Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Not Resting on our Laurels

I shared the following thoughts with our senior adults for the June edition of Joyful Tidings, our monthly newsletter for our seniors.



Blake has been sharing some challenging messages with us in his current sermon series on “Dare to Make a Difference.”  He has encouraged us to move beyond our comfort zones and engage in some actions that stretch our faith beyond what we normally do.  I suspect that some of you reading this column might be thinking that your adventuresome days are all best viewed in the rear view mirror.  You might be tempted to say that God couldn’t possibly still use you or expect you to attempt anything new and challenging because you’re well into the prime of life.

If that’s what you’re thinking, I’d suggest that you think again.  When we read the pages of scripture, it’s amazing that many of God’s choice servants were just beginning their active ministries or catching their second wind as they approached 80 years of age.  Abraham and Moses were both certainly senior adults when God called them to make a difference—challenging Abraham to leave his country and journey to an unknown land, and asking Moses to free His people from slavery in Egypt.  The other person who stands out in my mind is Caleb who at the age of 85 is begging Joshua for the opportunity to take the fortified cities of the enemy who lived in the highlands of Israel.  Caleb confidently affirms that he’s still just as strong to engage the enemy in battle as he was at the age of 40 when Moses sent him and Joshua to spy out the land of Canaan.

You may be thinking it’s time to rest on your laurels and let the younger folks lead the way, but I strongly suspect that God still has some things He wants you to accomplish.  Otherwise, He wouldn’t have left you here.  Why not pray that dangerous prayer that Blake suggested we pray of “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  Then trust Him for the strength, resources, and courage to do it.  Let’s not grow weary in well-doing.

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