“…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth“– 1 Timothy 3:15b

Paul makes three astonishing claims for the church, in rapid-fire succession, which we would do well to remember. First, the church is the house of God. Don’t let the wonder of that statement be robbed by your possible familiarity with it.

God lives in His church! Just as He set up residence in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament, God now resides in His church in a special and glorious way. Nowhere else on earth—mountaintops, golf courses, or beaches—can claim the same.

Second, this is the church of the living God. Each word is important here: “of” because it is His church, not yours or anyone else’s; “the” because there is only one true God; “living” because He is eternal and powerful and vital; “God” because that’s who He is.

Third, the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul is not implying that the church’s traditions are on the same par with Scripture, as some teach. Rather, he is affirming Jesus’ own promise concerning the perpetuity (continuation) of the gospel-affirming, Christ-proclaiming body of Christ. The gates of hell itself cannot prevail against this God-inhabited, Christ-empowered organism.

How does Paul’s three-fold assertion affect you? Does it inspire you to know that God lives in His church, that He is just as unique and energetic as ever on our behalf, and that the truth of the gospel will be perpetuated until He returns?

If so, then let your labors in, and faithfulness toward, the kingdom of Christ reflect the greatness of these guarantees.–Baptist Bible Hour

“I will meditate in thy precepts.”–Psalm 119:15

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on his Word spiritual strength for labour in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser’s feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation therefrom. Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, “I will meditate in thy precepts.”-(Morning and Evening)

“Those that be planted in the house of the LORD… shall still bring forth fruit in old age” – Psalm 92:13-14

After ending our study of Prov. 20 with these words “The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.“, I was delighted when I found the following, by an unknown writer, in my drafts this morning. If you are troubled by getting older maybe these thought will lift your spirits.

The psalmist asserts that those who live godly lives will be as strong and healthy as cedar trees (verse 12). There are few who would not like to think of themselves as being strong as a cedar. But it is clear that the promise does not refer to one’s physical body, because the writer goes on to say that even in old age the godly will continue to grow and flourish, living fruitful and prosperous lives.

The reality, of course, for all of us is that as we grow old we physically grow weaker. The psalmist is not denying that inevitable tendency. He is speaking here of that health and heartiness which matters most — the prosperity of one’s soul.

The fact is that one can be in the height of physical health and be withering away on the inside; conversely, a person can find themselves declining in physical strength and yet be growing and thriving within.

What makes the difference? The cedar-like soul is planted in the house of the Lord. The presence of God, and the nourishment of His Word, is lasting and wholesome sustenance for the soul.

If you are feeling the physical effects and limitations of old age, you may have convinced yourself that you are not as useful or productive as you once were. But the reality is that God is not in need of our labors; but He does delight in our worship and gratitude and submission.

This is fruit you can bear in a hospital bed; this is health you can enjoy when you are wracked with pain or confined by weakness.

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”–2 Corinthians 4:16

A new member of the bridge club showed up one afternoon wearing a beautiful gold locket. Another player approached her and said, “That’s such a lovely piece. Do you keep a memento in it?”

“Yes,” the woman answered. “It’s a piece of my husband’s hair I keep to help me remember.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the player replied. “How long ago did he pass away?”

The newcomer quipped, “Pass away? Oh, he’s still alive. It’s his hair that’s gone!”

Someone once said, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” And with so much focus today on doing whatever it takes to stay young, many people completely miss out on a biblical understanding of what it means to age. They miss the fact that their gray hairs, baldness, wrinkles, and aches all have a purpose in the plan of God.

So what is the right biblical understanding of aging? Well, as we see in today’s passage, aging is a lifelong trade off of the physical for the spiritual. Young people may have more physical vitality, but are usually less mature spiritually. As we get older, however, we may lose our physical strength, but we grow spiritually and become more equipped to invest in others’ lives.

Be willing to make that trade off. Don’t despise growing older. Instead, embrace your aging as a sign that while you may lose physical vigor, you’re growing each day in your spiritual strength!

Pray and ask God to give you a right understanding of aging as a lifelong trade off for something much better than physical strength.–Senior Living