"Yet to us [there is] One God the Father of whom [are] the things all and we for Him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom [are] the things all and we by Him." (1 Corinthians 8:6, Interlinear Greek)
The older we become, the older many of our friends become. A guy I played football with in junior high and high school stopped by our house yesterday. He had one knee replaced and needs to have the other one replaced. His wife has severe rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. We have a number of friends who are also now going through significant health issues. How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ, indeed, the entirety of Scripture, apply in such situations?
I think there is a certain aspect of life's journey which is like what our Lord Jesus said to Peter. I know the context speaks of how Peter would depart this life, but there is a certain "truth" about life in general here, "When you were younger, you...walked where you wished; but when you are old...." No one can do at 75 what they could do at 15. I wonder where is the theology which will help the "aging population" in the Church. Much of modern, popular, "theology" speaks of wealth and health as though the modern church will never grow old and is exempt from what David said, "I go the way of all the earth." Maybe this is a reason so many modern congregations have few people of retirement age.
While others continue to buy into the religion of the god of this age, I call you to join me in the affirmation of our Brother Paul. He had trial after trial, imprisonment, and rejection by friends. Yet, in and through it all he never wavered in this most excellent of what church bulletins contain, "This We Believe," or, "Statement of Faith." "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." Dear loved of our Lord Jesus Christ, even if there are seemingly no answers for your life's struggles and suffering, join me today in this great "Statement of Faith!"
Father, in Jesus' Name, my trust today is in You, not in my philosophy of life. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
