The problem with old Age!

Forgetfulness?

We must learn some essential truths now so that they can be kept in our minds, to recall at those last years of life when most of us will be dotty to some point!

Old age brings many problems than can be both hard and scary for us, shadows and sudden noises can bring fears, while the memory fades and words that are used everyday are lost?

God is gracious to us in that He loves us and wants to continue to use us even in these last years or in our terminal illness to still be able to share Him in the lost world around us!

Psalm 44:20, 103:2, 119:93, Matthew 16:24, Romans 11:29, Hebrews 10:17, 13:3, 16, James 1:25, 2 Peter 3:1.

”Our Gain?

Grace, Serve and Please God!

We have so much as believers and we forget what we have gained that it can become glib with all the meetings, music, praise and services that we were once attending?

But now with this new virus and its problems, life may never be the same again for some long time period and we have time to reflect and get back on track wither we are young, old or just middle-aged?

Showing grace to the dying world around us, having mercy forgiving others as God forgave us! Ready to serve from making the coffee, to leading a Bible study, organizing street evangelism, to a coffee morning and much more!

This is pleasing to God, but it must all be done with fear and reverence of His Holiness, rather than some of the false ideas that are now trying to influence are minds that are running against Biblical teaching!

Hebrews 12:28.

Samuels Mother!

Hannah.

This is the story of a woman who could not have children and the years were passing, so in despair she turned to Eli the Prophet who interceded for her and she eventually had Samuel a child that was dedicated to God and one of Israel’s greatest Prophets serving the rebellious nation who wanted Kings like the pagans in stead of God!

Faith here we see being put into action, now that we know the Lord as the Savior we are still required to walk in faith that will take us out of the world to be closer to God?

This child was to live to an old age and despite his death, King Saul acting in hypocrisy consulted a medium to call him from the dead, thus revealing he had no faith in his mental illness!

1 Samuel 1:5-20.

Two aged Lady’s

Huldah and Anna!

Two old woman Prophetesses are mentioned in the Bible in relation to warns a king that the people were not with him in relation to worshipping God, they were only giving lip service, a warning today to the many so called Church goers?

Anna on the other hand lived most of her life in the Temple area in Jerusalem and was granted those extra years to see the birth of the Messiah into human flesh!

God does not give up on age, in fact older people have more experience of life, we are not always good as yet with the tech, but the next generation will be better?

2 Kings 22:14-20, 1 Chronicles 34:22-28, Luke 2:36-37.

John of Patmos!

Author of the Apocalypse of the Revelation.

A blinded old man who lived to be over 110 years, after breaking stones in a quarry for over twenty years and this was the beloved Disciple of Jesus!

When we are young or even at times old, we can never be certain of our future as John was?

He did not have a pension plan or insurance and as many discovered in 1938-39 Nazi Germany money was no guarantee of success?

Sometimes we just have to face the facts that we may be abandoned or loose our loved ones and end up in differing circumstances, but God will still use us where ever we may be!

Revelation 1:1-19, Matthew 20:22, Luke 22;13, Acts 4:19, Revelation 22:8-21.

We are not on the Shelf!

We are still Needed?

Getting old has become a claim by middle-aged people that we have now come to retirement and even when Moses or others are mentioned much is laughed off a mythical in context to the Bible that they failed to read or never really believed?

One finds that with many Christians, that they are forever learning, but never growing and so the Apostle Paul points that out to the Corinthians Church!

We are needed by young people who are struggling today with many more issues than we did, at the same age? But we can help to listen, to advise, guide and assist and it will in the long run place and anchor on their soul to stay the course with Jesus and be in the ever new of faith!

1 Corinthians 3:2, 1 Timothy 4:1-16, Hebrews 12:1-5, 13:1-6.

‘Not even COVID-19?

Taking a leaf from the pages of Job!

Illnesses are not nice and neither is the pandemic that we are all going through, many who are surviving death are being knocked back by a weak immune system?

But despite these set backs as believers we can look at the life of Job, who faced days of scraping off his rotten flesh, but he never cursed God or gave up knowing that God understood his plight!

Our lungs may have been damaged, but we can still write or dictate a letter, send an e-mail, use the various communication platforms to encourage other believers?

God will not let us go and despite our circumstances there is much service still left in us like the Apostle John and wither we are old or younger disabled!

Job 2:8-9, 3:26, 7:5, 20, Ezekiel 14:14, 20, James 5:11, Revelation 1:9.

Huldah!

‘A lesson in religious Hypocrisy?

Huldah was a tough lady dealing with a nation existing in only lip service to God and living in filth of sin at the same time!

Much could be applied today for such a prophetess that is needed in our lands as homosexuality and transgender is accepted by many who claim a faith but delude themselves to the truth?

Huldah warned of the coming exile and the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation for that lip service hypocrisy, today we are warned of the Day of Judgement, when our great God of love is going to separate evil from goodness and many will find that He does not tolerate sin either!

2 Kings 22:14-20, 2 Chronicles 34-22-28, Matthew 11:24, 12:36-37, Acts 17:31, Romans 14:10, James 2:13, 2 Peter 3:10.

Three old Men!

Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Joseph of Ramatayim.

All these teachers of the Law had met with Jesus, first after His bar Mitzvah, coming of age to manhood in Jerusalem, the time His parents lost Him in their family train! Luke 2:45-47.

Nicodemus came secretly yo talk to Jesus and He told him, he had to be born-again. John 3:3.

While Joseph gave his tomb for the burial of the Lord and had the courage to ask for His body from the Roman authorities. Matthew 27:58-64, Luke 23:52.

Gamaliel is one of debate, since he warned the religious leaders to be careful that they did not oppose God in relation to Jesus’ Disciples or now Apostles. This old man was also the teacher to Saul, who was chosen by God to spread the ‘Good News message to the Gentile world and the writer of the letters of the New Testament. Acts 5:33-39.

Ageism goes at the Cross!

‘Jesus died for all?

John 3:16 is a verse that raises much debate amongst some Christians, but it is understandable that God would love His creation and He loves us as individuals, but not our failings!

Our age groups go at the foot of the tree/stake/cross, since Jesus died for all, races, ages and creeds and for all who have and will believe in these ‘Good works! 1 Peter 2:24.

Love is a great attribute of the divine, but it is not an excuse by us to sin? So let us take this message, believe it and share it with others in our New Life.

Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26.