Psalm 71:9, “And now, in my old age, don’t set me
aside. Don’t forsake me now when my strength is failing” (TLB)
If it’s one thing that drives me nuts being a New
York City resident, it is out of service buses! Now, if you've ever spent a lot of time
or any time, in the city, you may have had the experience of waiting for a bus.
And that part really doesn’t bother me all that much. Many times in life we
experience waiting, whether we like it or not. We have to wait at the
supermarket, in the mall, at the ATM, at the gas station, at the doctor or
dentist office, even for the church service to finally be over! So waiting
isn’t foreign to many of us. However, when you've got a couple of packages in
your hands to juggle, and it's freezing outside, not to mention some weird
people are starting to cruise by for the second time (making you extremely nervous, after all, we are talking about the city
here), but then suddenly you see the dim outline of a bus on the horizon! Relief
sets in, you will finally (or should I
say hopefully) be able to get on the bus and get a seat, you will be able
to warm up a bit and sit your bags down to allow the blood to begin flowing
again in your numb fingertips. Literally your heart leaps within you like a
child on Christmas morning as you see the bus approaching!
BUT,
finally it gets close enough for you to read the sign on the bus, and there are
three words that almost stop your heart from beating: "OUT OF SERVICE"! You have got to be kidding me! I’m
obviously being punked, who would dare have a bus ride by a person holding a
million bags, freezing, and waiting forever, just to have the bus show up with
“OUT OF SERVICE” as its distressing sign?
Who knew three little words could be so very
discouraging?
That
“OUT OF SERVICE” message on the bus reminded me
of 2 Timothy
4:6-7, a very interesting valedictory on Paul's life. Now, if you've
ever tried to ride a bus (especially in
good ole New York City), you may know how it feels to need a vehicle and
find out that it's “OUT OF SERVICE”. You know,
not available for you to use? No matter how badly you need to use it! Well, God knows that feeling too.
And
that takes us to Paul here at the end of his lifetime run. And truth is, he has
every right to rest! I mean, he has served the Lord with all his heart. Listen
to just a brief portion of Paul’s service to the Lord:
Like
I said, clearly Paul deserves every right to retire, move to Florida, and
lounge on the beach for countless hours day-by-day! He has every right to leave
the battles to someone else; to hang out his sign that says, "OUT OF SERVICE"! But listen instead to Paul’s
response from 2
Timothy 4:6-7, "I am being poured out like a drink offering, and the time
has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith."
Let’s
look at it in different translations:
“You take over. I’m about to die, my life an
offering on God’s altar…” (MSG);
“Now the time has come for me to die. My life is
a drink offering being poured out on the altar…” (CEV);
“My life is coming to an end, and it is now time
for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God…” (GWT);
“I say this because I won’t be around to help you
very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way
to heaven…” (TLB)
Paul's
picture at the end of his life, after 30 years of giving all he had to give, says,
“you take over,
I’m about to die, the time for me to die has come, my life is coming to an end,
I won’t be around to help you very much longer”. And if that’s all
he said that might sound quite depressing and discouraging. However, listen to
the rest, "my
life is a drink offering BEING POURED OUT on the altar…my time has ALMOST RUN
OUT...." I love the fact that Paul still uses Present Tense!
Yes, his life is ALMOST over and he’s ABOUT to die…However, God Is Still Using Me! He’s Still Pouring My Life
Out Into the Lives of Others as a Sacrifice and Offering! I’m Not Quite Done
YET!
What
I see as a visual is an Olympic runner with veins bulging and every sweat gland
pumping, fully extended, nothing left. He in essence says, "When I cross the
finish line into Jesus' arms, I want to collapse into His arms with nothing
left in my pockets, nothing left in my energy. I will give it all to the finish
line." Man! Paul will not retire spiritually until he gets
retired by his Lord to heaven! He’s not stopping short, he’s making no excuses
no matter how bad his knees hurt, how dull his eyesight has become, the aches
in his back etc…He’s
Fighting All the Way Through the Finish Line! God is Still Pouring Out of Paul,
and Paul Has No Complaints! He gets to the end of his journey and in
essence says, “Lord,
I’ve run my race all the way to the end, but if you should need another lap out
of me, I’m still laced up and ready to run!”
Well,
that's the attitude we all should share, but we don't sometimes. Right? Oh,
maybe you've worked hard for the Lord, you've done a lot of the jobs there are
to do, and you're kind of tired. Now you're saying, "I think I've earned a little time out; I
think I've earned a rest. Let's pass it on to others. I served my time."
And let’s be honest, many of us have worn every hat there is to wear in
ministry, and now we’re ready to lay our weary heads down and take a restful
nap. No one is saying that you haven’t earned the right to rest. Certainly Paul
did. However,
Paul still made himself available to the Lord, regardless to the ending of his
years of life. Can you honestly say you serve God like that?
Listen, truth is, no matter what age we are, we
don't have a time limit in serving the Lord! Most
have maybe 70 or 80 years of service to make our mark for eternity. And in most
recent years we now see saints up in the 100’s still in church, serving the
Lord. And why? Because there's too much to do and there's too few to do it! Because
everybody feels qualified and entitled to take a break! Especially our seasoned leaders! And believe me, I understand. I have quite a bit of
longevity on both sides of my family with an aunt who just turned 103 years
old. That’s a lot of time to dwell here on the earth (especially with in most recent years the untimely death of many youth).
So, I get it, you’ve worked hard and now you’re tired. And rightfully so! But you've got experience that most of our education can’t
even compete with! We still need you! Don't hang out an "OUT OF SERVICE"
sign just yet!
There’s still more fruit in you that we need to be
nourished by! Psalm 92:14, “[Growing in
grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper IN OLD AGE; They will
flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];”
(AMP) How powerful is that?!
Seniors, you will THRIVE; BEAR FRUIT; PROSPER; FLOURISH; BE VITAL AND FRESH;
RICH IN TRUST, LOVE AND CONTENTMENT! And when will all of this occur? “…IN OLD AGE…”! Does that sound like a person
with an “OUT OF SERVICE” sign over them? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Your work for the Lord
does not expire with age!
Listen:
We're here to live poured-out lives, holding
nothing back, just like Paul. We might retire to a different location, but
never retiring from the front lines until God calls us home. You want to
re-tire, that means to put new tires on so you can keep on going; in other
words GET RE-TIRED! Then keep on trucking! God is looking for
human vehicles that He can use for heaven's sake. Don't pull up in front of Jesus with a sign that says
"OUT OF SERVICE"
Seniors,
remember, above I shared with you why a person is so excited when they see a
long-awaited bus appear? It’s often because they’ve been waiting in that same
spot for a long time; not to mention they have to battle with the weather (in extreme hot and cold and everything in
between); they’re often carrying bags (or
baggage); sometimes it’s real early in the morning or real late at night.
In other words, they’re excited because something that can carry them (and all they carry) is coming down the
road in their direction. And there’s an assigned stop for the bus exactly where
they’re standing. And no matter how tired or stressed they may be, the sight of
that long-awaited bus approaching brings hope and expectation, relief and rest.
And when seniors
are present, you do the very same thing for us.
Many
of us are exhausted and weighed down from life, marriage, ministry, work,
health, finances, school, family, bills and the like, and we’re looking for
that long-awaited bus (that has been down
this route many times) to stop by and pick us up. So the very last thing
they want to see is there hopes dashed in a little 3-letter message of “OUT OF SERVICE”.
And
what’s even worse is that sometimes when that “OUT OF
SERVICE” bus passes, you end up having to wait another long period of
time before another bus arrives. Now, some people, who’ve gotten tired of
waiting, simply decide to walk. That doesn’t sound all that dangerous, but look
at it from this perspective. A person was standing at the bus stop, exhausted
and weighed down. The “OUT OF SERVICE” bus
appears, they walk away from the place that was designed to send what would
pick them up and take them where they needed to go. And
many people likewise have walked away from the church for the very same reason.
Seniors, there are a host of people (of
all ages) who need what you have. They need to hear your knowledge,
understanding and wisdom. They need to hear your failures and mistakes. They
need to hear your advice and direction. Don’t go “OUT OF SERVICE” leaving them
to walk away.
Be
like Paul instead, and pour out everything you have, until the very last drop
has been given. Believe me, you are making lives better, marriages better, all
ages better, ministry/church better, life better. With you helping us, we’ll be
better. So, despite
your age, please know that there are still people standing at the
bus stop (with a lot of baggage and
exhaustion) who need you to stop by, pick them up and take them where they
need to go. I’m
one of those people, so please STAY IN SERVICE!
Proverbs 16:31, “The silver-haired head is a
crown of splendor and glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.” (AMP);
Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age, I am He, And
even to your advanced old age I will carry you! I have made you, and I will
carry you; Be assured I will carry you and I will save you.” (AMP);
“It’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.” (Abe Lincoln)
“You are never too old to set a new goal or
dream a new dream.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Beautiful young people are accidents of
nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
“Some people, no matter how old they get,
never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their
hearts.” (Martin Buxbaum)
“Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age.
And dreams are forever.” (Walt Disney)
“Those who love deeply never grow old; They
may die of old age, but they die young.” (Benjamin Franklin)
Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)
"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)
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