“And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.”
Joshua 14:10-11 NKJV
“Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.” (Deuteronomy 34:7 NLT)
“Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he dissappeared, because God took him.” (Genesis 5:23-24 NLT)
“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.” (2 Kings 2:11 BSB)
“Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5 NKJV)
“But those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)
As a disciple of Jesus who believes that the Bible is God’s blueprint for life, when I stop long enough to ponder how I think, speak, and act, it amazes me how much I have picked up from my surroundings.
The Bible runs counter to almost every aspect of culture. When I think, speak, and act from scripture I quickly become very different than most everything around me. This can be clearly seen when it comes to aging and death.
The Lord has given me the assignment to help the body of Christ take a fresh look at aging and death. The closer I look, the more I realize that our enemy has been very successful in deceiving us in how we think about our “golden years.” We accept his attacks on our minds and bodies and write it off as being the “natural” consequences of getting old.
We accept things at 60 that we would never accept at 30. We have been trained to accept “limits” as we grow older and adjust our hopes and dreams accordingly. Like Job, in our fear, lack of knowledge, and religious traditions, we give Satan free reign in our lives, and accept his attacks as “God’s will” (especially as we get older).
Jesus said that He came to give us abundant, full lives. Nowhere did he say that this ended at a certain age. We were not created to diminish and decay. There are clear examples in Scripture of people living in this sin filled world who lived without the typical effects of aging, and even bypassed physical death. Why not me?
The Bible promises “renewed youth.” As the older gentleman said to George and Mary in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Youth is wasted on the wrong people!” (implying the young). I have been promised youth-full strength to offset the effects of aging. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit “quickens” my body. That is a process in which my body is strengthened and enlivened giving it the ability to overcome weakness.
I have decided to take God at his Word and expect to age without growing old. I plan on doing exploits at 80 and beyond that I was not able to accomplish at 40. As long as there is someone in need of the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven in their life today I plan to be willing and able to be sent to them with the good news (Gospel) of the Kingdom.
It’s time for the rise of the “New Caleb Generation.” Lord, let it begin with me. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on the promises shared in…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 314: Age is an illusion