Discovering the Fountain of Youth

Stories have been told, and movies have been produced about discovering the "Fountain of Youth." Some have even spent time and money searching the world for the fictitious fountain. One version of the story is that if you drink the water from the fountain, you will regain your youthful appearance and energy.

Though this fountain is not actual, the story about it reminds us of several things. For the purpose of this study, I want us to consider just a few reminders from the "Fountain of Youth."
This fountain reminds us . . .

That we should focus on the heart, and not the years.
Even the young have disappointments, pains, and heartaches. Struggles (physical and otherwise) are not unique to those under the heavy weight of age. Paul said, "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). The Proverbs writer said, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Prov. 15:13). So, happiness is a characteristic of the heart. If you want to maintain your youthful cheer, then let it begin with your heart.

That we need to think like young people.
We know that as one grows older with time, his physical strength becomes week. But internally, a man is only as old as he thinks he is. Again, I'm reminded of the Proverbs writer who said "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).

While it's true that we must grow spiritually, and mature, there are some characteristics of the youth that we would do well to maintain. Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 18:3).

That we need to take time to live.
From the physical viewpoint, we are dying a little every day. "Each day we pass the brink of the grave, and some of its dust is sprinkled upon us. But we can shake off some dust for awhile by taking time to enjoy the deeper and more meaningful things of life." Ladies and gentlemen, let's remember that we all must make a living, but let's take time to live, and as we live, let's live for the Lord.

A doctor told the story of a man who came to him on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a man who was getting old in middle age. The patient thought his business could not go on without him; so he worked overtime night after night, and would take a brief case full of work home with him on the weekend. His explanation to the physician was that the work had to be done and that he was the only one who could do it. The pressure was killing him.

The doctor refused to prescribe until the patient agreed to follow the prescription, which was this: He was to deliberately cut off two hours of every working day and spend that time cultivating traits and attitudes which keep one young. He was to take off a half day every week and spend that time in a cemetery. The doctor said, "I want you to wander around and look at the gravestones of those who thought the whole world rested on their shoulders and who had no time to enjoy the finer aspects of life. And then meditate on the fact that when you are rolled there to lie in the hallowed soil, the world will keep on turning and it will be found that you were not so indispensable after all. Then sit down among the tombstones and quote two verses from the Bible: 'Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth' (Prov. 27:1). 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones' (Prov. 27:22)."

In a few weeks the patient got better and recovered some of the invigorating qualities of youth he was losing. His business improved. His change was so marked that his friends and business associates like him better and appreciated his company more.

That I must learn to see the unseen.

Life becomes stale and boring to those who cannot see beyond their on self-cares, self-interests, self-gratifications, yea their things. I must learn to look beyond the here and now, and look to the there and then. I need to set my sights on heaven. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (Mt. 6:20).

That we need to become involved in the lives of the youth.

We have seen new grandparents brighten up and become twenty years younger because of the coming of the grandchild. The grandbaby gave them a new interest in life. A grandfather descried it this way, "I feel younger than ever because I have so much more to live for. I am making new plans. That baby has given me a new lease on life." One said it this way, "many parents who would have fainted along the way of life had it not been for the thought of their children."

You and I will never discover a physical fountain of youth some place, but we should be searching for and discovering the spirit of youth every day.

Source:Brownlow, Leroy. Flowers for You. (Fort Worth, TX: Brownlow Publishing, 1963).

When is Life Like A Bag Full of Holes?

When the Jews left Babylonian captivity, they entered Jerusalem and observed that it sat in ruin. The city needed to be rebuilt, the temple too, and of course, God-approved worship needed to be restored. According to the book of Ezra, chapters one through four, the rebuilding campaign was on--full force. First, they built and set up the altar. Then, they laid the foundation of the temple. In all this, they were getting back to the type of worship that God ordained under the Old Law. Things were going well for a while and then God's people were confronted by adversaries. The word adversary means to stand in the way of progress, and these folks were dead set on hindering the work of the Lord. The letter from king Artaxerxes came down and as a result the work was made to "cease by force and power." "Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia." The work of the Lord ceased for more than a decade. That is, until Haggai and Zechariah the prophets came on the scene. By way of this essay I want to focus on some of the words spoken by the prophet Haggai.

When Haggai stood before them and spoke, he noted that the people were building and dwelling in their own "cieled houses." These would have been nice homes for the day. What's interesting is that they were to be building the house of God, but instead, they were building their own houses first. As a result of their neglecting the temple, the house of God was lying in waste.

Functioning as the Lord's mouthpiece, Haggai places before the Jews a challenge. He says to them, "consider your ways." It's as if Haggai was telling the people to step back and take a self-examination of the condition of their hearts.

The prophet then says, Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes (Hag. 1:6). A bag full of holes is worthless. Especially if its intended purpose is for carrying your valuables--such as your wages or paycheck. Haggai told the people that they have a lot of possessions--clothes, food, money, and nice houses. But, because they failed to put God first, their lives were like bags full of holes.

Does your life ever compare to the lives of the Jews to whom Haggai spoke? Is your life like a bag full of holes? When is your life like a bag full of holes?

1. Everyday that you live your life without putting first the kingdom of God (the church, worship, faithful service), then your life is like a bag full of holes.

2. Everyday that you put more emphasis on laying up treasures upon the earth than you do laying up treasures in heaven, then your life is like a bag full of holes.

3. Everyday that you live by the authority of men with reference to your religious practices, rather than the Lord's authority, then your life is like a bag full of holes.

4. Everyday that you live your life without Christ is like a bag full of holes.

Is your life like a bag full of holes? We're getting ready to start a brand new year--2006. Why not take the advice of Haggai and "consider your ways." In the New Year, may your bags be full of the blessings of Christ, and may they be without holes.