Thought for the Week

I’ll try to focus this ‘Thought’ on those of my peers who are say, sixty plus years of age. St. John 15, encourages us to bear fruit for God. There is no ‘statute of limitations’ on this. God still expects us to bear fruit even in old age. What do we need to do to accomplish this? Number 1: we need to be close to God, firmly attached to Him and allowing Him to live in us and rule our lives. I have illustrated this close connection by likening it to electricity. A loose or faulty connection prevents full power-flow. Loose connection is hard on the appliance connected and even the plug of connection. There is a line in a hymn, “Nothing between my soul and my Saviour…” This is primary concern. The world would like to ‘squeeze’ us into its mold. We dare not allow that. It must be God Who sets our agenda and our priorities. Most of like to think of ourselves as intelligent and capable of making and carrying out plans. But we are mentally and spiritually handicapped. We cannot tell the future. We cannot know the tricks our enemy has up his sleeve. God knows those things so we must let Him lead in the planning and executing of the days of our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 comes into play here:” Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Close connection with God brings ability to produce fruit, good fruit, more fruit. Another thing we should do is maintain good thoughts. See Philippians 4:8. I certainly want to drink pure, clean water. In the same way, I want to think pure, clean, thoughts. To do this, it is imperative I have a filter on what I read, listen to, and meditate on. I also want to glorify God. So, I need to think about and talk about Him. If the person I am talking to doesn’t know God, hopefully, I’ll be able to introduce him. At one of our camps, we had a good motto: “Christ for boys and girls; Boys and girls for Christ.” We should expand that motto to: “Christ for everyone; everyone for Christ.” Am I always successful? No, not in anything I attempt. But that should not change my focus, desire, or effort. I want to glorify God. The angels in Heaven rejoice when a lost one is found. If the elderly can talk, write, communicate in any way, they can bear fruit. Will this please God? Of course and bring joy in Heaven too. If I begin a long trip, I begin by checking out the road map. When I begin a day, I should begin with prayer. God already knows what it going to happen in any day. When I pray, God can prepare me for the unexpected and sometimes the unwelcome things ahead of me. Makes good sense to me. Does it make good sense to you? I do not want to forget the fruit of a ‘good example’. No doubt we are being watched every day. God watches, Satan watches. People watch; some to receive a blessing and some to criticize. Let’s do our best to set a good example. Dress for the occasion: Put on a happy face. Smile. Put on the whole armor of God. You likely will have appointments where you expect to see people. There will likely also be people you did not expect to see but remember, these may be ‘Divine Appointments’ God has made them. When you go home and are asked, “How was your day?” Hopefully you will be able to say, “God and I had a great time and He was able to use me for His glory.” That sound too ‘high and holy’? It needn’t. You can do this with God’s help.

Scriptures to Read

Psalm 92:12-15

St. John 15:1-5

St. John 15:6-9

St. John 15:10-17

St. Luke 15:1-10

Philippians 4:4-8

St. John 15:4-8