Forever Young

Aging As we look around us, we’re almost convinced that life on this planet is really just for the young at heart. They have more zeal and energy and are able to recoup losses far greater than the more aged ones can, and that gives them an amazing vantage point in life. But it’s a point that is deceiving and is not scriptural, and it’s believed only by those who don’t know the truth. Because as Christians, saved by the grace of God and filled with His Spirit, we are forever young!

There is so much emphasis in this world being put onto the state of the physical body that we tend to judge our own being on that rather than on who we are inside the body. Some of us don’t move as fast as we used to and our physical responses are often slower than we’d like them to be, but our heart feels as young as it was the day we found Jesus.

And that’s because life begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The body belongs to this world and it will age and die just as everything else in this world will do. But our spirit—who we are inside this body—will live on forever with God. He will always be our Heavenly Father and we will always be His children and that means that we stay young forever.

The world runs according to a time clock, but it’s rushing towards the end when time will be no more. There is no time in Heaven. No one gets old; no one gets sick; and no one dies. We will be our young selves forever! And when we can get this truth into our heart and into our mind, we will realize that we ARE young now!

God is our strength! And regardless of how old we are today, whether we’re young and sprite or older and sluggish, we don’t do anything for God on our own strength. We need to remember that God lives in us and we can do anything He wants us to do.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.—Philippians 4:13

Apostle Peter tells us in Acts 10:34 that God is not a respecter of persons; in other words, He doesn’t choose only the young and healthy and rich to fulfill His commission on this earth. God chooses anyone who is willing to serve Him. And with such diversity of age groups, social status, economic growth, illnesses and disabilities among the people, it’s a blessing to have faithful people of all ages who will go forth to preach the message of Christ. God didn’t put age limits on that calling; we were all called to preach the gospel.

And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’.—Mark 16:15

Moses2 Some of us will say, “Oh, well I can’t get out there and do anything now. I’m too old. We need to leave that to the younger ones.” Really? Moses was over 80 years old when God called him to go to Egypt and deliver 600,000 people out of captivity. Joshua fought battles to get God’s people into their promised land when he was in his retiring years. And he won them all! And stepping forward into our generation, Corrie ten Boom was a powerful servant of God and missionary right up until she died at the age of 91. There are many people today who are in their later years and they are still in the front lines winning souls for Christ.

Our bodies may age, but when our heart is anxious and willing to serve God and share His love with others, we reveal our youth. Who can be on fire for God and not feel alive? Age doesn’t matter; if our spirit within us is the light that shines in this dark world, then we will be a blessing to others and a grateful child of God. And when we shine, people will see the light within us and the age of our body won’t stop that light from shining.

Being obedient to God’s call and serving Him with a faithful and joyful heart (Nehemiah 8:10) has nothing to do with physical age. We can answer His call and allow His grace and His love, and His forgiveness and His mercy to be shown through us towards others regardless of our age. We can all let that light shine because this is who we are—forever alive and forever young!

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, Philippians 2:15