Dear Friends.
You have heard it said
that God has a plan and purpose for your life.
No matter how old you are,
it is never too late to discover that plan and His purpose.
Some people today use
age as an excuse for taking early spiritual retirement. "I've' done my
thing and now I am going to let the young people take over."
There is nothing in
the bible that affirms a believer taking earthly spiritual retirement.
Whether we are teenagers, mid lifers, or senior citizens, we should always be
searching for opportunities to do kingdom service.
Years ago, when I was
serving another church, one of our 100-year-old members was still teaching a
women's bible study. In the church where I serve, we have a 93-year-old trustee
member who outworks most of those on the board.
We need more people
like this in our churches. They are God's servants who possess both the wisdom
and the experience to help lead and guide our churches.
All this reminds me of
another senior saint whose passion for spiritual service should be a
model for all of us in the church.
His name is Melvin
Maxwell, and he was the father of speaker and writer John Maxwell.
In a recent podcast
John shares a wonderful story of how his dad in his 90's was still making a
difference in the kingdom.
I tell it in John's
own words.
“My dad was in great health at 92. He's
was the greatest man I ever knew. A few years after his wife had died (They’d
been married for 66 years) my brother and sister and I said, "Dad, let’s
get you into a kind of retirement community, so that you will have plenty
of support from the people around you."
They were just building a retirement facility
close to his home, and my dad said he's like to go, so we took him over and got
him approved to join when the facility opened.
One day while I was having lunch with him, he
said, "Son, you know that when they open the retirement facility,
they said I could be the first to move in."
I said, "That was great," and I
asked him, "Why do you want to be the first one to move in?"
He said, "Son there’s a bunch of old
people going to come here, and those old people are going to be nervous and
insecure, for they’ve never been away from home. They will need somebody here
to encourage them. And then he said, "I want to be the first one at the
front door so when they come into the community I can shake their hands,
and say my name is Melvin Maxwell, and I let them know I am your
friend, and it’s going to be okay and we’re going to have a good time
here."
He mentioned they would need someone to
help them and that’s what he did.
In fact, while I was visiting him in his new
home, I learned he had become the chaplain of that retirement community. They
didn’t vote him in. He just raised his hand and personally elected himself.
There was no retirement in him.
He found a nice big empty meeting room,
and he asked if he could hold a church service there. Those in charge agreed,
and when he had his first service, the room was filled, so he quickly
started holding a second service which also filled up.
One day at lunch he said to me, "Son, I
have a real problem," and he proudly announced that he was filling
both the first and second services and he was now looking into
satellite services. He’s 92, and he’s looking into satellite broadcasting!
He's found a plan and a purpose, and its
serving others. He's discovered his calling, and it's adding value to others
and making a difference in their lives.
When I visited him last I was doing a training
event in Orlando, and I called him and asked him if he would like to speak at
the conference and encourage those coaches who would be present, and he
said, " I would love to come over and speak, but you know I’ve got two
services, and I am not sure I can make it."
With that I told him, "I’ll get the limo
driver to pick you up and we’ll have an early meeting, so you can speak at 8:00
o’clock, and you can be done at 8:30, so you can get back for your first
service at nine and your next service at eleven.
He said, "That would be wonderful.
And then he added, "What a wonderful day it will be for I’ll get to
speak at three services on Sunday." And my dad is 92! He has found
his purpose for living and that is what God wants for you and me.
When you woke up this morning, God had
thoughts about you. He has a plan for you, and regardless of your age, He wants
you to be a part of the fulfillment of that plan.
If you are still working, and you have a
career, that's fine, but don't ever forget the significance of your calling
which is far more valuable than your career. Your career is what you do; your
calling is what you do for others.
The Almighty,
omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God has a plan for you, and that plan is
spelled SERVICE.
"For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you;
plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). While you are
still alive, He wants you to know and fulfill that plan and purpose.
I love how Chuck Swindoll closes his thoughts
on a message he writes on aging. "Few things. will get you in a rut
quicker than sitting around watching hummingbirds suck red juice out of a
jar." The Finishing Touch, Chuck Swindoll, . P. 571.
(Please no unkind e-mails from any of my bird watching friends).”
Yours in faith and
friendship,
Tom
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