The World Cup hasn’t even started, but the media is packed with stories comparing Messi vs. Ronaldo. Which one is soccer’s GOAT, or will one fall this year from “clutch” to “cooked”? Which were their best games … how do they compare?
That made me reflect on my own life. How do I gauge myself?
How do you measure your life? Do we rest on past successes, past miracles that God did for us? Or do we continually press forward in Christ?
Dr. Ed Cole, my dad, warned us to be wary of “faded glory.” You’ll enjoy this devotional by him from the book, A Man’s Guide to the Maximized Life.
I was in a restaurant with a friend who said, “I give you the right to speak into my life. Anything you see that needs to be changed, tell me. If I’m doing something wrong, let me know. I know you will tell me the truth.”
I paused for a long time, then said, “Faded glory.”
He stared at me. “I don’t understand,” he said. “What do you mean?”
So I told him. “Nancy and I were talking about our early days, when we were first converted. We would not miss a church service, prayer meeting, or street witnessing. The glory of God filled our hearts.”
Then she said something we have said over the years.“Edwin, I was born in the fire and can’t stand to live in the smoke.”
“My friend asked, “What’s that got to do with me?”
“When you started over twenty years ago,” I told him, “the glory of God filled everything you did. You learned how to work, worship, lead, witness, teach, work, sell—whatever. Now you’re a success, but you’re doing the same things the same way.
“A marriage can be in the same condition. The husband says it’s great, and the wife says it’s mediocre at best. The wonder, awe, passion, and love are now cold.
“Men resting on old, faded glory.
“Marriage partners that began with blessing, wonder, and gratitude now accept divorce as casually as going to the theater.
“Businesses with aim and purpose now find boredom, half-heartedness, and mediocrity.
“Christian men who began in the glory of God now live in the afterglow, talking about the past as if it were the present. It’s faded glory.”
As we left the restaurant, he said he would never forget those words.
In the Old Testament, the glory of God filled the temple. Time went by and the temple was still there, but brass had replaced the gold—a sign of faded glory.
Nancy said, “Let’s not just fade away. Let’s burn out for Jesus.”
After retiring, the famed General MacArthur said, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
“Fade away” is the way of the flesh, world, earth, and man—but not God.
God’s glory never fades. God’s glory is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Be fired up for your marriage, your work, for what God has called you to do. Stay fired up for God for life. Don’t live in faded glory.
That’s a good word for all of us. Send it to a friend you care about.
Grace and Peace,
Paul Louis Cole
