Pastor’s Pen Pulpit “Day-by-Day” Series

August 8, 2004

DEALING WITH THE CHANGES IN LIFE

Part I

II Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. But though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Some people dislike the concept of change of any kind. To them any kind of change poses a threat. Beloved, there are changes in our life over which we have absolutely no control. There are changes that take place in our person which are inevitable. The question: Do we face these changes with doubt and fear or do we face them trusting an unchanging God? First, you must know that you are a three-in-one person - External, Internal and Eternal. Proper emphasis must be given to each part. In this pen pulpit we will look at the first facet of our person.

We must understand the external –v.16a. Many times we allow the physical to govern our outlook on life. If things are going well physically then we are reasonably optimistic. If not, we tend to become pessimistic – losing heart. The truth is, as we grow older the physical becomes more and more a prominent factor with us. The explanation: All physical phenomena is subjected to the law of decay. Your physical body goes through a complete change every seven years. God has decreed this change as a result of the fall. The human body in its present state of existence is, at best, a mortal body – and as such it is still subjected to the Adamic curse. An element of that curse is deterioration. The effects of the fall are not immediately reversed in the realm of the physical. The most Godly of men and women deteriorate physically. It is called growing old or aging. With age come problems. Try as they might, scientists will never be able to reverse this process (Ecclesiastes 12:1-6). There is a paradox within the physical: Weak, helpless babies grow to become strong young men and women while strong men and women deteriorate to weak, helpless aged people.

Question – How do Christians cope with the aging process? You can’t change it so how do you deal with it? Some people succumb to it and become “grumpy old people” while others refuse to accept it, trying to remain young all their lives. Television offers many solutions - how to remove wrinkles, take out the gray, tummy tucks, face lifts, even plastic surgery! The bare fact is that aging in this life is an irreversible process. Answer: Understand it, accept it and concentrate on what God says to concentrate on. We will take up this step in our next pen pulpit. In the meantime, begin to cultivate the inner man of the heart. God bless.

In His matchless love and grace,