REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR IN YOUR YOUTH - "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low—they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets—before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity."
Upon first glance of reading Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, one may presume that Solomon is being rather morbid. He speaks at length about the natural deterioration of the aging, human body and declares our physical existence this side of heaven as vanity. However, it would be foolish for those of us who identify ourselves as followers of Christ to gaze upon the future and begrudgingly anticipate doom and gloom. Far too often in the church we view ministry as occupational in nature and our age proportionately influenced by the season of life we find ourselves in. In other words, we labor in the workforce from typically age 18 to 65, then retire to the reality of personal comforts typically disengaged from active ministry service. The common perspective would be that the baton is passed to a younger generation who has more time and energy to do the work of God. Unfortunately, this reality is far too common and as non-Biblical a mindset as we could ever imagine. No where in Scripture are we encouraged to "retire" from ministry, for serving God is not restrained by age whatsoever. Rather, the Bible speaks plainly, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:16-17).
The notion that aging is a negative process is misguided as well, for "gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life" (Proverbs 16:31). The longer we live, the greater perspective God blesses us with. Experiential knowledge increases over time as we navigate through joys and triumphs, trials and tribulations. With each experience, God teaches us something new. Whether we choose to hold fast to wisdom or foolishness thereafter is another question altogether, but the seed is planted in our hearts and minds for future application. Therefore, we must be focused on bearing good fruit regardless of how young or old we are with the unique perspective God allows based on our experiential knowledge. Scripture affirms, "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 92:12-15). If we are to maximize the time allotted to us by God to live on this earth, we must realize that age is simply a number and has no bearing on whether God can use us for His glory to bear good fruit. Age simply demonstrates our amount of healthy growth (or lack thereof) based on the character and countenance of our faith in Jesus Christ.
It is important we understand the importance of a spiritual legacy. Many of us fail to realize the full breadth and depth our thoughts and actions have over time. What we learned in our youth affirms who we believe God to be as we transition from age to age. More importantly, time magnifies the impact sin has on our fellowship with God and the subsequent ministry impact we have for His kingdom. For if we sow seeds of righteousness our harvest will be bountiful, but if we sow seeds of foolishness our harvest will be barren. Perhaps that is why the Psalmist declares, "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come" (Psalm 71:17-18). There is no substitute for proclaiming the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world desperate for peace, hope, love and forgiveness, and we are commissioned to not just preach that message of grace but practically apply its wisdom in how we love and serve others. "A new commandment I (Jesus) give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
If anything, retirement within the workplace should springboard us deeper into the waters of ministry. Time is freed up allowing us to get more intimately involved in the work of the church, both at home and abroad. In no way should we slow down simply because the golden years have arrived. There are simply too many avenues for God to use our time, energy and resources for His glory within our families and communities. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:9-10). Faith in Jesus Christ believes we go no place by accident and that our efforts are never made in vain. Therefore, we can walk confidently by the power of the Holy Spirit knowing that the time we invest for the sake of Gospel will return to us tenfold. Keep in mind, that does not allow us to postpone our ministry service till retirement. In no way are we guaranteed tomorrow, so are wise to begin building our kingdom legacy one moment at a time. Ministry always ebbs and flows based on the season of life we find ourselves in, but opportunities abound to positively impact the lives of those around us in our everyday walk of life.
When Jesus taught the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12), no doubt many people gasped at the enormity of the lesson. In today's age, common logic would compel us as it did for the rich fool to save up, build a nest egg for retirement, and enjoy our twilight years in ease and comfort. Jesus had a different lesson in mind though, and conveys the same message to our hearts now as He did when He first spoke these words almost 2,000 years ago. "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:20-21). We must be continually mindful that living wisely is not misconstrued as living comfortably. Yes, there are comforts that come with having a personal relationship with Jesus, but many hardships as well especially when we self-protect. Therefore, we must never forget the promise Jesus made to His disciples regarding the fruit of their ministry labor, because we are commissioned with the same message throughout our lives to the praise and glory of His name. For with great risk, there is great reward—and a life sold out for the Gospel no matter the time or circumstance will reap a good harvest regardless of age. "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours" (John 15:18-20).
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