Remember Your Creator
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.”
The context of Eccl. 12:1 indicates that those being addressed as “youth” includeS anyone who is still healthy enough to take pleasure in life. This certainly includes a much larger group than those generally thought of a possessing “youth.” Those of us in the middle years of life, therefore, can be encouraged to some degree, I suppose. But we also must realize that the admonition of the verse applies to us as well. So, now that we’ve managed to include all age groups in the wise man’s admonitions, let us notice three reasons why it is important to remember God.
WE HAVE NO GUARANTEE OF LIVING INTO OLD AGE.
Death can come to us at any time and in so many different ways. There are all kinds of diseases, and any number of accidents can take a person’s life. What responsible adult gets into an automobile (especially with your children) without thinking about the possibility of a fatal accident. We also hear of both the young and old dying of sickness and disease. Often the cause of deathly epidemics IS unknown and undetectable. Thus, we are taken unaware. Besides this, some will still be “youths” when the Lord returns (1 Thess. 4:13-17; 2 Thess 1:7-10).
ONE MAY BECOME SO ENTANGLED IN SIN AND SELFISH PURSUITS THAT THE REAL NEED FOR GOD IS NEVER CONSIDERED.
According to Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13, it is certainly possible to allow other interests to push God totally out of our lives. The sins we become involved with, such as rebellion against authority (Rom. 1:30; 13:1,2), lying, (Rev. 22:14,15), stealing (1Cor. 6:10), fornication (1Cor.6:9), drugs (1Cor.6:19,20), and false religion (Matt.15:19,20) are tools of Satan to lead us and keep us away from God. Selfish and materialistic pursuits can only satisfy temporarily, and are pronounced as “meaningless” (vain, or empty) by the preacher in Ecclesiastes. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” Human wisdom, folly, pleasure, labor, even achievement and advancement are all vanity. About the only thing of significance that will ever be accomplished through all these pursuits is the keeping of one away from the pursuit of truly important spiritual things.
WE CAN BECOME HARDENED AGAINST REPENTANCE UNTIL ITS TO LATE.
Most people do not give much thought to dying until the ravages of old age have overtaken them. And even then, with one’s life nearly over and with nothing else to lose in sacrifice to God except the resignation of a stubborn will, repentance usually does not come. Once our consciences become seared by sin and our worldly, spiritually indifferent habits harden like concrete around our hearts, we are not likely to ever change. I once knew an old man who had lived a hard life of drinking, debauchery and indifference to God. He was dying and as I had occasion to drive him back and forth to the hospital I would talk to him about his soul. He admitted that he needed to repent. For the life of me I could not figure out what was keeping him from it. He had nothing left to sacrifice to God. His health, his strength and his time on this earth were all but gone. He had no
particular skills or talents, or money, etc. And I thought to myself, “With so little to lose and so much to gain , why this man not just repent and prepare to meet his God!” The answer is profoundly simple, but terribly sad. He was so used to putting off repentance and obedience, that he simply could not overcome the long established habit of saying “No” to God. Throughout his life every time the thought of God, repentance, obedience, heaven, hell, or spiritual things in general entered his thoughts, he would put them out of his mind. He would deal with such matters at a more convenient time (Acts 24:25). Sadly, that time never came. He died a lost man!
No one can force you to remember God now or later. You chose to sin. Now choose to obey God and His greatest blessings, the spiritual ones that come only through Christ, will be given to you.