Last Sunday at our church worship service we sang the Matt Redman song “10,000 Reasons.” In part, the song is a reminder to be worshipping the Lord no matter how old we are, what condition our physical body is in, or what circumstances we are going through. Here are some excerpts:
“The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
when the evening comes.
Bless the Lord oh my soul
, Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my sou
l
I’ll worship Your Holy name.
And on that day
when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will
sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore.”
It reminded me of “Uncle” Bob Schneider’s guest sermon at our church just the prior Sunday: “Radical Living Brings Radical Hope.” Uncle Bob, President of BCF for over 20 years now, turned 85 this past December. He would say that his memory is failing and he is physically slowing down. All that is true. His cane is his constant companion.
But II Corinthians 4:16-17 is also true: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory, far beyond all comparison.”
Uncle Bob has been a great example of this truth. Although his outer man is decaying, by God’s grace his inner man is doing great! Uncle Bob’s love for the Lord and commitment to the Word of God still shine through.
Now before you or his family get too concerned, Uncle Bob is not on his “deathbed,” although he also knows that the Lord can take him or any of us at any time. So don’t read too much into this blog. Some of us wish he could be here on earth doing what he is doing for another 85 years or until the Lord comes.
His “Radical Living Brings Radical Hope” sermon is part of the message he wants to leave behind before his strength fails too much further. While many people have a “bucket list” of things they want to see or experience before they die, Uncle Bob’s bucket list is more focused on the life applications from the Word he wants to leave with us. He wouldn’t call it his bucket list, but that’s pretty much what it is.
This is all to say that you might enjoy listening to his “Radical Living” message, if you have about 39 minutes. The link is http://newlifelq.com/index.php/sermons/.
The message will give you a little more of an idea about what God says should be our focus as we live out the rest of our lives, however many days or years that may be. It’s a good reminder for those of us who are a few years younger. Certainly there are some things we might like to see or do before we die, but the most important part is the message we want to leave behind.
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Steve Smith