DANGER: OLD AGE AHEAD

Now, I don’t know about you, but I enjoy skating. So, when we got an invitation to go skating with a church, we naturally took them up on it. I’m a kid at heart, so I looked forward to skating as much as the young folks in my home. But I was unprepared for the surprise that awaited me at the rink.

Everything was going fine, until the music started. Some of the songs were recognizable as godly hymns or spiritual songs, but the vast majority of the music was nothing different than the same old rock music I listened to when I was living selfishly as a lost young person. As I was skating my circles, though the words of the songs were “Jesus words”, I still felt the same surge of adrenaline I used to feel when skating to the same old rock music. I thought to myself, This is horrible! If I wanted a rock concert, I would go to one, but I don’t want to subject myself to a rock concert!

I began thinking about the Pastor of the church, and how he used to preach against rock music and contemporary “Christian” music. I thought about how his children grew up listening to godly music, but now they are listening to worldly music, and his grandchildren may be subjected the completely secular rock music. I remembered how, as his children grew older, his music standards began to slide, and I came to a very sobering conclusion: getting older is very dangerous.

It seems to me that as many people age, they get tired of holding onto the godly ways of living. They get tired of the questions from their young people, and get tired of having to explain to others why they do what do. They get older, and they get tired.

How many times have I seen an older person who used to stand for God, and used to live a godly life, who no longer does. Somewhere along the line they decided that they have “learned better,” or have “grown out of it.” Many of these are the same people that had to endure the hardship of family pressure to compromise, but who stood for years to do God’s Will. Now they have relaxed their standards and no longer make a difference in the world around them. They are older. They are tired. They are making very dangerous moves.

I know a preacher that in his younger days stood for the Lord, and preached to live a godly life, but he had a heart attack, became sick, and got tired. His older children are living godly lives, but he is losing his younger children to the world. Though his actions may be entirely justifiable as physical difficulties, he has lost his determination to do whatever it takes to raise a godly heritage for God.

It scares me when I see folks who know better getting older and tired. I see the importance of determination, and I ask God to help me. Lord, don’t allow me to relax until I get to heaven! Rest time is later – now is the time to serve God!