To Live is Christ — Resting in Him in fatigue and aging

After nearly a week of not getting enough sleep, I am not happy to identify with some words in the verses I’m studying, words like wither and falls away . . . 

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24–25)

A young person may not appreciate the analogy in these verses. When a youth, the idea of fading and withering was not on my mind. I didn’t think about death or dying, never mind aging. But contrasted with the Word of God and put in this context, I’m face to face with a fact of life. I cannot endure what I once thought nothing of. I cannot stay up late and get up early. I cannot expect the bloom of youth to never fade.

Last week I was talking with my granddaughter on Skype (she is on the other side of the world). I told her that I was having trouble getting to sleep at night, although I am exhausted. She said, “Grandma, I was just reading about that. When you get older, your sleep patterns change. You are overtired. You need to start taking a nap every day.”

She blessed my heart with her wisdom, but I hate that “nap” word. All my life I’ve seldom taken a rest during the day because it seems to make me wider awake at night and begins a vicious circle. Also, I’ve too much on my mind. When I try to turn off my body for a few minutes, my head will not cooperate. Nevertheless, I need to give napping a try. At this rate, I’ll not have trouble falling asleep. It is 9:00 a.m. and I’m about to snooze at my keyboard.

As for the rest of this passage, I’m blessed every time I read it. My life changes constantly. The world we live in changes constantly. Ideas about how to live, including everything from diet, exercise, medications, raising children, gardening, you name it — all change continually. I remember someone asking my mother if she wanted an egg for breakfast. Mom replied, “I don’t know, are eggs ‘in’ this year?”

The Word of God doesn’t stand on fads or changing fancies. It stands forever. It is truth for the ages, a solid foundation for my life. It withstands all attacks and has changed the lives of those who read it. I get gray and faded, but it is new every morning, with fresh counsel each day.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man (and woman) of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Along with this, the Bible says much about getting older. The word “retirement” is not in it. Older people are valuable and useful assets in the kingdom of God. He promises to give us what we need, young or old, and throughout life. As for aging, 2 Corinthians 4:14–18 also comforts me concerning this sense of fading away. 

Knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus. . . . Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Each day, God uses His Word to give me a sense of spiritual renewal, even when my body craves sleep or I feel old and tired. This passage goes on to remind me that my “light affliction is but for a moment, and working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while I do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

I personalized these verses because the Holy Spirit does the same. He makes me aware that God is speaking to me, bidding me to rest in Jesus, taking up His “light burden” and finding rest for my soul, but also to wait on Him and again experience His faithfulness to renew my strength (Isaiah 40:31) and to minister to me in very practical ways. This life, after all, is temporary; a better life is coming.

Meanwhile, I need to remember this . . . “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2) and go take a nap.

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To Live is Christ — is not a passing fad

Last week a woman told me that when she became a Christian her relatives and friends told her that it was just a fad. She would soon “give it up” and return to her normal life. She added, “They just did not understand.”

Fads abound in every realm. Clothing styles, hair styles, popular music, architecture, best places to vacation, automobiles, movies, and even philosophies. Fads come and go. What was once popular becomes passé. Sometimes the passé becomes popular again. The human heart is fickle and satisfied only a short time.

Actually, interest in Jesus Christ can be a fad. I’ve known people who jumped on the bandwagon because their friends did or because it was the thing to do when at a Christian camp. It didn’t last because their hearts were not in it and their lives were not changed. They did not have genuine faith, only a temporary interest.

Fads are like that. They are about popularity and temporary likes and dislikes. On the other hand, salvation is about eternity. It is based on eternal truth and the reality that, never mind our likes and dislikes, we come and go — only once. In fact, life is a mere blink, at least this life here on earth.

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24–25)

Peter quotes a passage from Isaiah about the brevity of life and the longevity of God’s Word. Think of it. I speak and my words last as long as someone remembers them. I write something and depending on where those words are recorded and on whatever safeguards them, they might last longer than I do, but they are not eternal.

Yet God has no beginning or end. I cannot wrap my mind around that concept. However, I do understand that when He speaks, what He says is good for all time. His Word is powerful. He spoke the world and all of creation into existence. His Word became flesh (morphing at its finest?) and lived among us. His Word has been recorded into the all-time best-selling book, the Bible.

This Word of God is far from being a popular and passing fad. At times it has been banned and burned. It has been smuggled into countries that forbid it. In those places, one precious copy has been divided into pages, hidden and shared by those who believe it. Despite the attacks on it, the Bible remains and continues to speak the Word of God to those who read it.

When I was thirteen, I began reading the Bible every day. I did not believe it or understand it and my reading was a ritual, a duty and a habit. Sixteen years of this did not alter my life. However, one day one verse leaped off the page and forever changed me. At that moment I became keenly aware of the presence of Jesus Christ, the Living Word, and that He is God in human flesh. I don’t remember the verse, but I do remember that the Spirit of God made the identity of the Word of God emphatically clear.

The Word of the Lord endures forever, and it is by this Word that I finally heard and understood the gospel. Jesus Christ came to earth to save sinners. He died for my sin, was buried and rose again the third day. He is alive. He is real and He is eternal. After that revelation, there is no going back. Once a person knows Jesus, it is impossible to forget His person and His identity. Knowing Him is not a fad because He satisfies all the longings of the human heart and never becomes passé.