January 2016

January 18, 2016  by

It Ain’t So Bad To Get Old!

Next month marks my 60th birthday. I would not be honest if I didn’t tell you that I struggle with growing old. I tend to fixate on what is lost and what is past, what will no longer be, rather than what has been gained and is now possible. Yes, silly, I know, but that’s where I am. It has not just readily fallen into place for me.

Solomon brings wisdom and clarity to the subject of aging, its significance and its advantages in Proverbs 20:29.

The glory of young men is their strength,
And the honor of old men is their gray hair.

Here are the relative advantages of youth and age. The young are strong. They have energy, capability to do, vigor, and youthful beauty.

The old have lived long, and through their success and failures have (normally) increased in wisdom. Frequently they have advanced in responsibility and authority, and therefore honor. The gray hair is emblematic of all this.

Our culture is fixated upon youth, human beauty and physical attractiveness. We are unable to accept what is lost in the process of aging, because we value beauty and youth over wisdom. Furthermore, we fear the loss of strength and the approach of death. Yet God through Solomon tells us that while the glory of young men is their strength, there is a peculiar honor that is associated with old men. It is not the same as the glory of youth, strength and attractiveness, though there is a particular beauty in gray hair and a serene acceptance of who I am as an older person. What is this honor? What is gained? This honor is the wisdom that accrues to the person who has lived long and learned from the process. This honor is the respect that is accorded to and often the authority invested in the wise older person.

Solomon gives me a new, game-changing perspective. Getting older is not just about losing the vigor and beauty of youth, but aging brings with it a peculiar honor and advantage. Getting older actually brings something to seek and to celebrate! Here is a whole new perspective for us to get and to maintain.

Let’s focus on and value what is gained in the aging process. Wisdom. The entire book of Proverbs is written in praise of wisdom; it is written to call the young to prize and seek wisdom. The good news is that wisdom is what we have been gaining (hopefully) as we have walked along this road of life. Wisdom. Learning how to live. Learning how to avoid the waste of our lives and energies. Learning to be cheerful, patient, loving, diligent, pure and virtuous. And in so doing, earning the respect of others and becoming a model (though imperfect) for the young as to how to live wisely.

What is gained is more, much more, than what is lost. It ain’t so bad to get old!

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January 4, 2016  by

Meditations toward Purity – #2 – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Paul urges us to cleanse ourselves. The matter of growing in holiness, of cleansing the dirtiness and defilement in our conduct and in our hearts, of moving closer to purity, is not something we can just pray about and leave to God. There is a work to be done here that only we can do. God expects and requires us to take the initiative. Many a battle for purity has been lost because I failed to act decisively, waiting for Someone else to do something. If I fail to cleanse myself, no one else will step in to do it for me.

Paul names the scope of my concern as all personal defilement. I am not just targeting the big and obvious reprehensible sins, the ones that other people might gasp at if they knew. But I am aiming at every kind of sin and behavior that will defile my purity, even the little, hidden ones about which some may ask, “Why are you worried about that little thing?” The battle is not done if one guerilla fighter is still on the loose. The shirt is not clean if one small black spot remains. All defilement.

Paul focuses on defilement of the flesh and of the spirit. It’s not just about what you do, but it’s about what you think and what you want. God cares about what is hidden and invisible in my heart, not just what I do with my body. Jesus makes it clear that, contrary to our common conclusions, the source of our defilement is what comes out in our lives from our desires and thoughts. Keeping myself from engaging in visible and obvious sins does not make me a good boy; purity is far more than that.

All our obedience is built on faith in God’s promises. Therefore, having these promises… God has taken the initiative. Seeing our weakness and helplessness, God moves near and commits Himself to us and commits to help us. God does not give us commands to obey without offering to us power to obey and incentives to obey Him. With God’s promises in hand, believing obedience to God becomes an entirely different thing.

Not just any promises, but these promises. Here Paul refers to some very specific promises of God, quoted from the Old Testament in 2 Cor. 6:16-18. Promises of what God will be – their God and a Father to them (relationship, not alienation or isolation). Promises of what God will do – He will dwell in them and walk among them (God is near, not far away). Promises of what God will do for us, if we will only separate ourselves from sin – He will welcome us, be a Father to us, make us His sons and daughters (identity, security, significance and purpose). God promises I am not alone and I am not on my own. Though the fight against impurity is harder than anyone will ever know, I have these promises from God. Based on these very promises, I tackle the challenge of purity.

Father, thank you that You have not left me on my own. My sin is blacker and more deeply rooted than I once imagined. And though You do not lower Your expectations for my purity, You promise Yourself to me, as my God and my Father. Lord, you are enough for me. Help me to believe these promises in the moment of temptation.

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