Following up from "FRASTRATING STRUGGLES"...

B. Perspective 12:6-8

1. Now the author adds, "Remember Him before the silver cord is severed."
a. When death starts to close in, the most vivid memories that we keep are those of our youth!
b. The last things to leave us are our oldest memories, this demonstrates why it is therefore important to remember God while young; this will be some of the longest memories for us to hang on to!
c. While the elderly may sometimes forget the things of the recent past, they retain vivid memories of the distant past.

2. This provides then a shelter for older age, when death is not far away!
a. These memories of serving God in youth will bring a sense of joy and satisfaction even at a time when the physical decline would bring discourage­ment!
b. The ability to look back and feel good about your life is established by the patterns of our youth!

3. There will be nothing more satisfying in old age than to be able to look back and see the hand of God from your youth to your death!
a. This will help us put our life in perspective.
b. It will give great meaning and wealth to our life if we have walked with God through it all!
c. The lifetime of walking with God will enable us to be masters of our fate!

ILLUS: A WOMAN HAPPENED TO RUN INTO THE FAMOUS PAINTER PICASSO AT A RESTAURANT, AND SO BOLDLY SHE APPROACHED THE MASTER AND ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD PLEASE JUST SCRIBBLE SOMETHING ON HER NAPKIN, SAYING SHE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY HIM WHATEVER HE FELT THE QUICK DRAWING WOULD BE WORTH. PICASSO TOOK HER NAPKIN AND DREW SOMETHING AND HANDED IT TO HER ADDING, “THAT MY FINE LADY WILL BE $10,000 DOLLARS!” THE STUNNED WOMAN THEN SAID, “BUT YOU DID THAT DRAWING IN BARELY 30 SECONDS!” PICASSO ANSWERED, “NO, IT HAS TAKEN ME 4O YEARS TO DO THAT!” – SOURCE UNKNOWN

4. The seeming "easy" faith of those who are older did not come so easy, it was the life­time discipline of serving God from their youth onward, their faith may appear to come easy only because it has been practiced so long. The foundation of youth was established on God!

a. Those who grow up without God get more and more despondent as they age, for all they know is loss and the soon approaching death, life loses mean­ing for them as they age, they dread time as it marches on!

b. But for believers, we know that death is not the end, thus for those who have lived for God, they find meaning in old age, satisfaction that reward awaits them, they can look back satisfied, and not fear the future!

c. This is the perspective of those who remember God in their youth, and carry their faith throughout their life!