TIME FLIES…MEMORIES

Do you remember how long the years were between 6 and 10 years of age?  I do.  I couldn’t wait to be 10.  Those four years were an eternity to me.  Then I replaced 10 years old with 16 years old.  There was always an age I couldn’t wait be and time moved so slow.  If you’re out of school, I’m sure you feel like the time goes too fast.  I think that’s when it started for me.  I was no longer waiting for things to happen.  In fact, I felt like I was barely keeping up with life.  When I was in elementary school the months before Christmas dragged by, but now I feel like next Christmas has arrived right after this Christmas. We all know that time is still the same with 60 minutes in an hour.  Time doesn’t change, but we do.  We have memories, good and bad.  These memories can be very old, but because we can remember them, it seems like yesterday!  I wonder why God made us with memories.  There are some very important reasons for memories.

1.  God remembered.

“He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.” Psalm 105:8

God made a promise to Satan, Adam, and Eve in Genesis 3:15, as a part of the curse on Satan.  He promised a Savior who would defeat Satan.  For this to come to pass, he chose Abraham and made a covenant with him.  Abraham would become a great nation of people, too many to count.  God didn’t forget this covenant.  Jesus came to the earth to fulfill this covenant and become the Savior of the world.  God remembered.

2. God’s children are to remember his deeds.

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11

We are to remember God and all the works he has done.  God gave us this memory so that we could bring him glory.  How?  As we remember, then we are grateful to him for all he has accomplished. Also, we are to tell others about what God has done for us.  We remember so that we can share the good news of God’s work in our lives.

3. God’s children are to remember Jesus’ sacrifice.

“…This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me…This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24b, 25b

God remembered his covenant to Abraham, Moses, David, and the children of Israel.  He sent his son, Jesus, to be a man, like us and yet God.  He lived a perfect life for us and died the death that paid the payment for our sins.  Before Jesus was arrested, he had a last meal with his disciples and he instituted this remembrance of him.  We have communion together to remember Jesus and his sacrifice on our behalf.  We thank God for what was done on our behalf.  This memory helps us focus on what was done for us that we didn’t deserve. 

These are three very good reasons for memory.  God, our creator, gave us a brain that is really beyond our understanding.  We remember so many things that are trivial and not really of any importance.  There are those memories which cause us to laugh, others cause us to cry, and still others can pull us into anger in a moment.  FACEBOOK memories can be very painful when you see pictures of others pop up who are no longer a in relationship with you.  But, still, memory is a good thing given to us by God for his purposes.

I began this by talking about how fast time flies by as we age.  I think it has to do with memories.  We have life behind us which we remember as if it just happened.  The memories are vivid, real, and in the front of our mind.  An example of this is my grandson turning 20 years old.  My memory goes to myself at 20 years old standing in a courthouse being married.  It seems like yesterday.  That’s’s how time speeds up.  Where did the 20 years go from the time I saw my grandson in the hospital until now?  Yet, my mind can see me 49 years ago in a courthouse. 

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” Psalm 39:4

Enjoy your memories!  Let the time fly!  As a child of God, eternity awaits us!  The memories we have in eternity will not cause pain or tears but will all be gloriously good!!

OLD BUT NOT FINISHED!!

 Originally posted 8-5-2016

As we get older, the time appears to go by at a faster rate than it did when we were younger.  Don’t you agree?  It seems that the weeks fly by and the seasons are hardly here long enough to enjoy.  Eight hours of sleep isn’t enough anymore.  There’s a need for some kind of rest or nap during the day.  What happens to us?  After a certain age do we enter some kind of time warp?  We find ourselves saying things like…

“Where did the time go?”  

“I can’t believe how fast that week passed.” 

“Is it Christmas already?  What happened to summer?”

How should we to respond to this warped sense of time?  Are we to hang up the towel and just sit down to watch it speed past us?  The answer is a resounding “NO!”  As Followers of Christ, we have a job to do even if we have to do it in the time warp.

The Scriptures are the Words of God.  They are alive and active according to Hebrews 4:12.  As we read the Scriptures, God speaks to us through them.  He gives us direction and insight from the Word by the power of His Spirit.  Does He have something to say about getting older?  Of course He does!

“So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”  Psalm 71:18

There is a purpose for those who are older and that’s to tell the next generation about God.  We should take pleasure in that.  We CAN do this because we have experienced God at work over the course of time.  The time that seems to fly by now is still filled with God’s work in our lives.  The next generation needs to hear from us.  They need to benefit from the experiences through which God has walked with us, whether good or hard.  It’s good to share these with the next generation so that they will put their trust in God to get them through life.  As we do keep in mind a few things.

1. We need to bring honor to God and not ourselves. 

It’s so easy to look back on life and think we did it!!  Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:26a, “Let us not become conceited…”.  Our job is not to bring attention to ourselves, but only to God.

2. We are not to judge the younger generation because they are not doing it our way.

This is also easy to do.  At times our mindset can be one of the “good old days” so that we think our way was best.  We begin to use our opinion to influence the younger generation.  BUT that is not our job!  We are to bring attention to God not ourselves.

3. Listen well.

This one is hard for us as we get older because we think we know.  We know what the younger generation is thinking.  We know the answers we need to give.  We know what we think is right and want to correct them.  But we are to listen well to the younger generation.  Why?  Because we might learn something; that’s why!  We may be old but we are not all knowing.  Sometimes there are younger people who are more mature spiritually than we are.  Listen and learn.

4. Build relationships.

You may think you don’t have anything in common with the younger generation but that is never true.  As Followers of Christ we are all saved sinners walking through life seeking to honor God.  We may be in different seasons of life but bridges can connect the different seasons resulting in glory to God.

Yes, as we age, time appears to be going at a faster rate, but that is wonderful because we are closer to the finish line.  However, until we cross that finish line, God wants us to be a vital part of sharing the Word about Him to the younger generation.  We are not finished yet.  So how do we get involved with the younger generation?

1. Speak to them.  This sounds like it’s too simple, but the truth is we are afraid to cross that age gap.  When was the last time you spoke to a high school student?  It’s important to bridge that gap.  Don’t wait for the younger to approach you!  Be obedient to the Word and build that bridge!
2. Invite them over to your home. This may sound like meddling, but hospitality is not just for our friends or those our age.  It is for the body.  Be purposeful and invite those of the younger generation to your home.
3. Join a mixed age small group or Bible study. We probably don’t have enough of this type of thing going on, but we could start it.  Look for those opportunities to blend in with other ages.

Old?  Gray haired? (visible or covered…J)  You are not finished!  God has a job for you on this journey.  As we get closer to the finish line, let’s be more intentional about making this fleeting time count for the glory of God!!