I was struck by the reality of getting old the other day when I could hear a strange muffled sound coming from my refrigerator. When I opened the door my cell phone began to ring. As I recounted the incident to my son with a laugh, all he could say was… “Old men”. It’s time to call it quits, huh? No. My business is to live as long as I can, and to the best of my ability, and to serve my Savior as faithfully as I can, until He thinks it’s time to call me Home.”
“As you extend the word of life to me, so that on the day of Christ I may glory in not having run or worked for nothing.” –Philippians 2:16. Paul emphasizes here that when he goes to meet the Lord he wants to be sure that his life was not wasted in vain, sitting around doing nothing for the Lord.
George Whitefield, a great evangelist, was talking to some friends one day and relating to them the difficulties of the ministry. He explained that he was tired and that he was glad that his work and ministry would soon be over. He said that he was excited to leave this old land to be with Christ.
His friends agreed with him, all except one, Mr. Tennant. Noting his disagreement, Whitefield said, “Well, Brother Tennant, you are the greatest among us; don’t you rejoice to think that the time for you to go home is drawing near?”
Tennant bluntly replied, “I have nothing to do with death. My business is to live as long as I can and to the best of my ability, and to serve my Savior as faithfully as I can, until He thinks it’s time to call me home.” . .”
Thousands of retired Christians are content to sit idle, doing absolutely nothing to serve God, or to learn new things, grow spiritually, or deepen their walk with the Lord. When have they had so much time? Now is the perfect time for you to spend time studying God’s Word. You can keep a journal of daily thoughts, memorize Scripture, or use various Bible study books to provide a more in-depth study of a particular topic, book, or theme.
It is never too late to start. As you begin to consistently walk with the Lord and spend time with Him, you will begin to see other areas of your life improve, no matter how old you are or how long you have been a Christian.
On the other hand, I hear retired Christians say, “I’ve done my time. It’s time for the young people to step up and take care of things now. I want to relax and enjoy my retirement.” However, the Scriptures command us to work until the Lord’s Day. Retirement should bring excitement knowing that more time will be available to serve God, learn new things, grow spiritually, and deepen your walk with His Heavenly Father.
HAS YOUR MISSION BEEN FULLY ACCOMPLISHED?
When Joshua was old and far advanced in years, the LORD said to him, “You are very old, and there are still very large tracts of land to take…”. — Joshua 13:1,6
Joshua had accomplished much on the battlefield and in taking the Promised Land. However, at a very old age, his command from God to take all the land had not been fulfilled. The Lord had to remind Joshua that his mission had not been fully accomplished.
Isn’t it interesting that God did not look for a younger leader to continue the work, but went directly to Joshua even in his old age? God went to the person who had accomplished a lot and asked him to continue his purpose. The Lord was not done with Joshua, and he is not done with you either.
THINKING IN THE FUTURE
“Give me now this mountain of which the LORD spoke that day…” – Joshua 14:12
“Give me this mountain,” Caleb, 85, said. Moses had promised. He wasn’t thinking about retirement. The task was still unfinished. Caleb claimed a treacherous area known as Hebron, near Kadesh Barnea, where he first spied land 40 years earlier.
But Hebron was also known for something else. It was known as the place where God spoke to Abraham face to face and gave him the promise of the land in the first place. The very name of Hebron means fellowship, love and communion.
This is the place Caleb longed for and received. While others looked back, Caleb looked forward. And that is an essential key to spiritual longevity: he must always move forward, always seeking to grow spiritually, and never looking back.
There is no withdrawal from the Christian life or spiritual battle. God can give us the privilege, like Caleb, to live to be 85 years of age or older. Or maybe not. But we should want the same passion as Caleb, the excitement of getting up every morning and saying, “What’s ahead? I’m available. I’m ready. Give me this mountain.” That is the way we are to live each and every day: not dwell in the past, not look down on the good old days, but look to Jesus, until He thinks it is time to call us Home. .
Until He comes, God’s will and purpose for every Christian is to bring others to Christ. “And he said to them: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
Witnessing is difficult for many Christians. However, thousands are beginning to bring others to Christ through “Bridge Ministries.” We often don’t realize that some of the greatest gifts God has given us are the things we love to do the most. We often think of these gifts as something God has blessed us with to bring joy and pleasure into our lives. While this is true, those gifts were also given to us to serve as a bridge to bring others to the church and to Him. Leading others to Christ doesn’t have to be a struggle. It can be as simple as sharing “What you like to do” with others.
