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Edge God In Podcast Week 14: Activate Aging Grace
Our topic for today is to Activate Aging Grace and we will do this through what the scripture tells us. A tenant of Emotional Intelligence tells us that Self-Awareness => Self-Management.
But are we following this tenant in the flesh or in the spirit?
God’s way to grow old is to develop a walk with him. Ps: 71:18 says, “Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come”.
The reason this old man was able to handle his problems so well in his old age, is because he developed a walk with God, in the years leading to this time and he still was doing God’s work by showing his power to everyone.
The Bible presents aging as a normal process, a natural part of life, an honor. Proverbs 16:31 and 20:29 speak to the benefits of gray hair.“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31; see also Proverbs 20:29).
God wants us to remember that life is short (James 4:14) and that the beauty of youth is soon gone (Proverbs 31:30; 1 Peter 1:24)
Learn:
1: We have too much vanity and should work to change it:
Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity2 of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All vanity.
We are born with a natural tendency to “live for the moment,” but the ultimate futility of that approach is the subject of concern. Proverbs 16:18
2: Our current goal in life is beauty and youth which should be changed to wisdom and knowledge.
God’s desire for us is that we become wiser. Solomon’s hope is that people will grow wiser in the use of their God-given “portion” or allotment before they die. Ecclesiastes 8: 1- Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
3: Individualism has become a disturbing aspect of aging and not caring for the old has become the new norm.
Timothy 5:3-4 says if we honor our parents we are honoring God. It says Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.
What is your mindset on aging? How does the Fountain of Youth take you off course and away from his intentions? Are you social aware of his thought on the aging process, are does the flesh and ego get in the way?