Echoes From the Campfire

[Don Adkisson]

     “Old age is our reward for our tryin' to live right and work hard.”
               --Lou Bradshaw (Double Trouble)

     "I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you."
               --Isaiah 46:4 (HCSB)
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     I have often been asked what my favorite Scripture is, or what is my favorite book of the Bible. That is a hard question to answer. I know there are some who have what they call a "life-verse." Something that they have for themselves. It would be similar to what I wrote about recently in having a verse be a missions statement. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact having a life-verse helps to keep a person on the right track.
     I could probably point to several verses that I have used throughout my life. For me, it has been better to have a verse to fit the season of life, or the circumstances of life. I would have to point to Colossians 3:17,23. However, since the summer of 2010, a verse that has meant much to me is Proverbs 4:18. I used it in my books, I use it often when signing a letter or note to someone.

          "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
          That shines brighter and brighter until the full day." (NASB)

     Now as to a favorite book. I really like 1 John. Nehemiah, Joshua, and of course, the Psalms are favorites. One of the books that I have studied, taught, and enjoyed is the Book of Ecclesiastes. (One of my "life-verses" is 12:13). I like Ecclesiastes because it is real; it speaks of life and how we must face it. It also reminds us of the frailty of life and that death is coming for all.
     As I am entering a new phase of life--those elder years, I see Ecclesiastes in a different light. When man dies, what is left? In the eons of eternity, the debacle we see today in Congress, will it matter? What is the old saying, "I never saw a hearse with a trailer hitch."  When the last clods are thrown on the coffin, what is there? The millionaire will leave his millions. The architect will leave his buildings, but one day they too, will crumble. Jesus tells us that it will be the pure in heart that will see God.
     If we do not live our lives for the Lord in all aspects, it is for sure--vanity. Vanity can be translated "hopelessness." Without Christ, all is hopeless! Without heaven for your eternal home this life has been nothing but one without hope.

"So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."
--Ecclesiastes 11:10 (NASB)

D. C. Adkisson