God Bless Us With A Faith Lift

INTRO.- ILL.- The Joy of Aging! Someone said, “If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I’ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull, but that’s not the worst of it.

“My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish. They were once as sleek as a little MG; now they look more like an old Buick. My seat cushions have split open at the seams. My seats are sagging. Seat belts? I gave up all belts when Krispy Crème donuts opened a shop in my neighborhood!

“Air bags? Forget it. The only bags I have these days are under my eyes. Not counting the saddlebags, of course. I have soooooo many miles on my odometer. Sure, I’ve been many places and seen many things, but when’s the last time an appraiser factored life experiences against depreciation?

“My headlights are out of focus and it’s especially hard to see things up close. My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather. My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.

“It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed. My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

“But here’s the worst of it - almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter.....my radiator leaks!

The truth is, we’re all aging. Some of us just don’t like to admit it or perhaps face up to it. Talk about “face up,” I read there is an internet site called “Face Lift,” marketing a non-surgical rejuvenating product. Their web page states: Our revolutionary formula is guaranteed to make you look 10 years younger in just 15 short minutes! No expensive, painful surgery! 100% money back guarantee!

Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? I think it’s one of those “too good to be true” scams.

While we all might want to look younger or might need to look younger, it’s not going to happen. All we can do is take care of ourselves as we now are. If we blew it in the past, it’s a done deal. We have to make the best of what we now have.

II Cor. 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

It’s somewhat easy to lose heart in life. We look at the world and lose heart. We look in the mirror and lose heart. But even though we can’t stop the aging process, we can grow stronger inwardly. Even if we can’t get a face-lift, we can get a “faith lift.” How so?

Since our faith is or should be centered in the Lord, it should come from the Lord. Our faith cannot be lifted by outside sources!

I think we all need to focus more on the Lord and knowing Him personally if we want to get a “faith lift.” I happen to believe, however, that we can never get too close to God or never have too much faith in Him! The more, the merrier seems to hold true in Scripture. The more faith, the merrier the heart, the merrier the life, the merrier the relationship with others.

ILL.- Chuck Swindoll has a whole chapter in his book CHRISTIAN LIFE entitled, “Knowing God: Life’s Major Pursuit.”

Swindoll wrote, “Unless God is the major pursuit of our lives, all other pursuits are dead-end streets, including trying to know ourselves. They won’t work. They won’t satisfy. They won’t result in fulfillment. You never really begin the process of coming to know yourself until you begin the process of beginning to know God.”

Knowing God is vital to life. And once we begin to know God better we can’t help but respond to Him and about Him.

PROP.- Ps. 9:1-2 reveals what knowing God will cause us to do in life to Him and for Him. We must: 1- Praise Him 2- Tell of Him 3- Rejoice in Him 4- Sing of/to Him

I. WE MUST PRAISE HIM

V. 1 “I will praise you, O Lord, will all my heart.”

ILL.- Preacher Harry Ironside was in a crowded restaurant one time. Just as he was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don’t." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."

The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"