Grumpy Old Men (and Women) / The Work of God's Fingers

#1 · August 16, 2003, 10:19 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 16, 2003, 10:19 am
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>

Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross

----
Two great thoughts for your weekend. In Brazil,
that deserves the exclamation, Oba!
----

COLUMN: Heavenly Connections

Grumpy Old Men (and Women)
by Tim Hall

Why is it that age so often brings bitterness?
I've not come across any scientific studies on the
subject, but it's a phenomenon frequently
observed. Long before the movie was released,
"grumpy old men" was a familiar phrase. It's
something none of us want to become, but so many
do. What happens?

The writer of Ecclesiastes offers one prescription
for keeping bitterness at bay as the years
advance: "Remember now your Creator in the days of
your youth, before the difficult days come, and
the years draw near when you say, 'I have no
pleasure in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, New King
James Version). Without God, old age becomes an
experience of growing frustration. We helplessly
watch as strength and vitality wane. We become
unable to pursue those things that once brought
pleasure. "September Song" is not a song godless
people enjoy singing.

But there must be more to it than this. There are
older Christians who seem to have little joy in
their later years. Without question, they have
remembered their Creator since the days of their
youth, but they seem to have little more happiness
in life than those who have taken a pass on
religion.

Perhaps there is an answer that we have forgotten.
It's another bit of advice, this time found in
Psalm 100. The unnamed psalmist wrote, "Enter into
His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts
with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His
name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is
everlasting, and His truth endures to all
generations" (Psalm 100:4,5).

How we approach God is as important a
consideration as the fact that we approach Him in
the first place. Entering God's presence should be
done with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise.
Doing so is an acknowledgment of His goodness and
His awesome nature. Those who stand before God
without these qualities show that they are more
concerned with the externals of religion rather
than the focus of our religion -- the Lord
Himself.

I'm convinced this is an area in which too many
have been negligent (if I may generalize).
Striving for precision in our worship and practice
of Christianity is absolutely necessary ("in
truth", John 4:24). But approaching God without
the fundamental attitudes of thankfulness and
praise is also necessary ("in spirit", John 4:24).
Psalm 100 was preserved for us by the same
inspiration of God that also reveals the pattern
for Christ's church. We should study it carefully
and meditate on its meaning.

Christians who regularly practice thanksgiving and
praise will not likely become grumpy old men or
women. Their lives will grow more beautiful with
each passing year. The wrinkles that will be
etched on their faces will be from smiles that
arise from deep wells of joy.

What a wonderful God we serve! Blessed be His name
forevermore!!

----
You can help us get the word out. Here's how:
forthright.antville.org/stories/340415/
----

COLUMN: Field Notes

The Work of God's Fingers
by Michael E. Brooks

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have
ordained" (Psa. 8:3).

The skies over southern rural Bangladesh are
different from those where I have lived most of my
life. Looking up into the stars, seeing the
beautiful moon –- this is a moving experience
anywhere, anytime. But remove the lights of a
metropolitan area, and the pollution of
industrialized regions, and they become even more
amazing and awe-inspiring. The stars seem even
more numerous, the moon so near as to almost be
touchable. And the wonder of God's power, love,
and grace is more evident than ever.

Paul taught that the very nature of God is
revealed in his creation (Rom. 1:18ff). His wisdom
is seen in its intricate design. His power is
manifest in its awesome size. His love shines
through its beauty and the pleasures the creation
provides. Perhaps one reason why so many in our
increasingly urbanized world grow remote from God
is that we do not commune with his work. We spend
our days immersed in the concrete jungle, inside
buildings or cars, insulated by air conditioning,
never looking up. And our nights are devoted to
the television, the theater, the places of
artificially constructed entertainment or rest.
Bright lights, thick ceilings, busy schedules all
shield us from the simple act of looking up and
seeing God, or at least the evidence of his
existence.

There are still rural villages in this world
without electricity, industry, pollution, or neon.
There are still people whose lives, poor though
they may be in the things the world considers
vital, are far more attuned to the one who made
them. We pity them because of their poverty,
hunger, medical needs and other deficiencies -- in
many senses rightly so. Their physical needs are
great, and "development" is much sought after that
their suffering might be reduced. But their world
is one in which the works of God's fingers are
known and appreciated. And therefore the One who
made them is much more easily taught, believed in
and accepted. Illiterate they may be of the wisdom
of the world, but sometimes they may read the more
permanent and important signs far more accurately
than others considered much wiser.

The Psalmist looked into the heavens and saw God.
When our busy lives overwhelm us and faith wavers,
let us get away from the bright lights and
obstructions and look into the those same heavens.
He who made us is still there, still revealing
himself to us, and still waiting to receive us
with love and grace.

---- Please read below

Interested in receiving a brief, thought-provoking
devotional article once a week? Then subscribe to
mercEmail (pronounced: "mercy mail"), a weekly
devotional from Steve Higginbotham, minister for
the South Green Street Church of Christ in
Glasgow, KY.

To subscribe send a blank email to either of the
following addresses:
[email protected] (HTML Version)
[email protected]
(Plain Text Version)

Archives can be viewed at
www.glasgow-coc.org/mercEmail.htm

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Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>

Forthright Magazine
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross

----
Two great thoughts for your weekend. In Brazil,
that deserves the exclamation, Oba!
----

COLUMN: Heavenly Connections

Grumpy Old Men (and Women)
by Tim Hall

Why is it that age so often brings bitterness?
I've not come across any scientific studies on the
subject, but it's a phenomenon frequently
observed. Long before the movie was released,
"grumpy old men" was a familiar phrase. It's
something none of us want to become, but so many
do. What happens?

The writer of Ecclesiastes offers one prescription
for keeping bitterness at bay as the years
advance: "Remember now your Creator in the days of
your youth, before the difficult days come, and
the years draw near when you say, 'I have no
pleasure in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, New King
James Version). Without God, old age becomes an
experience of growing frustration. We helplessly
watch as strength and vitality wane. We become
unable to pursue those things that once brought
pleasure. "September Song" is not a song godless
people enjoy singing.

But there must be more to it than this. There are
older Christians who seem to have little joy in
their later years. Without question, they have
remembered their Creator since the days of their
youth, but they seem to have little more happiness
in life than those who have taken a pass on
religion.

Perhaps there is an answer that we have forgotten.
It's another bit of advice, this time found in
Psalm 100. The unnamed psalmist wrote, "Enter into
His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts
with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His
name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is
everlasting, and His truth endures to all
generations" (Psalm 100:4,5).

How we approach God is as important a
consideration as the fact that we approach Him in
the first place. Entering God's presence should be
done with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise.
Doing so is an acknowledgment of His goodness and
His awesome nature. Those who stand before God
without these qualities show that they are more
concerned with the externals of religion rather
than the focus of our religion -- the Lord
Himself.

I'm convinced this is an area in which too many
have been negligent (if I may generalize).
Striving for precision in our worship and practice
of Christianity is absolutely necessary ("in
truth", John 4:24). But approaching God without
the fundamental attitudes of thankfulness and
praise is also necessary ("in spirit", John 4:24).
Psalm 100 was preserved for us by the same
inspiration of God that also reveals the pattern
for Christ's church. We should study it carefully
and meditate on its meaning.

Christians who regularly practice thanksgiving and
praise will not likely become grumpy old men or
women. Their lives will grow more beautiful with
each passing year. The wrinkles that will be
etched on their faces will be from smiles that
arise from deep wells of joy.

What a wonderful God we serve! Blessed be His name
forevermore!!

----
You can help us get the word out. Here's how:
forthright.antville.org/stories/340415/
----

COLUMN: Field Notes

The Work of God's Fingers
by Michael E. Brooks

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have
ordained" (Psa. 8:3).

The skies over southern rural Bangladesh are
different from those where I have lived most of my
life. Looking up into the stars, seeing the
beautiful moon –- this is a moving experience
anywhere, anytime. But remove the lights of a
metropolitan area, and the pollution of
industrialized regions, and they become even more
amazing and awe-inspiring. The stars seem even
more numerous, the moon so near as to almost be
touchable. And the wonder of God's power, love,
and grace is more evident than ever.

Paul taught that the very nature of God is
revealed in his creation (Rom. 1:18ff). His wisdom
is seen in its intricate design. His power is
manifest in its awesome size. His love shines
through its beauty and the pleasures the creation
provides. Perhaps one reason why so many in our
increasingly urbanized world grow remote from God
is that we do not commune with his work. We spend
our days immersed in the concrete jungle, inside
buildings or cars, insulated by air conditioning,
never looking up. And our nights are devoted to
the television, the theater, the places of
artificially constructed entertainment or rest.
Bright lights, thick ceilings, busy schedules all
shield us from the simple act of looking up and
seeing God, or at least the evidence of his
existence.

There are still rural villages in this world
without electricity, industry, pollution, or neon.
There are still people whose lives, poor though
they may be in the things the world considers
vital, are far more attuned to the one who made
them. We pity them because of their poverty,
hunger, medical needs and other deficiencies -- in
many senses rightly so. Their physical needs are
great, and "development" is much sought after that
their suffering might be reduced. But their world
is one in which the works of God's fingers are
known and appreciated. And therefore the One who
made them is much more easily taught, believed in
and accepted. Illiterate they may be of the wisdom
of the world, but sometimes they may read the more
permanent and important signs far more accurately
than others considered much wiser.

The Psalmist looked into the heavens and saw God.
When our busy lives overwhelm us and faith wavers,
let us get away from the bright lights and
obstructions and look into the those same heavens.
He who made us is still there, still revealing
himself to us, and still waiting to receive us
with love and grace.

---- Please read below

Interested in receiving a brief, thought-provoking
devotional article once a week? Then subscribe to
mercEmail (pronounced: "mercy mail"), a weekly
devotional from Steve Higginbotham, minister for
the South Green Street Church of Christ in
Glasgow, KY.

To subscribe send a blank email to either of the
following addresses:
[email protected] (HTML Version)
[email protected]
(Plain Text Version)

Archives can be viewed at
http://www.glasgow-coc.org/mercEmail.htm

---- End ad