Reflections from the Elderly

Reflections from the Elderly! In light of advancing years, what does it mean to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? Entering my 7th decade of life has created surprising perspectives of the life I formerly took for granted.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:16 & 17, ESV

Reflections from the Elderly - Heirs of God

In light of advancing years, what does it mean to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? Entering my 7th decade of life has created surprising perspectives of the life I formerly took for granted.

This website is the result of years of thoughtful reflection upon God's Word, especially as it relates to our daily lives. During that time I have, of course, become older. Returning to this website after more than a year's absence, I decided to begin a new series called, "Reflections from the Elderly."

Reflections from the Elderly - Why?

Why? What has prompted this desire? I discovered something that is rather amazing to me, but not so for those who are my age and older. These "golden years" are not even remotely what I expected. Gone are the goals I formerly set for the next 10, 20, 30 years, etc. The Bible says, in Psalm 90:10 (ESV):

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

I do not have to read the ages of those in the obituary columns of newspapers to understand the reality of those words. While I hope that all of my readers will find these devotionals to be helpful, I am targeting those who are in their senior years. I would like to explore subjects that are especially relevant to us and encourage us to turn our hearts and minds to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many years ago I was in a mixed quartet. The words to our theme song still ring in my mind: Christ is the answer to all of our problems. He holds the key to all our needs. If we believe Him, if we receive Him, He holds the answer to all our needs.

Reflections from the Elderly - Christ is All

Colossians 3:11b - Christ is all, and in all.

As we explore the challenges we elderly experience, let us remember that Christ is all, and in all. He truly is the answer to all our needs. Only through Christ can we work our way through our daily difficulties and yet still retain joy, peace, and contentment.

Do you know what that means? I urge you, as you walk through the winter years of your life, to look to Christ for now and for the future. We are heirs of God. What does that mean?

God is holy, pure. majestic, and perfect in every way. Where do we stand before God? Can we measure up to His expectations of perfection? No! We have been born in sin and have been steeped in sin our entire lives. We lie, we cheat, we covet the wealth of others, we think evil things of others. How, then, can we meet God's perfect expectations? We cannot!

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23, ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23, ESV

But Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth and lived a perfect, holy, and righteous life. Why, then, did He die? He died for us! His blood has bought for us acceptance by God. How do we achieve that acceptance?

Go to Christ, confess your sin, and plead with Him to enter your life as your Savior, ruler, and conqueror. As the Holy Spirit enters your soul, your life will never be the same--including your eternal life.

Let us ponder the difficulties we face in light of God's Word. Why do we experience, pain, grief, illness, death of our family members and friends? Let us be careful to not adopt the values of this world but, instead, go to God's Word for understanding and help.

Reflections from the Elderly - To Be Continued

As an aside, I will be sharing some of the activities I am working on in these retirement years. The picture above is one that I did on my embroidery machine for a very dear friend. It was this picture that gave me the idea to write these devotions reflecting on the needs of the elderly. How amazing, we are "heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ."

May God bless you this day and come back as this series of devotionals continues.

God Bless You,

Linda

Soli Deo Gloria