Dear fellow traveler,
When I hit the age of 60 ten years ago, at a Young Life retreat in western Colorado, God the Holy Spirit hit me pretty hard with these words during a corporate devotional hour: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” It hit me with distinct clarity and great force… this is my mission for my remaining days on planet earth! I told one of my sons that I was going to begin ‘speaking out’ more. He replied with a smile of joy and truth I will never forget, “Gee Dad, I never can remember a time when you did not speak out!” Truth will always emerge. Is that not true?
In recent days, some have encouraged me to accomplish this declaration of God’s power to the next generation via the pen and this wonderful modern miracle of the email newsletter. So this is the beginning of what I hope will be a long ride. Are you in the saddle of faith? I hope so, because the journey is long, arduous, bumpy, loaded with detours, without maps, etc.
Scripture is intriguing, and this Psalm 71:18 (given above) illustrates the humanness of the writer. Undoubtedly an old man during the Hebrew exile, he clearly had discovered what life was all about, and he wanted to encourage those who are a bit behind him on the trail. I identify with the writer. I like the translation that says, “Oh Lord, don’t let me die until I declare the power of God…”
For sure God will not forsake us! In the complete revelation in the Word, Jesus (unknown to the writer of Psalm 71), the Lord told his disciples that He would never leave or forsake them. That is truth, because the spoken words of Jesus simply and directly reveal his nature. Let us get forever fixed in our minds, hearts and consciousness… promises of scripture always point us to the Promisor! One of the greatest passages in all of scripture quotes Jesus: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness (speak of) me; yet, you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (The Gospel of John, Ch 5: 39-40). The power of God is Himself, his nature. Christ himself, the Word made flesh, is Reality. He is perfect love, ultimate Truth, and the creator and sustainer of all life.
Sometimes we talk about scripture, which always reveals God and our responses to Him, as if the discussion or the words of scripture are the reality themselves. Words, even the written word of scripture, can only point to something beyond themselves. So the written word of God always points to God himself, to the Word of God, Jesus. For this reason, I hope we all are known as Christocentric men! Life is all about Jesus and in Jesus alone! Holy men of old, as Peter reminds us, wrote and lived as they were inspired by God the Holy Spirit. And by God’s grace, you and I surely do this today, as we ride and discover life in the saddle of faith.
The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Colosse: “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.”
I believe the power of God I am charged to pass on is nothing more, nor less, than the outworking of the purpose of God. The purpose of God was (is) to create me… and you… for relationship with Himself and each other…forever. Following the “turning to our own way”, as Isaiah phrases it, sooner or later we discover “we missed it”, “we didn’t get it.” Guilt is the end result. But relationship is restored by the loving God who “buys us back” in history for eternity.
In this epoch of time, we call it the Gospel, the good news. The apostle says words to the Romans I memorized many years ago, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God, for in the Gospel is revealed God’s righteousness from generation to generation.” Then he, Paul, quotes the Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk, “The just (those in fellowship with creator God) shall live by faith.” Yes, the saddle of faith! On your ride, don’t slip out of it! And don’t let the wild horse of life throw you out of the saddle. You can ride bareback, but you’ll feel your pain even more.
So in these periodic newsletters I have nothing more to pass on than the good news about Jesus Christ. He is the baton. I make no apology. It is not about religion or spirituality… it is Jesus alone. I make no excuse when I challenge you to simply “fall in love with Jesus”. That is my goal! That is my heartbeat…to be in love with Jesus. To have my heart beat passionately in sync with Jesus. And, to “let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God” as one of my early mentors, Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision and Samaritans’ Purse, challenged me one day long ago.
Your fellow traveler on the trail of life,
Jim Meredith
