Many people belonging to various religious groups are of the idea that the time to seek God in their life is when they reach their old age. They think that they should enjoy the pleasures of this world when they are young and have enough money with them. According to them, it is for the old people to search God so that they can go to heaven when they die.
Several years ago, one day when I was going to church with some other brothers, one young man passed by us. One of the brothers from our group invited him to come to church. The young man replied to him saying that the hairs on his head are still black and that he will think about coming to church when it turns gray.
Contrary to this school of thought, the Holy Bible says ‘’ Remember your creator in the days of your YOUTH “ Eccles: 12:1
So, according to the word of God the right time to seek God is when we are youths even though some are privileged of being guided to seek God in their childhood or at the adolescent age. Every field and faculty of this world wants only youths to join them. The Government departments, the Military, the factories, the film industry and so on and so forth are interested to recruit only young people. It is because when we are young , we are physically and mentally strong and that all these agencies wants to utilize our strength to carryout their task. The devil needs youths and The Almighty God as well wants youths. The devil knows that if we are diverted towards the lust and pleasures of this world in our young age then we will be perished once for all. The Lord also needs youths because youths are physically strong. In a strong physical structure, our Lord Jesus Christ wants to implant the powerful word of God so that we can become dynamic Christian who can turn this sin stained world upside down and throw the powers of darkness out of its hinges.
“I write unto you ,young men, because ye have overcome the world”- I John 2: 13.
“ I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you” - I John 2:14.
A man told his church Pastor that just only after three years he will enter into the full time ministry to serve the Lord. The Pastor asked him why after three years and why not now itself. The man replied saying that he will be retired from his Government services after three years and then he will have no other job to do, so that he can take up full time ministry. This man wants to give to his Creator the remains from his body after the Government department has squeezed out all the energy. But our dear Lord Jesus Christ has given to us even the last drop of his . blood at the prime of His youth.
The greatest wiseman, King Solomon has recorded in the Scripture “ remember your creator in the days of your youth” Eccles 12:1
Further down in this chapter ,the wiseman, the preacher has expanded on this theme with many a meticulous metaphors .My dear young brothers and sisters, have you ever thought of understanding these writings of the wise man?
Shall we meditate on some of these interesting versus right now?
In verse 1, the preacher says , “while the evil days come not, …..when you say , I have no pleasure in them” Evil days take over a person when he is old , then all parts of his body loose their strength, and various diseases make his life miserable, unable to do any work and have no liking for anything. Yes, it is better for us to remember our Creator at our youth and serve Him before our body become useless for any work.
In the old age the eyes looses its power to see and every thing becomes dim and dark. You cannot read your Bible. In verse 2, the wise man squarely points to this truth and says “ while the sun, light, moon or stars be not darkened “….. read your Bible and memorize as many verses as possible.
In verse 3,he says “ in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble”. The keepers of your whole house, the entire body is your legs. In old age they start shaking. You cannot kneel down to pray or walk long distances to go out and proclaim goodnews. So, please do it when your legs are strong enough to do this.
In verse 4 later portion, king Solomon says “ the daughters of music shall be brought low”. Yes, my dear young brother, sister, you can sing joyfully in loud voice with good music when you are young. But in old age, your vocal cord will be so weak that you can neither sing aloud nor any good music will come out. So, remember to sing and praise your redeemer with a joyful noise when your voice is loud and clear.
The Psalmist says “ clap your hands all ye people . Shout unto God with a voice of triumph” Psalm 47:1 . You can do this only when you are young.
See in verse 5, the preacher so delicately explains about the fear of death and the fear of being taken to grave clamping on a man in old age saying “when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way………. Because man goeth to his long home” The “almond tree flourishing” here refers to the hairs of your head turning gray totally.
Would you realise that when you are young you have ample time and energy to read your Bible, pray and serve God? But if you wait for your hairs to turn gray, there is no time but you will only start the count down for your grave fearing always about death. But a man who served his Master in the right time like apostle Paul will have no fear of death, rather he will say “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” Philippians 1:21.
Now in verse 6, “silver cord be loosed” is the nerves system in our body getting loosened. “The golden bowl and the pitcher near the fountain be broken” is nothing but the heart attacks, the lungs failure and the kidney troubles that impair a mans life in his old age. It is sure that in old age the outer man will get deteriorated, but those who have remembered their creator in their youth don’t have to worry about it. The Bible says “for which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16.
Finally, in verse 7, the wiseman wants to conclude his metaphors saying “ then shall the dust return to the earth………..and the spirit return unto God”
In Genesis , God said to Adam “dust thou art and unto dust shall thou return” -- Genesis 3:19.
My dear young brothers and sisters, when we are young and energetic we can read many chapters of the Bible in a day, pray for long hours and run around to do the gospel work. Our treasure in heaven will be great. But if we do not utilise our time and wait for the old age, our body will not have enough strength to perform what we desire to do. We will be the greatest loosers.
One evening a beggar was returning to his hut and on the way, he was met by the King of that country who came in a golden chariot. The King asked the beggar to give his King a heartfelt free will gift. The beggar had nothing but a hand full of grains out of his whole days begging. Since it was hard for him to part with that, he finally took a smallest sized grain and put it in the hands of his King. The King then happily left the place.
The beggar entering into his hut wanted to cook the grains he brought for his night meal. For his astonishment, he found a golden grain among the grains. The size of that grain was equal to that of what he had gifted to his King. Yes, he realised that his King has rewarded him for his gift, a golden grain instead of his ordinary grain.
Alas! Said the beggar. Had I known this before I would have gifted to the King all the handfull of grains I had.
My dear young brother, sister, what portion and how much of your life are you gifting to your Creator the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Invest your youth life in the Kingdom of God. Amazing will be the reward.“remember your creator in the days of your youth” - Eccel 12:1.
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