Old Age

The Planting of the Lord

By William M. Self, Sr.

It is said the older the Date Palm Tree

The better the fruit

Have we, the Church, forgotten the Seniors?

  

Old Age

The other day I ran into a pastor friend.

He had served and cared for the people of a

good size church in Toledo for over 30 years.

When I saw him, there was that good feeling you get

 when you see a godly person you highly respect.

Although it was good to see him,

 my heart was saddened.

I don’t know all the reasons, but his

 church had put him out to pasture.

Now this man who has served God all his life and

given it to others is now looking for a new place

to serve God and provide for his family’s needs.

It made me think of others who had spent

their lives for others and now in their 60s

and 70s seemingly not being needed.

One minister gave up his position due to health reasons.

He attended another church and supported the work there.

One day I asked the leadership of that church he

was attending where he was and they did not know.

Maybe he died and no one knew.

My heart goes out for the grandparents of the faith.

These men and women don’t whine and complain…

They walk by faith.

They look for God’s provision

as they always have.

But maybe, we the church, are overlooking

one of our greatest resources.

How do we move forward from

one generation to another?

How do we make the changes and not neglect

those who gave their lives for the faith?

 

I believe the greatest God-given resource

on the face of the earth right now is…

 The Baby Boomers and Builders.

God has been working in their

lives for 50 plus years.

Psalms 92 says… The righteous

will bear fruit in their old age.

It is said the Fig Palm Tree’s fruit

gets better the older it gets.

Let’s not forget the older palm trees.

Let’s look for meaningful places

 where they can still bear fruit.

Let us not forget they need nourishment

 as we reach the younger generations.  

 

  

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 61:3 NIV

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

Psalm 92:12-15 NIV

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

15 proclaiming, "The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."