Can I tell you a secret? I’m turning sixty-one soon. SIXTY-ONE! Where did the time go? Don’t ever let anyone tell you that time slows down in retirement. It doesn’t. Ot at least it hasn’t yet, for me.
This birthday has me struggling just a wee bit. You know, I’m on the downhill side of life. I figure I have twenty-five, maybe thirty good years left. And I wonder: Do I have what it takes?
Do I have what it takes to fulfill God’s purpose for my life? Do I have what it takes to continue the hard work of writing and teaching? I gotta tell you I sometimes just get tired, and wonder if anything I do is making a difference in God’s kingdom.
Then I came across Psalm 92, in The Amplified version. It seems like it was God’s birthday gift to me, right when I needed it!
The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 92:12-15 AMP
As His righteous children, we will:
1. Flourish and grow: we’ll be useful, fruitful, durable (Whew! At this age I need a little durability, amen?)
2. Bear fruit in our old age: God will use us, always!! We will be fruitful for Him
3. Be full of sap and spiritual vitality: Amen and amen! I need a little vitality about now, how about you?
4. Be rich in verdure: this means the fresh green color of growing vegetation and a condition of health and vigor. We’ll continue growing in trust and love, and find our contentment in Jesus.
Did you catch number three? What on earth is “full of sap?”
Well, the sap of a tree is much like blood in our human bodies. It’s a vital part of the tree’s life. It’s the lifeblood of the tree. Our “Jesus sap” gives us strength and vitality.
Y’all, I want that! I want to be full of spiritual vitality for Jesus, don’t you? I want to be the kind of Jesus sappy that is sweet and sticky and gets on everything I touch. Yes, I want to be sappy!
[tweetthis]Being sappy for Jesus is sweet and sticky and gets on everything you touch![/tweetthis]
Jesus will grow us and make us useful for His purposes. His life-giving sap will flow through us! We’ll be His living memorial, telling everyone that He is faithful to His promises. Even in our latter years. Amen?
Come on, let’s get sappy!
Grace be with you,
Amen! Love it my friend! Heard a sermon today “we are planting seeds”!
Thanks Michael! Yes, we are planting seeds, even at our age 😉 AND passing the torch on to the next generation!
Awesome! That was Good!! Thanks Ellen.
Glad you enjoyed it! Love you!
I love this, Ellen. Thank you for your honesty and the words of inspiration. God still has a purpose and a plan for you. Have a fantastic weekend, and God bless.
Horace, I’m so glad you stopped by for a visit! Yes, indeed, as someone recently told me: Just because I’ve retired from my day job, doesn’t mean I get to retire from the plan and purpose God has for me!
Thank you Auntie. I needed to read that today.
You are quite welcome, Nephew! Cause, hate to remind you, but you are not that far behind me, age-wise 🙂 Love you!!
Just the encouragement I needed this morning, Ellen! Thank you for sharing your heart and God’s message!
Thank you, Sabra for you encouragement! I appreciate you!
As I get older, I do wonder sometimes what is the plan…. I try to just keep on and do my best each day …
Amen Cindy! Emily Freeman calls it “doing the next right thing.” Just keep following where He leads, He will be faithful to use you!