The older you get, do you seek more practicality?

[mfblume]

When it comes to biblical study and truths, I recall in my teenage years a fascination for things that I now realize are not practical, although true. For example, where is hell? I once read where a man taught it was in the center of the earth, and that fascinated me. And then there was the issue of the dinosaurs. Where do they fit in scripture? Things like that.

But the more I grow older, what thrills me more and more are the truths that deal with practical issues about how I can serve God more successfully right now in this present life.

Anyone else feel like that?

I am more interested in Romans 6 through 7 and the understanding of how I need not let sin rule in my mortal body, than I am whether or not Jesus died on a Wed or Friday, and I am not trying to diss those who discuss those issues on the forum. I get involved in those chat, myself at times. But what is MORE important is the effects of the Cross in us, and the extent to which we are seated with Christ in his throne now, and how that can affect our daily lives.

Paul said he learned to be content whether he was abased or abounding. THAT is the thing that grabs my attention.

Whether hell is in the earth or in another "dimension of the spirit," for lack of a better term... and whether or not Jesus died on Wed or Fri., is not so thrilling to me any more. What excites me is how the cross of Jesus affects me and how much we can experience victory in the Kingdom of God today.

Thoughts?

[ChTatum]

No, but I keep looking for it.....

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by ChTatum

No, but I keep looking for it.....

Actually that is what I meant to say. lol The older we get, do we look for practicality more?

[SDG]

I think I've become more anal in some things ... practical in others.

The OCD becomes more acute.

[Ron]

Attitudes.
That is what it boils down to.

Am I living a life that is pleasing to God!

I agree a lot of the other subjects are still somewhat fascinating, but I want to go on in Jesus!

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Ron

Attitudes.
That is what it boils down to.

Am I living a life that is pleasing to God!

I agree a lot of the other subjects are still somewhat fascinating, but I want to go on in Jesus!

Amen. Fruit of the Spirit is so vitally important, the more, I believe, we grow in Him.

[mfblume]

I think we also become more self-critical the older we get. After all, practicality requires we see things they way they really are, as age takes its toll and we realize we're gonna stand before God one day. lol.

[RandyWayne]

Great thread.

As I get older I am realizing what is important versus what is not (or at least less so) in my Christian walk. Love, compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness are all things that Jesus taught. While these things were never outright ignored in church, they were always secondary to the usual 'standards' and plan of salvation. My burden over time has been to love my neighbor as myself -yet I have failed repeatedly. I WISH I could follow a few easy-to-follow standards and be done with it, but this "love" thing is a real doozy for me! After all, how can God keep forgiving me time and time again if I let the slightest "slight" from a fellow human continue to bother me so much? We all know of the parable of the servant who was forgiven a GREAT debt only to refuse to forgive the debt of someone who owed him very little.

And what about some of the things that seem less important -like the dinosaurs, geology, physics and astronomy? These are becoming more important to me as well, at least from an stand point of having a strong interest. OK, maybe it would be better to say that my 'interest' is growing stronger. I routinely listen to the Creation Update podcast from Reasons to Believe (www.reasons.org) and they take the two-book approach to creation. First there is the literal written Word (the Bible) and second there is the record of nature, which is the history of our planet and cosmos.

[OneAccord]

I guess I'm more practical than I was in my younger days. When I was young, I had to know EVERYTHING. Everything from the creation to the rapture and beyond. I studied and asked questions of everyone I met....

But, now, I realize I don't need to understand where the light came from before the sun was created. I guess I don't need to understand why God commanded Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. I don't have to understand everything there is to know about everything. I just want to know Jesus. We get so caught up in trying to understand and know EVERYTHING, that we sometimes forget nothing is as important as knowing Jesus. When I read the Bible, it isn't to learn some new secret, but its to learn how I can better offer myself to the Lord. Its to know Him better than I do now. Its to know how to take His Word, follow His Spirit, so He can shine thru me a little more than He did yesterday.

[A.W. Bowman]

Mike, you broke the code! Liberating, isn't it?