Nearing Home by Billy Graham (e book reader free TXT) 📕

urge you to pray the following prayer right now (or something similar in your own words):

O God, I know I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from them. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior, I confess Him as my Lord, and I invite Him to come into my life today. From this moment on, I want to make Him the foundation of my life and to serve Him and follow Him in the fellowship of His church. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, God heard you and forgave you—and you are now His child forever. You also have taken the first step in building your life on a solid foundation—one that will last not only throughout your life, but through all eternity. And from your commitment will come the moral and spiritual strength you need to face the challenges of the future.

NEARING HOME WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION

When I think of the words J. W. Van DeVenter penned in 1896, the foundation of the Christian life comes to mind:

All to Jesus, I surrender;

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

At the time of our personal surrender and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He commands us to walk in His footsteps. Receiving His power gives us courage to follow Him and abide in His presence.

The elderly should take heart in the biographies that fill the pages of Scripture and the foundations that have been laid by those who have lived before us. The Bible does not diminish old age but teaches its values and virtues. We would do well to emulate the wisdom of those who responsibly passed on the building blocks of God’s truth.

Before Joshua died at age 110, he gathered those he had led and reminded them about the days of old: their disobedience and repentance and God’s forgiveness and faithfulness. He made a proclamation that thousands of years later hangs in homes around the world: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV). Joshua did not shrink in old age, nor did he shirk his responsibility. He boldly reminded the people of the building blocks that will secure our foundation: “Fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth” (Joshua 24:14 NKJV).

Instead of the elderly taking a backseat in the twilight years, we need to faithfully proclaim as Joshua did, “Incline your heart to the LORD God” (Joshua 24:23 NKJV). Perhaps those who are watching and listening would respond as those who listened to Joshua’s wise counsel when they said, “The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!” (Joshua 24:24 NKJV). The Bible says of Joshua that he had “known all the works of the LORD which He had done” (Joshua 24:31 NKJV). Our voices may be weak, but let our spirits be strong in reminding others that the root of God’s love will grow deep in the hearts of all who will desire the Water of Life.

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ROOTS STRENGTHEN IN TIME

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith.

—COLOSSIANS 2:6–7

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.

—HENRY FORD

Our culture is not defined by the old or the new—but by the latest. The high-tech world moves at accelerated speeds. Society sharpens itself on the cutting edge that, at times, can be deceitful. A cable news network recently carried a press conference on the announcement of the new iPad. Before the presentation was finished, creators of the product told plans of its coming replacement. Keeping up with the latest and greatest is difficult.

This increasing pace of innovation is challenging, especially for those of us who are getting along in years. My generation saw life go from the Model T to the iEverything—the iPhone, iPod, iPad, iCard, iStore, iSource, and so on. We were taught to take care of what we possessed, then pass it down to the young, hoping that they would cherish what had meaning. Youth, however, are accustomed to discarding one possession for another that might look the same but possess something unseen: more memory. In a world already drowning in the information flood, tech companies are constantly increasing memory capacity, and users are thrilled at forgetting the old to make room for the new. Meanwhile the older generation is hanging on for dear life to the memories we have accumulated during our lifetimes, fearful we might forget the anchors that stabilized, the lighthouse that directed, and the Word of God that calmed the treacherous waters.

A popular technology accessory company posted on its website, “We are surrounded by so much technology that we begin to forget our roots.”1 That’s quite an admission. It’s true. People can become so encumbered with being “connected” to information that they “disconnect” from others. Technology can weaken relationships and push the reality of life out of the way. Generally, the older someone is, the more intensely this disconnect is felt, especially from the young. I encourage those who are grandparents to never give up on seeking creative ways to engage your grandchildren. Remember, the oldest generation may struggle with short-term memory loss, but its attention span is probably still greater than that of younger generations. Let’s remember to teach them by example that roots are important. It is our responsibility to build them up: “Encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV).

Generations that are younger in years cope with boredom more than my generation did. Something new to us remained new and valued for a long time. But eventually, newness wears off. Within days after a baby is born, the cherished whimper to new parents becomes the nagging whine. A toddler’s first steps, once applauded for getting to where they want to go, are soon