By Gary Andrews
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Over the past few months I have seen many advertisements for life alert systems, whether they are necklaces, bracelets, or of some other form. Most of the targeted audience for these ads is senior citizens, especially the ones that are widowed and live alone.
These are great items to have. I whole heartily recommend these life alert systems because no one ever knows when they are going to need one. A couple of months ago I witnessed an elderly lady out in her yard working and she seemed to be in good health and good spirit. As I went about my business I noticed that police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances came rushing to her home which was very surprising to her also.
I quickly dropped what I was doing and ran across the street to see what the problem was. Knowing the fire chief I asked him about the situation and he told me her life alert necklace had gone off, unknowingly to her. When all of the emergency personnel arrived they went to her only to find out it had been triggered from a limb of a bush she was pruning.
This was a great example of how these life alert systems can and do work, even if it is by mistake.
There is one life alert system that all of us can have and it doesn’t matter how old you are. His name is Jesus and all we have to do is ask Him into our heart and have the faith that He will always be with us. Many of us face problems in our daily routines whether it is at work or at home. Many of us allow situations to get out of hand with our family, friends, and co-workers. Many of us face problems with our health, finances, and outlook on life in general.
When you accept Jesus as your personal savior you will always have a confidant that you can always go to. Through the reading of His Word and prayer He will give you directions and answers to your problems. It may not be the way you want it to be but He will answer and work with you every time.
Just as many of our senior adults will reject life alert systems because they believe they are capable of taking care of themselves, many of us will reject Christ because we feel we can do anything on our own. Life alert systems can save lives and I feel that all of us should have one. After all, we never know when we are going to take a tumble and not be able to get up. Having a life alert system can save our lives while we are on earth and we should get our pride out of the way.
Knowing Jesus personally gives us the satisfaction of knowing when we do leave this earth that we are going to spend eternity with Him. When we think we don’t need God we need to remember what the Psalmist says in Psalm 36:2; “For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” For many of us that are reaching the golden years, we flatter ourselves too much to take the aids that are available to us. We need these earthly tools to help us and all of us, regardless of age, need Jesus to lean on.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the assurance you give in eternal life. You tell us that knowing you personally through faith is all we need for eternal life. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Titus 3:9-11; Monday – 1 Timothy 4:1-8; Tuesday – Proverbs 26:12; Wednesday – Jude 3-4; Thursday – Ezekiel 3:16-19; Friday – Psalm 111-10; Saturday – 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals. com.