As I now am, they will be

Inspiration

By Mike Gilland

I was privileged to grow up in church, sitting on a pew and listening to

various pastors in both of the churches we attended in my

youth. And, just about every one of those pastors, at one time or

another, quoted a Bible verse that seemed completely irrelevant to

me in my life…at least, at the time.

That verse was 2 Corinthians 4:16, where Paul is encouraging the

church:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is

wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by

day.

As a boy, I couldn’t relate to my outer self “wasting away.” But, I

knew it was in the Bible, so I tucked that one away for some far off

distant time. Well… that time finally arrived in my life, a LONG time

ago. I have had to come to grips that:

• My game is gone
• My knees are just about gone
• My hair is waving (goodbye)

Yep… I have hit that point of maturity which my parent’s generation

called the “metallic age" - silver in my hair, gold in my teeth, and lead

in my pants!

I had to laugh as I heard the plight of a pastor who once shared about

getting older, and how he had passed an outdoor basketball

court. He stopped for a moment to watch these young guys display

some obvious hoop talent, often playing above the rim. That started

him thinking of the day that he could put his hand above the rim… and

then how the day arrived that he could barely touch the NET!

He smiled, and thought to himself in comparison to those basketball

players, "As they are, I once was…”. Almost immediately, he

thought, ”And… as I now am, they will be…”.

That is so true. Though our culture worships youth, athleticism,

beauty, and other temporal attributes, the truth is… we are ALL

wasting away.

That being the case, the sooner we grab what Paul is saying and

focus on that truth, the better! What was that truth? Here it is:

"…inwardly, we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16b)

My body may weaken, my knees may ache, but my heart for God

can be stronger today than ever, at any point in my life! That is one

part of my life that age, disease, or difficult times cannot take away.

And thanks be to God for that wonderfully encouraging truth.

So, you may be young, or you may be old. At either stage, set your

focus on being renewed daily by God’s amazing grace. It may not

help your aching knees, but you’ll have a smile in your heart that will

stay to the end.

Mike Gilland is Operations Manager for The Shepherd Radio Network, a group of radio stations in Florida that features the “Christian Teach/Talk” format. Mike hosts a daily talk radio show in the 2 PM hour called “Afternoons with Mike”, talking to local pastors and newsmakers. In Orlando, The Shepherd is heard on WIWA, AM 1270. In addition to his broadcast experience, Mike spent 36 years in full-time ministry as a pastor and worship leader. As a guitarist, Mike performs at concerts, restaurants, private parties, etc. He is married to Cindy, the father of four grown children and grandfather to seven grandchildren.