Turning 51
Yesterday was my birthday. In a conversation with my brother, I said that I would like to stop time. My brother mentioned that if I could, it would make me a lot of money. He is in business. I find myself squarely in midde age. The eye can't see as well. The body is slower. It seems like just yesterday that I was young and ageless.
As I am given to be retrospect, I do look at my life and wonder about the essentials. What is really the most important thing in Life itself? One can't be ageless. It is a fact that I am heading swiftly to the great marker of American Society : the Senior Citizen discount at age 55.
I thought about the places that I have worked when I was younger. Some are no longer in business. Most probably have no recollection of me. When I left, the place probably didn't skip a beat.
I like what C S Lewis said about eternity. Life is like one long, never ending fabric. Our life on earth is just a small dot on that never ending fabric. Scripture mentions often the three pillars of life: Faith, hope and love. They are a favorite triad of the Apostle Paul. Hope is that virtue which focuses on the true movement of Life itself : eternity. Biblical hope is not the idea of hope today. With Biblical hope, heaven is just a matter of time. There is no uncertainity about it. It is just a matter of the ticking of the clock.
As I look at my life, I want to measure it by how God measures it. That is the most important and crucial. It is in His presence that I will spend eternity. Life 'on earth' is not the total of Life itself. I must never be fooled into thinking that. So I look to Scripture and God's summary statements of what Life ought to be like. These are a gauges that I can accurately measure if I am on track. As my wife just said, 'Are you were God wants you to be?' A great question and an essential one.
Here are some summary Gauging Scriptures by which I am measuring myself.
Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God".
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
As I am given to be retrospect, I do look at my life and wonder about the essentials. What is really the most important thing in Life itself? One can't be ageless. It is a fact that I am heading swiftly to the great marker of American Society : the Senior Citizen discount at age 55.
I thought about the places that I have worked when I was younger. Some are no longer in business. Most probably have no recollection of me. When I left, the place probably didn't skip a beat.
I like what C S Lewis said about eternity. Life is like one long, never ending fabric. Our life on earth is just a small dot on that never ending fabric. Scripture mentions often the three pillars of life: Faith, hope and love. They are a favorite triad of the Apostle Paul. Hope is that virtue which focuses on the true movement of Life itself : eternity. Biblical hope is not the idea of hope today. With Biblical hope, heaven is just a matter of time. There is no uncertainity about it. It is just a matter of the ticking of the clock.
As I look at my life, I want to measure it by how God measures it. That is the most important and crucial. It is in His presence that I will spend eternity. Life 'on earth' is not the total of Life itself. I must never be fooled into thinking that. So I look to Scripture and God's summary statements of what Life ought to be like. These are a gauges that I can accurately measure if I am on track. As my wife just said, 'Are you were God wants you to be?' A great question and an essential one.
Here are some summary Gauging Scriptures by which I am measuring myself.
Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God".
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
posted by Rich at 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Rich, this was a very enriching post. Thanks very much.
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