[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Friday, April 5, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all wherever in this world you happen to live.  I don't know about the rest of you in the Americas, but I'm looking forward to Saturday.  For me there's something magical about that day which I can't explain.  Now I know that some of you are already in your Saturdays, as this is being written.  In any event, enjoy the day in the Lord and, as a fairly contemporary expression has it, "Seize the moment."

Roy A. Borges, a writer living in Florida, contributed today's article entitled "Getting Better With Age," rendered as follows:

People are always surprised when I tell them my age.  "You're in good shape for 60," they say.

I remember a time when I was an exercise fanatic.  I thought I was invincible.  But as I aged, the injuries I experienced didn't heal as quickly; some didn't heal at all.  I limp occasionally on cold days from an old knee injury.  My eyes aren't as good as they once were.  My reflexes are slower.  Trying to ensure long-lasting health is like trying to load a dump truck with a pitchfork.

Physical fitness is good for the body.  It will make the quality of life better, but aging will not make life physically better.  Our bodies were not meant to last, our spirits were.

Spiritually, believe it or not, it is possible to get better with age.  The apostle Paul said, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).

The trials of aging are opportunities to demonstrate God's power and presence in and through us.  Old age is not the end, for we are never without hope--Christ won the victory over death.

Our ultimate hope does not lie in these earthly bodies.  "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:53).

The Bible does not tell us everything about our resurrected bodies, but we know they will be perfect, without sickness, disease or pain (see Phil. 3:12, Rev. 21:4).

The fear of aging and the trouble it brings is gradually stripped away when the things that prop us up disappear--like wealth, independence, health, dignity or beauty.  That's when growing old becomes a blessing because you are growing closer to God.

No matter how old you are, it is never too late to get better.  Grow in the knowledge of God's Word, the payoff gets better with age.

The older you get, the better you become.

And there you have it for today.  Hope you enjoyed Roy's contribution.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul