The Fountain of Youth
March 19: The Fountain of Youth
For eons, people have been trying to find the legendary Fountain of Youth, the secret to long life. It is rumored that Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer, was searching for it when he stumbled upon Florida. He must not have found it or else he’d be here today to tell us about it, probably joining his voice to the multi-billion dollar industry that hawks beauty products to us from the margins of our Internet pages.
Honestly, though, there’s no need to worry our graying heads about staying young forever. Aging will happen to each of us just as sure as the sun rises and sets. However, God has provided us with His own brand of the Fountain of Youth. He has had the Psalmist tell us, “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”Psalm 34:12-14 (NKJ).
Yes, just three little doses of the above prescription, and good life with many days is ours: pronounce, practice, and peace.
First, to have a good life with many days, we must watch what we pronounce. The scripture calls upon us to keep our tongue from evil, and keep our lips from speaking deceit. Evil speech is that which is bad, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant and spoken to give pain to another person. Deceitful speech carries this idea further and involves words spoken with the specific purpose of harming someone who trusts us. In other words, when someone speaks evil, deceitful words, your incredulous reaction is to say, “I never thought so-and-so would have said such a thing about me!” A person who speaks of others in such a way opens herself to arguments, and maybe even blows, and because of her tongue, could very well shorten her life. God is telling us that if we intend to see many days, we need to be about the business of only pronouncing words about others that bless them. Or as Thumper so eloquently stated in the classic movie Bambi, “If you can’t say somthing nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
The second way to enjoy a good life with many days is to watch what we practice. The scripture says to “depart from evil and do good.” It’s Barney simple. Stop doing bad stuff; start doing good stuff. (By the way, the “good stuff” we’re supposed to be doing is listed out for us in the Bible. Check it out.)
Finally, we will experience good life and many days as we live in peace. The scripture tells us to “seek peace and pursue it.” Peace is something we often have to go after; it’s not simply a product of the atmosphere. In fact, quite to the contrary, the atmosphere in which we find ourselves may be turbulent and even hostile, fostering anything but a peaceful existence. That’s why God had to tell us to seek it and pursue it. We are to be adamant about making peace our reality. Romans 12:18 even says, “ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (NIV).
So there we have it. If we are careful about what we pronounce, conscious about our practice, and constant in our search for peace, we will have found the Fountain of Youth God has provided for all His children. Let’s worship our God today for supplying a way for us to experience a good life with many days.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.
Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)