IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE

I CAN DO FOR THE LORD?

 As a senior you may feel like life has now passed you by and you feel that you can no longer serve the Lord in the capacity you once did.  Maybe you are confined to a wheelchair.  Maybe you can no longer get around as you once did.  And maybe you are reading this and you are not a senior, but are approaching those years.  This message is also for you.

 And what determines if we are getting ‘old’?  Is it the color or lack of hair?  Is the number of wrinkles we have acquired?  Maybe our shoulders stoop and our eyes are dim.  Maybe we are now hard of hearing and do not understand what people are saying sometimes.

 Someone once said, “we know we are old when we regret the past, fear the future and criticize the present.”  God never intended for we, His children, to become stagnant and unproductive just because they have reached or past the 80 year mark.

 Of necessity our bodies shift into lower gear, but must that affect our attitudes?  Is it possible to be like the senior citizen described in Psalm 92:12-15

 “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright:  He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

 As seniors we can continue to “grow straight and tall” in God’s kingdom.  And notice that you can still bear fruit in old age.  What fruit are we to bear?  How can we bear fruit when sometimes we can hardly get around, and troubles surround us?  No matter what age, what condition you are in, you can still bear fruit and much fruit for the Lord.  You may ask, but what fruit are we talking about here?  Some of you, I am sure know what fruit we are talking about.  Let’s take a look at our “fruit.” 

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law” Galatians 5:21.

 Can we honestly say we walk daily in these nine Gifts of the Spirit?  Jesus said, He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”  Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit in John 7:38.

 Here is the secret for bearing much fruit in our lives, even in our old age, and that is letting the Holy Spirit flow through our lives not just into our lives.  Isn’t that wonderful?

 And how do we keep the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives?  It is that special time with the Lord daily.

“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God:  for unto Thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up” Psalm 5:1-2

 Notice that the Psalmist says he will direct his prayer in the morning.  Even Jesus went out before dawn and prayed to His Father. (Mark 1:35).  Sometimes it is hard in the mornings.  Some have to rush off to their days, as some of us have busy schedules.  But take the time, even a short time, if necessary to give Him your day, invite the Holy Spirit to refresh you for the day ahead, and He will guide your path.  The Psalmist also says that he will “look up.”  When we start our day with the Lord, then we can look up to Him all day, keep our eyes on Jesus as we move through the day, and you can be amazed at how God will move in your life in situations and in answered prayer.

 “I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.  O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.  Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shown Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come” Psalm 71:16:18

 Many of us have been taught from our youth and witnessed and shared His Word with many.  But now, as we are old or getting older He calls us a step further.  He calls us to share our faith with those around us, to our grandchildren, great grandchildren, so that our faith will be continued to be passed down through the generations to come.  What a blessed promise?  That because of our faith down through the years we can be confident that after we have passed on to Heaven, that His Word will continue to be shared to all those to come.  Praise the Lord!

 In conclusion we have learned that we too, as seniors, can continue to minister and share our faith no matter where we are.  And sometimes, it may be just a comforting word to someone who is hurting, blessing them in the Name of Jesus, or just whispering a prayer.   We can then continue to bear fruit and much fruit (John 15), even in our senior years.  May God continue to bless you as you serve Him wherever you are, no matter how old you may be.  The Holy Spirit will continue to flow through you and to bless other lives around you.

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon