How to Grow Old and Wise

Psalm 37:25
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

Introduction: How many of us want to GROW OLD & WISE? Notice: not rich and famous…the world promises us happiness, but leaves us empty! God promises a fulfilled – abundant – life along with eternal life….and keeps those promises. Speaking of “Wisdom” {Greek word sophia, means cautious, discreet, thoughtful- Heb world chokmah}, it is a gift from God ( Prov 1:7; Prov 8; James 3:13-17). Simply put…..”Wisdom” is made to us thru a relationship with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 1:30, 31), which includes allowing His Word to “guide us,” and His Spirit to “lead us.” If we’re going to “GROW OLD & WISE,” then we need to learn the (2) ways David mentions in this verse of Scripture.

1. If we are going to GROW OLD & WISE, then we’ve got to turn our TESTS of FAITH into TESTIMONIES of FAITH! (Psa 37:25)
“I have not seen the righteous forsaken”
[The word “Righteous” is Tzad deck, which means one who defends what is right]
• Tests Turned into Turning Points
• Turning Points Turned into Testimonies
Have you gone thru a lot in your lifetime? Has our Lord been faithful? See how our Lord has built CHARACTER thru the tests!

2. If we are going to “GROW OLD & WISE,” then we’ve got to be able to control (handle) a lot of CHANGES in LIFE! (Psa 37:25)
” I have been young, and now I’m old.”
• Some things UNDER our control {like our priorities}
• Some things OUT of our control {like people}

Conclusion: Growing older is not really an option. Right? But growing in WISDOM is! Walking with wise men produces WISDOM. “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise (Prov 13:20). If we are going to GROW OLD & WISE, it will be because of our reliance and total trust in a relationship with the God who…
made us,
loves us,
saved us,
is with us,
empowers us,
cleanses us,
restores us,
accepts us,
justifies us,
and who is coming back for us!
 
Looking forward to growing OLD and WISE!!
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese