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PROGRAM D-8322
What would you give to find the fountain of youth? For thousands of years, there have been tales about a fountain that would restore your youth when you drink or bath in its waters. Ponce de Leon was searching for this fountain when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513. However, if he found it then, it didn’t work too well because he’s been gone a few centuries now.
I’m examining how we, as Christ-followers, can find the spiritual fountain of youth, so that we can be renewed day by day inwardly, as Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. It’s this inward day by day renewal that is our fountain of youth, so to speak. So, I’m sharing specific steps you can take to stay spiritually young. The first step was to pray every morning Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Step number two comes from Ephesians 4:22-24: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
To be made new in the attitude of your mind, you have to put off your old self and put on the new self—just like taking off old dirty clothes and putting on new lovely ones.
If you’ve been born from above through faith in Jesus, you have been given new garments, but for you to be renewed day-by-day, you have to put off the old ones so you can put on the new ones. That’s the part you must play if you want the spiritual fountain of youth.
What does this look like in everyday life? One way might be that when you start to gossip, you realize that’s the old self—and you stop and take it off. You have a new spirit like Jesus that doesn’t gossip. Another way might be that when you are ready to complain and gripe, your new spirit gives you a check, and you put off that old life; you put on the new one which is joyful like Jesus. Do you get the idea?
So, step two is to be made new by putting off the old and putting on the new. This is a daily discipline for us as believers in Christ Jesus—provided we really want to be renewed inwardly and stay young.