The Fountain of Youth

Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O LORD, are on high forever. For behold, your enemies, O LORD, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered. But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (Psalm 92:7-15 ESV). Men have been searching for the “fountain of youth” for centuries. It seems that some manufacturers believe they have found such an elixir! To the befuddlement of scientists and regulators, many of the largest food manufacturers are embellishing their products with the active ingredients found in dietary supplements and traditional herbal medicines, some of which may not be effective, or even safe. Major brands like Snapple now promise to "enlighten your senses" by brewing herbs like ginkgo biloba into bottles of iced tea. Celestial Seasonings urges consumers to steep away their stresses with kava, a sedative root from the South Seas now found in its Tension Tamer cocktail. Even Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble are working on fruit-flavored tonics to soothe the pain of aging baby boomers with stiff knees by adding glucosamine, a building block of cartilage. The SoBe beverage line of PepsiCo offers elixirs with herbs like St. John's wort, appealing to New Age enthusiasts looking for Wisdom and Karma, as the drinks are called. And Dannon is working on a new super-yogurt intended to enhance the immune system. Ever since the advent of vitamin enriched white bread and fortified milk, companies have been bolstering drinks and foods with vitamins and minerals, drawing on decades of scientific research. Initial steps taken by Coke and Pepsi into nutraceuticals, as the new foods and beverages are called, could not have been more different. Pepsi acquired the South Beach Beverage Company in 2001. Since then, it has brought drinks like SoBe Adrenaline Rush, which contains the stimulant guarana, into dozens of new markets, hoping to attract the college crowd in search of a late night lift. On the other end of the spectrum, Coke formed a partnership with Procter & Gamble earlier in the year. They planned to introduce a drink called Elations, which promised to ease the aches and pains of the nation's aging population. Each bottle of Elations was to contain 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine, a dietary supplement that has been popular among people with arthritis for years. A study published in the British journal Lancet suggested that glucosamine slowed cartilage erosion, and Elations is being tested in Cape Coral, Fla., under the slogan "Joy for Joints." Douglas N. Daft, Coke's chief executive, has depicted Elations as the equivalent of youth in a bottle, and hopes it will eventually be available in every gas station, supermarket and convenience store in America. "Baby boomers don't want to grow old," Mr. Daft said. "They're looking for the very thing that will help that desire, something that will make the joints ache a little less." How tragic that we will not listen to the truth of God! There is no magic elixir that will eliminate physical aging. The “fountain of youth” is to be found in a spiritual sense through godly living. This is not to say that a godly lifestyle will eliminate or inhibit physical aging or illness. In fact, it won’t! But, it will produce strength of mind and spirit that allows for happiness in the face of our frailties. God’s concern today is our “inner” spirit, not the outward frame that surrounds it. There will be a day for our bodies to be transformed. Today, He wants to transform our spirits. Allow Him to transplant you into His courts and watch how you will flourish!