, God is at work in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, ...

 

Back to two words that help me to sit and sip and taste a bit of grace are “God KNOWS”.
I don’t know very much that shows up with external evidence that I am a child of God and give Him any glory. My residence is not neat or tidy, nor am I, yet God meets all my need from His riches in glory through Christ Jesus His Son.

I’ve written these words and ask for prayer, and recall that Jesus ever liveth to make intercession.

Somehow writing this has been helpful to me and I do pray that it honors and respects God and gives Him glory. Also I ask that the words I’ve written will also honor and respect a dear brother in Christ for giving us “Aging Can't Do It!” Thinker [Ron], thank you so much for giving me something to think on and find out He has hidden some Scripture within me.

Our worth is in Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even if I feel that I lack worth this is not true because Jesus gives me worth. Jesus gave me Himself and by faith I come to believe moment by moment and have hope.

God bless you Ron for posting Aging Can't Do It! And thank you for giving me something to think on and to write some words that let me know what I think because of you sharing your mind and heart.

There is one Christian sibling I’m thinking of who hasn’t posted in a long time. I pray God will bless him to write and share also.

May God be given glory as we share our thoughts and our hearts.

Ginger

[Meema]

Age and aging is a topic I think a lot about now, as I slip slide downhill to 69. Those thoughts aren’t always happy thoughts though and it’s taken me five years to make peace with the actuality that I cannot do the things I used to do. Things that I never even thought about or needed help with. I’ve always been an independent doer and so I simply did. Interesting how the brain tends to lag behind the body when it comes to what can and cannot be done. I find myself planning to do things as though I was twenty years younger and then, when reality sets in, I feel a cross between frustrated and foolish. What ever made me think I could climb a ladder and hang a curtain? I can barely go up and down stairs anymore without holding on to something. 

 

But it turns out that thoughts are sometimes just echoes of what used to be. Old habits die hard. So, facing the tough truth, I am not who or what I used to be. And it’s okay. It’s the way of life. That I am less busy ‘doing’ gives me more time to focus on ‘being’ instead. More time to study the Word, more time to write (so I can find out what I think) time to dig into the ‘Deeper Life’ that redefines who and what I am to Christ and what is more important rather than filling the day functioning according to what the world deems acceptably productive. There is no shame in embracing this new normal for me. 

 

The upside to all this is that as my mental/physical side is fading, my spiritual side is strengthening because, it turns out,  I can focus better now. I can put what was effort in other things to seeking Christ in real time, not just bits and pieces of compartmentalized time. The results of this are stunning. I can read a Scripture I’ve read a hundred times and suddenly the words will have new depth. I never get over that. I always say, “How did I not see that before?” Duh.

 

The answer is, because the spirit of the Word goes deeper/wider when the spirit is ready to receive. What makes God happy do you think? Being busy with busywork that no one will notice anyway or being better spiritually?

 

But there is a downside: I find the stronger my spiritual knowledge is, the less I fit into this world. It’s as though I am drifting out and away, like floating out in space held only by the line attached to the spacecraft. Did you know that out in space, you can scream your head off and no one can hear you. Thus what I learn and know is usually only relevant to me and my personal relationship with Christ. I have no choice but to be at peace with this because there’s nothing I can do to fix or change it but there are times when I want to share but it’s like I’m speaking a foreign language. And sometimes speaking does more harm than just being silent so I find myself holding back.

 

Tozer addressed this dynamic in one of his commentaries. Actually reading this particular piece was how I discovered Tozer. And how I found this forum. 

 

The Loneliness of the Christian
By: A. W. Tozer

The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world.

 

His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorptions in the love of Christ; and because with his circle of friends there are few who share his inner experiences, he's forced to walk alone.

   

The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord himself suffered in the same way.

   

The man (or woman) who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk.

   

For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided, and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for the friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none, he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

 

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.

 

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God knows. :-)

For Him,

Meema