How do you know if you’re getting old? Perhaps, Greg Laurie can help us answer that question. He says:
You know you're getting old when you actually look forward to a dull evening at home.
You know you're getting old when your mind makes commitments your body cannot keep.
You know you're getting old when everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.
You know you're getting old when you sink your teeth into a big, juicy steak—and they stay there.
You know you're getting old when you dim the lights for economic reasons, not romantic ones.
You know you're getting old when you've owned clothes for so long, they've come back into style twice.
You know you're getting old when you sing along to elevator music.
You know you're getting old when you quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks in the room. (Greg Laurie, “God's Cure for Heart Trouble,” Preaching Today Audio Issue no. 282; www.PreachingToday.com)
Like it or not, we’re all getting old, but that’s not something to get depressed about. In fact, there are some very real benefits to growing old if you have the right attitude. Warren Wiersbe put it this way: “Outlook determines outcome; attitude determines action.”
So what kind of attitude does it take for you to enjoy life even as you’re getting old? What outlook do you need not just to weather life’s storms, but to do something significant with your life in the midst of those storms? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 1, where God through the Apostle Peter gives some advice to a group of believers going through the storms of Nero’s persecution.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
If you’re going to live a life worth living today, then…
ANTICIPATE GOD’S GRACE TOMORROW.
Be fully confident of your Heavenly Father’s favor. Be totally assured of your Lord’s unconditional love and undeserved blessings, all of which He will bring to you when Jesus comes again.
In other words, be wholly optimistic. Live life with an eager anticipation of the joys ahead from a Father who loves you unconditionally.
I remember when I was a little boy growing up in Maryland, my father would make periodic business trips to Huntsville, Alabama, or to Southern California, sometimes for weeks at a time. Those were not always easy times for our family, but when my dad returned home from each trip, he always brought a special gift for each of us, his children. I remember thinking, “Dad’s gone on another trip! I wonder what he will bring me this time when he comes back.” You see, it was the anticipation of those gifts that helped us endure his absence and almost enjoy the fact that he had been away.
In the same way, as you anticipate the grace to be brought to you when Jesus returns, you too can endure and almost enjoy the time He is away. It’s that kind of optimism that will help you live well even in times of stress. Your attitude makes a crucial difference in dealing with life, and believers in Christ have every reason to be optimistic.
As a believer in Christ, your future is guaranteed! You have an incorruptible inheritance and the power of God protecting you until you get to glory (1 Peter 1:4-5). But sometimes that glorious future is hard to see, isn’t it, especially when your days are dark?
That’s why you need to discipline your mind. Control your thoughts so you can be hopeful even when the outlook seems bleak. Verse 13 says, “Prepare your minds” – literally, gird up the loins of your mind.
In Bible days, when a man went to work, he picked up the end of his long robe, pulled it between his legs, and tucked it into his belt. That’s what it means to “gird up your loins,” and that’s the picture we have here of the mental preparation it takes to think positively in a world so full of negativity. Today, we might say, “roll up your sleeves for mental action” (Swanson).
A positive attitude takes some preparation and a clear head or a sober mind, as verse 13 puts it. Vance Havner once said, “You can’t be optimistic with a misty optic.” It takes a clear head to be optimistic. It takes a sober mind to be full of hope when everybody else is full of despair.
Think about a fighter pilot’s trained instincts. That's how they can react immediately to rapidly changing situations as they operate $27 million war machines. When an enemy aircraft is closing in, there's no time for pilots to reason through what to do. They have to rely on instinct—but not just natural instinct. They need instincts shaped deep within then through years of regiment. The countless little decisions they make in the cockpit are automatic, but that doesn't mean they're involuntary. The pilot voluntarily trained for them; and in the cockpit, he reaps the instinctive benefits of that training. (Dr. Jeremy Pierre, “Involuntary Sins,” TABLETALK, June 2016; www.PreachingToday.com)
The same can be true of you. Just train your mind through daily time in the Word and prayer. Then you will reap the instinctive benefits to respond well when trouble comes. If you want to live a worthwhile life, even in times of stress, then discipline your mind to anticipate the Father’s grace. More than that…
IMITATE THE FATHER’S CHARACTER.
If you want to accomplish anything of significance in this life, be holy even as God your Father is holy; be different, special, set-apart from sin unto Him.
1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (ESV)
The argument here is very simple. Children reflect the nature of their parents. So if you are God’s child, you should reflect God’s nature. Do not conform to your former, ignorant desires, i.e., those desires you had before you came to faith in Christ. Instead, conform to the holy character of your Heavenly Father in ALL you do.
You see, before you came to Christ you were ignorant of His grace, and that ignorance led to indulgence.
The average American watches nearly 30 hours of TV every day. That adds up to 65 days of nonstop TV every year and 2 million commercials by the time we reach 65 years of age. Most of the commercials have a primary theme: this product will give you true happiness and deep satisfaction.
Now, if we were to rewrite the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, according to the worldview presented by TV commercials, here’s what one of our Catholic brothers suggested:
Blessed are those who fly to luxury vacation spots on tropical islands, where they lie in chaise lounge chairs, the only two people on an enormous white beach; for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who drink much beer, for they shall be surrounded by carefree, football-watching buddies and highly attractive, socially-gifted women in the first half of life; and they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who have the latest Smartphone, for they shall gaze on a screen swirling with color and shall get all the information they need just when they need it; and they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who have outstanding kids. Verily I say to you, highly blessed are those who have a golden Labrador retriever bounding along on that slow-motion-videoed day of playing with the kids in the park, for they shall be the envy of real families everywhere; and they shall be satisfied. (Catholic Education Resource Center, “Television Statistics and Sources”; www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, that’s a bunch of baloney, and we all know it. But people without Christ live as though it is true. They really don’t know any better; and in their spiritual ignorance, they indulge themselves, searching for happiness and satisfaction, but never finding it. That’s life without Christ, but now that you have trusted Christ, you have a different outlook on life.
You are children of God. John 1:12 says, “To all who received [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (NIV).
When you received Christ,i.e., when you welcomed Him into your life, God made you His child. At the very least, that means you have your Father’s nature within, and that allows you to begin to begin the process of reflecting His holy nature in ALL you do.
You see, for the true believer in Christ, there is no such thing as “secular” and “sacred.” ALL of life is sacred. ALL of life is dedicated to God from your worship on Sunday to your work on Monday to your leisure on Saturday. The holy nature of God reflects itself in ALL you do if you are a child of God, or so it should.
In 2004, Frank Gehry finished his landmark creation of the 274-million-dollar Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Now, with all that money you’d expect the building to shine, and it does. The shimmering stainless steel concert hall is truly marvelous to see.
In fact, people living in a condominium facing the structure agreed that the view was glorious, but that glory became overpowering when the sun shone at midday. Portions of the gleaming concert hall reflected brilliantly into the windows of the condominium, and temperatures rose by as much as 15 degrees. This forced residents to get off their patios, draw the blinds and turn on the air conditioner, until the sunlight shifted.
Jacqueline Lagrone, who lives on the fourth floor of the Promenade Residences, said, “You couldn't even see and then the furniture would get really hot. You would have to literally close the drapes, and you'd still feel warmth in the house.”
As Disney officials looked for a way to dull the glare, they placed mesh blankets over the mirror-like steel. While this diminished the problem, everyone agreed that it looked terrible, and a more permanent solution was sought. (Jia-Rui Chong, “Disney Hall Glare Gets to Neighbors,” L.A. Times, 2-21-04; www.PreacingToday.com)
All too often, many people try to tone down God’s demands and reduce the glare of his holiness so they can live more comfortably. But as God’s child, you don’t reduce the standards. Oh no! Instead, with God’s Help, you let Him express His holy nature within and begin to live out those standards to His honor and glory in ALL you do.
Now, it doesn’t happen all at once for the believer. It takes time for God’s holiness in you to work its way out; but over time, you should see a difference as you live your life in dependence upon Him.
Bill White, pastor of outreach at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, talks about how it worked for a man in his church. Craig C had been an alcoholic for more than a dozen years. He'd lost everything he had, including his wife and son, due to his selfishness and addiction. Things began to change after he gave his life to Christ, but he still fell regularly into his old habits. It didn't help that he'd lost his well-paying job and was clerking at a local grocery store that was well stocked with all his favorite drinks. After a few years of going back and forth between Christ and the bottle, he finally cut the ties, and, out of obedience to Christ, quit his job.
With no income and hope only in Christ, he was in desperate condition. After an interview with a sheet metal company down the street from his new church, he cried out to God. “God, if you give me this job I will give you my first paycheck.” Surprisingly, he got the job.
Craig clearly remembers the day when he got his first paycheck. Stacks of bills needed to be paid. Penniless but determined, he endorsed it over to the church and walked it to the church office without waiting for the Sunday offering. That was the moment, he says, that changed his life because now he understood what it meant to trust God.
Eventually Craig achieved more than 25 years of sobriety and became manager at that sheet metal company. He also served as an elder at his local church. (Bill White, www.PreachingToday.com)
If you want to live a life that really counts, even in the midst of trouble, then do what Craig did. Trust Christ with your life, and let Him begin to change you from the inside out. Then through faith in Christ, anticipate the Father’s grace; imitate the Father’s character. And finally, through faith in Christ…
RESPECT THE FATHER’S JUDGMENT AND LOVE.
Fear God who is your assessor and redeemer. Revere the Lord who will evaluate your work, but who also has paid a high price for your freedom.
1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile... (ESV)
Now, this is not the evaluation of a judge in a court of law, looking to pass the appropriate sentence for crimes committed. No! This is the evaluation of a Father who loves His children, but who is also very fair with His children.
As a believer in Christ, your sins have already been judged on the cross, and the Bible makes it very clear, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). If you have put your faith in Christ, you never need to fear that God will condemn you for your sins, because He has already condemned His own Son for your sins on the cross.
You don’t fear condemnation as a child of God; but as a child of God, you DO fear disappointing Him. You DO fear letting Him down. That’s because there is coming a day when your Heavenly Father will evaluate your work done on this earth, not to condemn you for your sins, but to find something good to reward.
He wants to reward His children fairly and impartially, so respect His judgment.
Speaking to Believers, 1 Corinthians 5:10 says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (NIV) – literally, whether good or worthless.
Some of your deeds are of great value, especially those done in dependence upon God for His glory and honor. Some of your deeds are of great value, but wome of your deeds are worthless. They accomplish nothing of eternal value and will be quickly forgotten after you are gone.
Matt Emmons had the gold medal in sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn't even need a bull's-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target.
Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as “an extremely rare mistake in elite competition,” Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? – ZERO. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. (David Mordkoff, American Emmons Misses Out on Gold by Firing at Wrong Target, www.Sports.Yahoo.com, 8-22-04; www.PreachingToday.com)
It doesn't matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong goal. I’m afraid that’s what many of God’s children are doing. They’re going to get to the end of their lives and find that they have been aiming at the wrong goal. They have been aiming for a comfortable life, and they may have hit the bull’s eye, but there will be no medal. Oh, they’ll get into heaven because of their faith in Christ, but there will be no reward from a Father who will fairly evaluate the value of each one’s work.
Tell me. What will our Heavenly Father think about the value of your work? Are you at least aiming for the right goal? Please, don’t waste your life in empty, earthly pursuits. Instead, live your life with respect for your Heavenly Father’s evaluation yet to come.
Respect His judgment, but also respect His love. Respect the high price He paid so you could live a worthwhile life.
1 Peter 1:18-19 ...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (ESV)
God paid a high price to purchase your freedom from a wasted life, not the price of money, but the price of blood. And God paid the price with not just anybody’s blood, but with the precious blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:20-21 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Jesus is no ordinary person. He is the One that God raised from the dead, put in the place of all authority, and made it possible for you to find hope and faith in Him.
In Decision magazine some time ago, Karen Morerod wrote about shopping in a store for a sweater. She was looking for one at minimal cost, so she went to the clearance rack. As she flipped through the sweaters, one caught her eye. It was the right color and the right size, and best of all, the price tag was marked $8.00. Without much more thought, Karen made her purchase.
At home she slipped on the sweater. Its texture was like silk. She had made her purchase so quickly that she hadn't noticed how smooth and elegant the sweater was. Then she saw the original price tag: $124.00!
Karen writes, “I gasped. I had never owned any clothing of that value. I had come home with what I thought was a ‘cheap buy,’ but the original price was quite high. I had been oblivious to its value.”
Then Karen concludes her article with these words: “Just as with my sweater, I have often treated the power of Jesus' blood like a ‘cheap purchase.’ [God’s] grace, though free to me, carried a high price tag – the life of his very own Son. (Karen R. Morerod, “Lesson Learned from a Sweater,” Decision, November 1999, p. 39; www.PreachingToday.com)
My friends, when you realize the price God paid to set you free from a wasted life, you can’t help but want to live a life worthy of such love.
Do you want your life to count for something worthwhile? Then anticipate the Father’s grace, imitate the Father’s character; and most of all, respect the Father’s judgment and love.
I close with this prayer from Dr. Robertson McQuilkin after he had retired as president of Columbia International University and came towards the end of his life.
“It's sundown, Lord. The shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into life: life with you, unsoiled and free.
“But I do fear. I fear the dark specter may come too soon— or do I mean too late? That I should end before I finish or finish, but not well. That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart. Few, they tell me, finish well… Lord, let me get home before dark.
“The darkness of a spirit grown mean and small, fruit shriveled on the vine, bitter to the taste of my companions, burden to be borne by those brave few who love me still? No, Lord, let the fruit grow lush and sweet, a joy to all who taste; Spirit-sign of God at work, stronger, fuller, brighter at the end. Lord, let me get home before dark.
“The darkness of tattered gifts, rust-locked, half-spent, or ill-spent, a life that once was used of God now set aside… Gazing on the faded banners of victories long gone? Cannot I run well until the end? Lord, let me get home before dark. (Robertson McQuilkin, Let Me Get Home Before Dark; www.Preaching Today.com)
