Wednesday, August 3,
2022
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your
Creator. Honor him in your youth before
you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” Remember
him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and
rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember him
before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your
shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember
him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before
your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. Remember him before the door to life’s
opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the
birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. Remember him before you become fearful
of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white
like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying
grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your
everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you
are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at
the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then
the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave
it. “Everything is meaningless,” says
the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught
the people everything he knew. He
listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. The
Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. The words of the wise are like cattle
prods—painful but helpful. Their
collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a
shepherd drives the sheep. But,
my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and
much study wears you out. That’s
the whole story. Here now is my final
conclusion: Fear God and obey his
commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us
for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12:1-14
Solomon, or someone who knew him very well, wrote this
part of Ecclesiastes. And he contrasts
the energy of youth, with the depletion of old age. It can be depressing, especially if you’re
closer to the end than the beginning.
Yet, in it all, there is a sense of refreshing about the
teacher’s conclusion, which gets down to the nub of what’s important, fearing
God, and trusting all to His judgment.
He says God will judge all the good and bad, whether hidden or open. Once again the contrast between youth and the
aged is evident; youth are busy doing things, making their mark, full of energy
and hope. The old are winding-down,
remembering, evaluating their lives, both good and bad, regrets and
satisfaction. The youth are on display;
the old are watching reruns. And God
judges us all.
For You Today
Whether your life is
flowing like spring water, or your well’s rope is broken along with the drawing
bucket, life is the same…live it as God gives you breath, and give it to others
as God blesses your strength.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have
a blessed day!
Go to VIDEO (read by author)
There are about 2,000 devotional
posts in the Rocky Road Devotions library. To dig deeper on today’s topic explore some
of these: Something Better and Remembering Before You Can’t
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