Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; (vs 1) There’s the answer right off the bat!
This verse spoke very loudly to me like clanging cymbals. (TYHS) It told me simply to remember that I am of God. No man, nor woman, nor ungodly spirits in others defines who I am. I belong to God from beginning to end, from birth to death. (Read Genesis 1:27;Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Ecclesiastes 3:21 & 12:7; Job 34:12-15;Luke 23:46)
Like Adam and Eve, I have a will that can lead me away from God. We all have that inherited will, both Christians and Non- Christians alike. This chapter had me wondering why is it so important to us that we remember certain things that have happened to us that led us away from God? The answer, ‘once bitten, twice shy’ comes to mind. (Idiom Meaning- If somebody is said to be once bitten twice shy, it means that someone who has been hurt or who has had something go wrong will be far more careful the next time.) Speaking from experience, I feel safe to say that remembrances are selective, censored, implicit, and/or involuntary. When bitten once, we should be twice shy to remember the WHO that’s important, not the what.
Remembrances can make or break a person, open them up or shut them down. M-E-M-O-R-Y is a very powerful thing. I am just amazed at its power.
Every living being go through the stages of being a youth. For most it is a happy, daring, carefree and even life threatening stage. It is life threatening more so TODAY, because most youth appear unable to use common sense and they refuse to learn. Most do not care what happens to them, nor do they comprehend neither actions nor the circumstances for those actions-present day news events prove this. It appears that most youth aren’t being taught about manners; about love; about respect for self and others; nor about God.
Perhaps it is something their parents just don’t have time to teach, nor preachers the time to preach. Perhaps a lot of parents just don’t have the knowledge to do so. We all know that a lack of know how and know who keeps one in bondage. However, there will come a day that the youth will go out from the bondage. Even as adults we have bondage periods. What did Moses tell the Israelites? “Remember the Titans?” No. He told them to “…Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place:…”(Exodus 13:3) With that being said please take a look here at the developmental characteristics of youth and decide what you can do to help them remember their Creator during their youth.
Developmental Stages of Children and Youth
Three words stood out to me from those characteristics, EAGER, SENSITIVE, and VUNERABLE. What stood out to you?
Puzzling Personal Moment – I was wondering how is it possible for youth to remember their Creator in those days, if they have not been taught about God. It is easy for youth to come to God and also easy for them to go away from AND return to God. I ran up to the front of the church at age of 9 or 10 to get an opportunity to be dunked in water in my pajamas. It looked like fun when they baptized others. Amazing! Now they have rules, hoops, and procedures set in place before anyone can get baptized. Is that fair? That’s another blog.
As Christian youth and as aging Christians we must remember to continue in Jesus for we have a Great Commission to complete- And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
This concludes my study of various Ecclesiastes verses as I spent time with the Holy Spirit. I apologize for the late posting for I had decided to avoid posting during Lent. I still remained in His word.
Let us all realize the IMPORTANCE of remembering our Creator. Let us remember to be EAGER, SENSITIVE, and VUNERABLE to our Lord and Savior and teach this to our developing youth “…for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out…” and he will do so with our youth.
Knowing The Who Is Important To Remember
I Love You