Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Tom Philip
St. Peters MTC, NJ
12 Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days
of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure
in them”;
Life is a series of choices
and decisions. MercyMe is a contemporary Christian band whose songs are
frequently heard on Christian radio stations. One of their songs, titled
‘Dear Younger Me’, talks about all the lessons we would tell our younger self
based on the experiences we face later in life. Looking in retrospect, we
would all do things differently based on the things we learned.
In today’s passage, Solomon
tells us that we should not let the days of our youth go by carelessly. When
old age sets in and brings its own difficulties, we will have regrets for not
paying closer attention when we were younger.
Our life is only a brief
period in all of creation. Yet our Creator who created this world seeks
an intimate relationship with us. God knows how it will all turn out and
as such, our trust needs to be in the One who holds the heavens and earth in
His hands.
Youth is a time when we seek
to gain independence from authority. We feel that we know enough and that
our experiences are sufficient to make good decisions. We believe that we
will gain freedom by the fulfillment of our self-centered desires but that is
essentially the root of all our problems. Self-centeredness was the
reason that Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Self-centeredness
is the root of all violence and all conflict. Rather than freeing
us, our selfish desires enslave us.
As Christians, we need to
understand that the freedom we seek is not from the authority of God but
freedom from the bondage of sin. Rather than running away from God, we
need to run as the prodigal son ran into the arms of his loving father who was
waiting for him.
It is important to note that
Solomon states remember ‘your creator’ and not ‘the creator’. This
signifies that there needs to be a relationship with the Creator of this world.
That relationship was made whole by the fact that our Creator is also our
Savior, who saved us from eternal death.
It is important to build our
life on this foundation while we are young. It will help us as we go
through the various trials of life as we grow older. The habits and
relationships we form when we are young, will stay with us throughout our life.
Life is made up of the decisions we
make but the most important decision is to give up our life to our Creator and
Savior.
PRAYER
Father God, we
thank You for the gift of life. Help us not to let our youth go to
waste without remembering who You are and what You did to save us. We
pray that we prepare our hearts for You and that You live in us and through us
so that Your name may be glorified. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Rather than trying to seek freedom
through our own hands, freedom is gained when we put our life into the hands of
our Savior who redeemed it through His sacrifice.