But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV)
Infirmity is the curse of age.
At least that’s what the candid talk around the table will tell you. When you’re not as strong as you used to be, when aches and pains come and stay, when you need a nap most every afternoon…
Wait! A nap? Maybe it’s time to reconsider that whole curse idea. Sometimes growing old has its perks.
To be realistic, the potential blessings of age are not usually physical. But if we “grow till we go” in our relationship with Jesus, we will find many advantages to age, not the least of which is an expanding perspective on life.
What do we mean by this? Well, for one we begin to see beyond the confines of this “tent” in which we live. That’s what the apostle Paul called it in his second letter to the Corinthians. Tents are flimsy compared to most every other kind of abode. They are meant for temporary, mobile living. What we really want is a permanent dwelling. And this, Paul wrote, is just what God gives us:
Please never doubt what Christ has done for you. He has raised you from the death grip of your sins.For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)
That’s quite a promise! Just when we might be disturbed by thoughts of the end of our life, Paul’s words ring out this way: “Keep looking forward. Something so much greater is coming.”
If we are saved, this should make complete sense in our spirit, for it is our spirit that testifies how far we have come. Once we were dead in our sins; now we are alive in Christ. If all that means is that we shall die once again and remain that way, what has the saved life been for? Nothing—which is the case Paul made in 1 Corinthians 15, when he argued again and again that the resurrection of Christ is our only hope.
So here again we find a compelling thought for our aging bodies, a thought that reminds us of what exactly has been done for us. In his excellent new book, Gentle and Lowly, pastor Dane Ortlund puts it this way:
Christ was not sent to mend wounded people or wake sleepy people or advise confused people or inspire bored people or spur on lazy people or educate ignorant people, but to raise dead people.
When our bodies start to send us messages that we aren’t the spry souls we used to be, we can get to wondering, Is grace still with me? Please never doubt what Christ has done for you. He has raised you from the death grip of your sins. You are more alive now than you’ve ever been! Prepare to live on, friend—prepare to live on!
—
Jeff Hopper
June 29, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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