Issue 1,131 – Retiring? – April 15, 2023
Yesterday I was reading Acts 7 about Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Stephen tells his accusers in the Sanhedrin the story of Moses, moving into Joshua, David and Solomon and the building of the temple. He reminded the assembled Jewish leader of their ancestors resisting the Holy Spirit. He accused them of doing the same thing.
In response, the assembled leaders are enraged and stone Stephen to death for blasphemy.
There is enough in Stephen’s speech to keep a preacher busy for a month or more. After writing on something from Exodus yesterday, the parts about Moses struck me.
“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.” Acts 7:23-30
When Lord called Moses into ministry at the burning bush, Moses was 80. That flies in the face of worldly wisdom, which tells us that we ought to retire as early as possible and move into a life of leisure.
I have seen it happen with many Christians. They hit retirement age and fade from the scene. They give up serving and become consumers.
I understand; as we age, we can’t do some of the things we used to do, or at least do them as quickly. Our roles may change in the different stages of life, but even the very elderly are an essential part of the body of Christ.
The spring in our step might not be as high as it once was. We might have problems remembering names, but we still have lots of love to give and experiences to share.
We can still pray, encourage and build relationships. We can teach. They are plenty of children that need stand-in grandparents. The places of service are only limited by our own imagination.
Don’t let your age or changing abilities push you away from continuing to serve the Lord. The Bible doesn’t have a retirement age. We are created to serve the Lord for all our earthly life.
Are you serving or simply sitting on the sidelines? You may be able to do what you once did, but there are things you can still do.
Let us make the most of the time God has given us.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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