Psalm 92:14-15 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Having just had my 65th birthday, this passage is a comfort! The Bible has many examples of people who served God notably after reaching what most would consider retirement age. Moses is probably the most notable, leading the nation of Israel out of Egypt after he had turned 80, but he’s far from the only one. That is all the more impressive when you consider the average lifespan in those days was about half that! Length of days was considered a blessing from God, but in general, the Bible focuses more on what each person does with the days they are given, rather than just on how many there are. If we look at life from the standpoint of eternity, that makes a lot of sense. Our days on earth are a training ground for eternity, and as such are vitally important. However, that importance is not in how long they take, but how ready we are when they are over. This passage says that we can and should be fruitful for however long we are on this earth. Too many older people act like they aren’t in the least concerned with that any more. What a waste! The joy and satisfaction of bearing fruit isn’t just for the young by any means. The fact that any human being is alive at any point is an indication that God still has something for them to do while they are here, whether it is internal to them, such as repentance, or external, in influencing others. One of my aunts was in a nursing home, blind and essentially bedridden at 90+. When we visited her, she expressed frustration that the Lord wouldn’t go ahead and take her home, saying that she was “useless” there in her bed. As our conversation progressed, she told us about a grandson who had gone to the brink of divorce, but then had straightened out his marriage, and how much she had prayed for him. I had the privilege of pointing out to her that was something she had accomplished through prayer right there in her bed; her task for her remaining time on earth was to be a prayer warrior, and it was a high privilege. I think we left her much happier than when we arrived!

The other day Cathy asked me what brand I was going to choose for my “re-tirement:” Goodyear, Bridgestone, or some other. Collecting pension certainly hasn’t meant slowing down, to this point at any rate. I am to be a faithful steward of the body and time I have been given, but my focus is to be on the Lord and what He wants me to do, rather than on myself in any way. I am reminded of what a Japan missionary said of my father after visiting him in the hospital shortly before the surgery from which he didn’t wake up, a few days after his 64th birthday: “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” I would like to live like that for as long as the Lord leaves me here, bearing fruit for His pleasure and glory.

Father, thank You yet again for Your grace toward me. Thank You for the high volume of birthday wishes this year, courtesy of the Internet. Help me live out this coming year, and each year, in active obedience to You, so that all of Your purposes for me may be accomplished for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!