From Les
Elijah
followed the promptings of God and remained engaged in His work until the
chariot of fire swept him up to heaven. He wasn’t waiting for his departure –
but pressed onward until he was taken. There never was any doubt thought time
was too short to do anything of importance for God or that he could be of any
significance.
Nicodemus was
a mature Pharisee and a man of authority, as well as quite respected among his
peers for his wisdom. He could have coasted to the end in the comfort and
security of his prestigious position and reaped all of the benefits thereof.
Yet, his heart compelled him to seek out Jesus and come face to face with the
messenger of life. Thanks to this man’s willingness to risk reputation and
career, we have the record of one of the most significant encounters with the
Savior and the truths that were spoken. Later, Nicodemus would be publicly
labeled as a fool by those same peers, though his heart would pulsate with a
newly found fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He learned that being led by the heart
of faith was far more excellent than prestige. Paul would state this later in
his letter to the Philippians.
John spent his
retirement in exile on a desolate rock island in the Mediterranean. Having no
shelter or provisions he found himself in survival mode, and yet remained
faithful and engaged in the work of Christ. He never entertained the thought of
being out of touch with the Savior. In fact, he somehow kept count of the days
and continued to set apart the Lord’s Day for worship. As a result, Christ
revealed Himself to John and told him to make a record of the revelation. Not
only so, but to relay the Lord’s admonitions to the seven churches in Asia. If
John had given up in defeat and withered away, who would the Lord have to with
the last revelation of Himself? John showed us that remaining engaged in the
work – in the face of hardship, undeserved predicament, or just trying to
survive each day . . . can be done.
With these few
examples it is obvious that “finishing well” is a choice of mind. It is a
lifestyle of determination to never coast but to press on. It is a conviction
that through our aging process, God has invested so much grace and potential,
and He expects us to walk in it as living sacrifices until our last
breath.
The life goal
of being retired and spending all the time you want fishing or golfing has been
highly over-rated. This is not a biased statement I am making to reinforce this
series on mid-life perspectives. I suspect a survey of Christian retirees would
show that the majority are living in survival mode to some degree as they
wrestle with rising healthcare costs, along with the uncertainties about Social
Security, national security, and Dementia. All of these concerns can syphon
away our vitality. This zest for living can only come from the giver of life,
who calls us to embrace our value to God and to those around us. Our
steadfastness to remain engaged in the lives of people, and utilizing what God
has invested in us becomes an ongoing ministry of life-on-life which fills our
heart with a real sense of purpose.
(to
be continued)
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