Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).

A WORD TO PARENTS

My prayer is that you will be responsible for settling the business that must take place when living wills and last wills and final arrangements must be made. It is emotionally hard on others to make such decisions for a loved one. Be proactive so others won’t have to be reactive. The older generation should set an example of making important decisions while they are able to do so. Your children will someday be dealing with the same issues you are today. You can bless your children with the example of responsible planning.

I remember being moved when I read the last will and testament of the late J. P. Morgan. He is noted as perhaps the most influential banker in history. I have often wondered about the reaction of his children when they read their father’s will after his death in 1913. I hope they sensed the power of his words and gained strength from them: “I commit my soul into the hands of my Saviour, in full confidence that having redeemed it and washed it in His most precious blood He will present it faultless before the throne of my Heavenly Father; and I entreat my children to maintain and defend, at all hazard, and at any cost of personal sacrifice, the blessed doctrine of the complete atonement for sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, once offered, and through that alone.”1

Making choices for ourselves is not easy, but leaving them to someone else is risky. Having your house in order is one of the most important things parents can do for their children. Give them the peace of mind that you have your piece of mind and have taken care of the business that has come about from your lifetime of labor. More than anything else, let them know where you stand with the Lord Jesus Christ, for this will be your lasting legacy.

NEARING HOME WITH RESPONSIBLE PLANNING

Are we joyfully giving thanks in all circumstances, or are we making our last years on earth unbearable for ourselves and those close to us? Are we obediently setting things in place so that others will know that we were responsible followers of Christ? Are we preparing for death with the assurance that Jesus is preparing our homecoming? When we reach our destiny, will others know where we are?

The book of Hebrews has a lot to say about wills and testaments: “In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living” (Hebrews 9:16–17). Jesus came and dwelt among mankind. He was the example of how to live—and how to die. He came to die so that we may live. He also was resurrected in order to fulfill the promise He made: “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2 NKJV). This is why the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). This is a wonderful last will and testament. We may grow impatient with our circumstances in our remaining years of life, but as we wait for the reunion with our Savior, let’s recall God’s will for us: “Be joyful always; . . . give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, emphasis added).

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FADING STRENGTH BUT STANDING STRONG

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

—PSALM 71:9 NKJV

Stand up to your obstacles. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.

—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

The headline of an article that appeared in 2010 on a Tokyo website stated, “A robot suit that gives super strength to the elderly.” Included was a picture of the power suit modeled not by a senior adult but by an athletic youth. The caption stated that the heavy-duty suit weighs sixty-six pounds and will be originally priced at 1 million yen (approximately $12,000). I asked myself, “How many my age have the strength to carry around sixty-six pounds for an hour, much less all day; and who could possibly afford such an expense?” I was relieved that the article indicated that there were no plans to sell the suits overseas. I’ll just be content struggling to get my shoes on each morning!

I had to look carefully at the article to discern just how an exoskeleton suit made of metal and plastic could give any strength. The secret was not in the suit but in the eight electric motors and sensors responding to commands through a voice-recognition system, enabling the body to lift and bend without strain to the muscles. While this futuristic invention may never be seen in our department stores, the brainstorming behind it reveals man’s desire for strength and power beyond himself.

A sixty-five-year-old father was helping his son move into a new house. When the son told his buddies about it, he said, “Dad and I were trying to move the freezer into the kitchen. I went to the garage to get the hand truck. When I returned, my dad had moved the freezer across the deck and into the kitchen the hard way—by sheer strength! My first response was to remind him he could have thrown his back out or pulled a muscle. Then I saw the twinkle in his eye. He was proud of his accomplishment, and I have to say, I was proud of him. Old man strength came to mind, and I concluded that there was a lot I could learn from this man with the silver hair who has always stood strong and exhibited sheer determination.”

The Bible says, “The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor