September 19, 2010

Rimes With Reason by Charles Rimes

    I used to hear relatives, especially male ones, exclaim “It’s hell to get old.” Every year when my birthday comes around I keep wondering if I will ever feel that way.  So far I have been blessed and feel that “It’s great to be old.” I don’t consider reaching the age I am now was caused by always living right, but I’m thankful to God that He’s allowed me to  last this long.  I’m not sure that correct diets, good or bad habits, anything healthy or even detrimental to our bodies is a complete reason for longevity.  I’ve known young people to succumb early by drinking or smoking and I ve read of those whose ages are a hundred or more and who still drink Jack Daniels and have smoked all their life.  Only the Lord determines our death date.  

    Now we are in the middle of September 2010 and during these next two weeks Summer changes to Autumn. Throughout my memory there has always been a comparison of a person’s age to seasons.  Newborns and youngsters were compared to Spring. Teens and younger adults are compared to Summer. Older adults are Autumn and those in the latter stages of life are Winter.  You may have heard stories of marriages by comparing them to seasons.  An example would be like someone in the Autumn years of their life marrying a Spring chicken. As we get older and are still able, our memory of times past sometimes becomes clearer than things that have happened recently. 

    The Bible has many things to say about being older and remembering back.  Consider these verses: “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.” - Psalms 77:5.  Even cities had memories: “Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.” - Lamentations 1:7.  Poor old Biblical Job, in times of his misery, had memories: (2) “Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; (3) When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; (4) As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; (5) When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; (6) When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil”; - Job 29:2-6.  Isaiah was prophesying to not remember: (18) “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:18-19.  Also: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” -  Isaiah 65:17.  King David had memories:  “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.” - Psalms 143:5.  The apostle Peter lied about his memory: (66) “And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: (67) And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. (68) But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand  what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.” - Mark 14: 66-68.  Paul couldn’t always remember: “And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.” - 1 Corinthians 1:16.

    And the most important thing to remember when you are saved is from our Lord: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” - Hebrews 10:17.

No comments:

Post a Comment