Devotionals by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) 

As we approach the finale of Solomon’s ragged-edge journey, we are finally introduced to the One who can give life meaning. At long last, Solomon says it! I’ve wanted to tell him to “remember the Creator” ever since chapter 1 (Doesn’t that sound like an evangelical pastor?). “Solomon, you should remember your Creator in the days of your youth. That’s why you’re so miserable in chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10!” But now he sees it on his own. And he openly admits it. In the final analysis, it’s best if a person makes such a discovery on his own.

The truth is that it takes a while for some folks to see it. Some people need room to find out the hard things on their own. You and I can yell and scream, preach and stick tracts under their noses, write notes, send them Bibles with underlined verses, and tell them to read so-and-so’s book or listen to some sermon online—but they’re not going to do it. They are not ready. They are like Solomon—it will take time. They cannot be told what to do. They need to find out on their own.

Finally, at long last, the day comes when they bow before the King and they say, “Oh, my God! I see it all so clearly. Lord, I need You.” When that happens—and not until—things like perception, reality, and understanding fall into place. They get their “heads together,” as we often say. Prayer returns. God comes into clearer focus. Lo and behold, they remember their Creator.

Solomon finally does that. Isn’t that great? But he doesn’t say “remember,” meaning, “Don’t forget Him.” It is not that kind of remembrance. In fact, this Hebrew word translated “remember” is used somewhat frequently in the Old Testament in a most insightful manner. It is used in 1 Samuel for Hannah when she prayed for a baby. And Scripture says, “The Lord remembered her” (1 Samuel 1:19). God acted on her behalf and caused her to conceive. It’s the same term. It means “to act decisively on behalf of someone.”

“Remember your Creator” means to act decisively on behalf of the living God. This means that we realize He is the one essential ingredient we need for a truly happy lifestyle. It means that we listen to what He says and act accordingly. It means we will not follow the dictates of our own heart, but that we will follow the dictates of His truth. It means we will make an intelligent, serious study of what Scripture says about how to walk in obedience. And having taken a serious account of what God has said about life early on, we will act decisively on His behalf—while we are young.

Taken from Living on the Ragged Edge by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1985, 2004 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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