My, Devotion to Him #46
The autumn of life is a mixture that is strange. It yields the harvest of seeds we’ve sown throughout life and braces us for colder days to come.
When life’s autumn arrives, we look back and better understand the way God led us; but we still have work to do. It’s a good transition time. In the entire Bible the word “Autumn” only occurs once.
VERSE PASSAGE: Jude 1:12 “These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.” – NIV
False teachers is whom this passage is speaking about. They are compared to “autumn trees without fruit,” implying that autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year. We will talk about these false teachers another time but for the moment let us focus on autumn. How can we take advantage of the “autumn of life”?
God is so wonderful. And in His greatness He has an unchanging nature of Himself. The seasons come and go and will forever do the same. But God who remains the same as yesterday, today, and forever should be our focus point.
VERSE PASAGE: Psalms 90:1-2 “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – NIV
There’s a lot of unwelcome change in our world. Moral and societal changes bother us most when we turn on our television or glance at the magazines. Countless times I hear of people talking about this world as it once was when they were kids and it pains them to see what it has become. And there are personal changes. Children leaving home, the passing of close friends and family. The slow, steady decline in our vitality and health. Sometimes we feel outdated at work. But amid all the changes, one thing, one person, never changes and that’s our eternal God.
God does not change. His life is always the same. His character is always dependable. His truth, ways, and purposes do not change. His Son does not change. His children will enjoy His fellowship a million years from now and beyond that. The world may fade, the stars may fall, the seasons may change, and winter may come. But the God who has been our help in the past is our hope for years to come. In Him we have stability, purpose, joy, unshakability, and life unending!
We’ve all suffered setbacks, delays, and detours along the way, but God promised us this in Joel.
VERSE PASSAGE: Joel 2:25-26 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you” – NIV
Our omniscient God knows the end from the beginning, and He will bless whatever is yielded to Him. Focus on His foreknowledge, providence, and sovereignty.
The autumn of life is a great time to focus on God’s wonderful blessings such as family, friends, strength, shelter, provision, guidance, care, fruitful ministry, opportunities to serve, more time to pray and study His Word, and eternal life still to come. During life’s autumn, we have a richer perspective and can count more blessings than ever before.
Followers of Christ, remember to remain close to Him during the shifting seasons of life. During autumn, we all know that winter lies ahead, but if winter comes, can spring be far behind?
Copyright © 2017 by Jacob D. Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 