The Lord says:
"Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He...I am He who
will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.
I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4 NIV
Also good scriptures to read:
Psalm 90......II Timothy 3:14-4:8......Isaiah 46:4
1. As long as we live, it is by god's grace and for God's glory. (Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 and I Corinthians 10:31)
2. Do not take life for granted -- enjoy every day, no matter what. Study Philippians for "Life at it's best"....the theme is 'Joy' = Jesus and you, with nothing between.
3. You never quit doing the will of God, which is CHARACTER as well as CALL. Prov. 3:5-6
Jeremiah 29:10-14 =His Plans=Our Plans!
We are ALWAYS 'laborers together with God' (I Cor. 3:9)
Make sure that you always know Who is boss.
A good theme for life is "God is God....and I am not!"
4. Never lose the wonder of it all. As we grow older, be child-like (Matt. 18:1-4) not childish!
Love to live and live to love.
Don't lose enthusiasm (which in the Greek is 'en theos' which means 'in God').
5. Live and love with eternity in mind. Spend some of your time on that which will outlive you....the spiritual as well as material. Apostle Paul (writing from a Roman prison) deals with the things that last. So much now is temporary or throw away.
6. Jesus must always be your sufficiency. II Cor. 3:4-5...8:9...9:8...and 12:7-10.
7. Intimacy is the spice of love and life, especially with God. Your spouse may die, but Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus lives and is the same yesterday, today and forever".
8. Your best book will always be the Bible! (See II Timothy 3:14-17) It is absolutely reliable and timeless.
The best pill is the 'gospill'....easy to take and always does some good. (Psalm 119)
9. Maturity is more important than age. Salvation is a life-time of maturing where birth is followed by becoming like Jesus. Life after death is important, but so is life after birth!
Hebrews 6 is a great chapter on "Let us go on to higher ground and be complete in Christ".
10. Fear (awe/respect) of God is a requisite for long-life. If no respect for those you see, how can you respect God, whom you cannot see? However we can (if we will), see God in so much...and so many.
11. The body is a tent for the soul, but also the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20), so take care of it!
The longer you live, the longer the Holy Spirit can use your body to serve God.
12. Don't forget to 'remember'...and always be thankful to God, family and friends. But...remember to forget those mistreatments and wrongs done to you.
YOU CANNOT AGE WELL, IF YOU CANNOT FORGIVE!
13. Also, let God deal with the past...do NOT live with regrets!
Don't live with 'would-da....should-da......could-da....or....if only I-da'.
14. Enjoy the fruit of your laborers. You live again through lives you have touched. Your opportunities for service may be fewer, but you serve through others.
Also, look for opportunities to serve (church, neighborhoos, rest homes, hospitals, etc.)
Hebrews 11:4b "Abel tho dead, lives = immortality of influence".
(Love has no boundaries when death takes its toll)
15. When storm of life hit, be sure and remember Who is in the boat with you! (see incidents on the Sea of Galilee) Also, see scripture on "Nevertheless" and "but God".
16. Don't let the world steal your positive attitude. Victor Frankl (in a Nazi concentration camp) said, "They took away from me everything visible, but they could not take away my attitude!"
See blessed attitude of Matthew 5:1-12....and then, the atmosphere around us, needs to be like salt/light (vs. 13-16), and the actions of love follow (vs. 17-48).
17. Don't crucify today between two thieves...yesterday and tomorrow. Two of God's favorite words are 'new' and 'now'. Too many people look back...or ahead....and miss TODAY!
18. Enjoy two miracles of God - preservation (good reason you are still living) and perseverance (finish strong! Study the word 'endurance'). Don't allow failures of the past corrupt present and future actions!
19. Heaven is REAL (John 14:1-9)....
a place of RELIEF and RELEASE (Rev. 20:4)....
a place of REUNION (I Thes. 4:13f)....
and a place of REWARD (II Timothy 4:1-8).
20. Doubt your doubts and direct your doubts (go to God in the Scriptures and in Prayer) Believe your beliefs and remember the resurrection of Jesus underlines ALL of God's promises (past, present, future and eternity).
Don't be a 'why'ner, but trust the Who of life!
21. Don't forget to thank God, for 'a thankful heart does good, like medicine'. Also see Philippians 4:4-7.
We may be sorrowful, but rejoice in the midst of it, for Jesus lives by His Spirit within you. "Greater is the power in you, than any power in the world". (I John 4:4)
22. Patience is a wonderful virtue (II Peter 1:4-8) Matthew 7:12 is a great command, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". (Continuous action)
23. Be sure and communicate well with people...and compliment often.
24. Don't draw anxieties from past family medical history. Be cautious, but not overly...and be careful, but not careless. TRUST MORE THAN FEAR!
To be continued: Next week, we will look at the place of HUMOR and how it helps as we age.
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