God who was and is and will be,

The world knows the vigor and beauty of youth. But it ignores the glory of the aged in its white hairs. For it fears what lies shortly beyond it.

We rejoice, Lord, that we have the experience and wisdom of the elderly to guide us, their perspective to provide us focus, their patience to slow us down.

May we listen to their words and respect them for the important place they play in our lives.

In him who is the Alpha and Omega, amen.

by Greg Tidwell

Libertarianism, the political expression of Objectivist philosophy, is a continued force in American public policy. With prominent media coverage of the Religious Right, Christians should realize there is also an active atheistic faction in today's Conservative political movement.

The Truth Shall Make You Free

Ayn Rand, who died in 1982, is best known as an author of philosophical novels, the most important of which, Atlas Shrugged, was published in 1957. Rand's novels provide the primary statement of Objectivism, an atheistic system that attempts to give direction for human life based on a logical evaluation of reality.

Rand calls on each person to live by reason, claiming whatever opposes rationality or logic is evil. John Galt, the hero of Atlas Shrugged, expresses this view:

Do not say that you're afraid to trust your mind because you know so little. Are you safer in surrendering to mystics and discarding the little you do know? Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life. (p. 982)

Objectivism seeks to follow logic to maximize value, each individual acting in his or her own self-interest. Within this system there is a continual dynamic to abandon those things of lesser value to attain those of higher value.

This trenchant analysis of value has figured prominently in the development of Conservative economic policy. Alan Greenspan, for example, was a longtime friend and admirer of Ayn Rand.

The Greatest Truth Is God

Objectivism has its good points, especially its commitment to truth and freedom. However, from a Christian perspective, Rand's analysis is deeply flawed. Her system, failing to consider God, has missed the single most important aspect of reality.

Rand's atheism can only place the individual as the centerpiece of his or her world. This system consists of selfish economic calculations, each person's highest value being only himself.

Objectivism, accordingly, is without mercy, sympathy, or any form of selfless giving.

"My philosophy," Rand explains in an appendix to Atlas Shrugged, "in essence is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason as his only absolute" (p. 1085)

Christians, in contrast, know that there is a God. This knowledge provides a much broader view of value than Rand's system allows. Belief in God calls us to aspire to something greater than ourselves. Knowing God, Christians know the value of mercy, kindness, and love. These transcendent values provide a fuller appreciation for truth than any atheistic system can offer.

by Mike Benson

Stretch out your palm. Separate your fingers to their widest; hold them as far apart as you can. Study what you see and then consider: Scripture says that's a picture of human longevity. David wrote, "LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor" (Psalm 39:4,5). That's right. Life at its best is little more than an abbreviated measurement. A handbreadth.

Jeanne-Louise Calment would have agreed. According to Guinness, she was born in Arles, France on February 21, 1875 and died on August 4, 1997. Do a little math in your head and you'll discover that she lived 122 years, 164 days. Whew! She lived a l o n g time, didn't she? Not really. Not when you consider life when compared to eternity. As long as Jeanne-Louise lived, hers was but a handbreadth.

Dear friend, in terms of the clock, your life is ever-so-short (Job 14:1,2; James 4:14). Assuming you escape the ravages of disease, you don't perish in some untimely accident, and your parents had extremely good genes, it's still doubtful that you'll live as long as Jeanne-Louise Calment. And even if you do, it will be but a handbreadth.

Consider:

. What are you doing with your time (Ephesians 5:15,16; Colosians 4:5; Psalm 90:12)? Paul Meyer wrote, "Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that has been deliberately kicked over."

. Do you look back at the end of a day and say, "I didn't get anything done"?

. Are you accomplishing the really important things (John 9:4)? Are you "run ragged" with urgent matters?

. If you were to die right now, could you say, "I didn't neglect the most important things in my life"? Doctor Jesus had a very full patient schedule (Mark 6:31) and yet He finished His job (John 19:30).

Max Anders observed, "It matters to God how we use our time. It is something which He has given us. We don't own it. We are responsible to manage it for Him. It doesn't mean we must always work. Part of our time should be used in recreation and rest, the development and enjoyment of relationships. But we must be aware of how we use our time, and use it wisely" (30 Days to Understanding the Bible, "Be A Steward," 81).

Time is limited.

It is like a handbreadth.

Use it well.

"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).

by Stan Mitchell

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Have you ever tried to corner a chicken? Paving stones are more aerodynamic than chickens! Somehow this most inelegant of birds senses that flight is a matter of greatest urgency, and in a flurry of claws and feathers she does her best to avoid a destiny with an iron skillet and a bottle of Crisco.

Would this be poultry in motion?

Have you ever tried to corner an eagle? Ten-foot chicken wiring tends to be inadequate confinement. And in the broad, blue sky, a thousand feet above the earth, there aren't many corners, anyway.

That would be a receding raptor.

When we attempt to rise above life's difficulties on our own, our efforts are usually about as exalted and dignified as a harassed hen. And the temptation usually catches us, red feet clasped in hand, hanging upside down and ready for the fryer!

So why do we try vainly to live life without the help of God? Don't we want to soar on wings like eagles? Don't we want to rise above the dust and grit of the hen house? Why do Christians try to get along without the benefit of Bible Study and worship time? Why do we fail to seek consolation in prayer?

Rest on the wings of the Lord. Pray for his strength. Be in his presence for worship. Serve his people.

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself" (Exodus 19:4).

Are you a fryer or a flier?

by Barry Newton

"You just do not understand me," lamented the young wife. Her feelings of alienation and frustration felt as though she was on a lonely raft in the midst of the sea.

Her husband was confident he knew exactly what was going on and what she needed. He had the answers if only she would be quiet long enough to listen to him. All this talk just irritated him more each moment. The drumbeat in his brain kept resonating, "Let's just cut to the chase and get on with solving this!"

The more he insisted he understood and tried to move them toward resolution, the more arrogant and distant he seemed to her. She so desperately wanted him to understand her. As far as she was concerned, he did not have a clue.

Communication can be difficult, especially if someone has difficulty expressing feelings, misinterprets another's motives, seeks sympathy or validation without indicating this is desired, or is not willing to divulge deep agendas. While people can have difficulty understanding one another, there is One who truly does understand each one of us.

Jesus left his glory and place with the Father to become flesh and blood, just like us. He was tempted in every way just as we are./1 Jesus knows the types of struggles you feel and go through./2 He knows the difficulty of facing hard decisions, where your heart desires to take one path but you know you should do something different. Jesus even knows rejection, loneliness, suffering, and ridicule to a degree that many of us will never experience.

Combine Jesus' ability to sympathize with our weaknesses along with God's complete understanding of our thoughts and motives/3 and that creates a powerful source of help. Our Lord might not always approve of our desires or choices, but he does understand what we are going through. He does sympathize. He does long to help. There is grace and mercy extended to us if we will approach the throne of grace./4

In view of the wonderful resource we have in our Lord, how much time have you spent in prayer lately talking to God? How much are you relying upon your High Priest to help you and strengthen you? Jesus understands.   1/ Hebrews 4:15; Mark 1:13 2/ Hebrews 2:17,18; 4:15 3/ Hebrews 4:13 4/ Hebrews 4:16