Constantly Renewed- What To Do With Aging?

1 Corinthians 4:16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

The Apostle Paul writing again to a very immature group of believers in the church at Corinth makes a very concise statement about being constantly renewed in our faith. So IF we believe the whole Bible we see this truth keeps each of us in a place of vibrancy in service to our Lord. Vibrancy (def) pulsing with energy. Where does this vibrancy comes from for those who know Jesus? For me it comes from a daily prayer life, and a constant effort to remain relevant in my service, and an ever-growing consistent walk with God. Job said this about those who are aged in Job 12:12 Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. So the constant growth in our walk is only possible with the Lord renewing us every moment of our lives. The result of that renewing is a desire to serve God even more effectively on a daily basis and the maturity that follows has a positive effect on the church.

Of course, not letting God develop us in our faith can have negative effects at any age. ANY AGE! I am so glad that I didn't stop growing in my reationship with God at age 30 and then coast from there on. How sad it would be to be old at age 30. I do know some young aged people who are old and tired way before their time and it shows in their complacency in the life they are living. If you are older and living a vibrant, growing in Jesus life, then it takes the age element out of the whole equation and it doesn't apply. In an apathetic world like we live in today anyone who is of older age and current in their walk with the Lord and very up-to-date in how they think is considered someone who will not admit that they are old!! The ones who usually say those things are younger peopler who are intimidated by the vibrancy of the older adult. So they discount anything from the older adult and can't get beyond their prideful attitudes to be able to accept that person. So in reality they don't accept that we are being renewed every day in our spirits and that makes us constantly growing more and more in our relationship with God. Now, I will say that if an older person is just being religious in their faith then that religion is not going to cause them to renew constantly and they will become old, OLd, OLD.

So what do you do with aging Christians who have a very current and vibrant walk with God? You tap into the wisdom that God has given them with their years of life and use that wisdom to make wise decisions when looking for direction. All of this is relative. As a 15 year old I didn't have enough sense to see just how much wisdom my parents had and missed some good direction. At age 66 I know that my walk with God is growing and being renewed each day as Paul wrote, but the only problem is that the worldly attitude in certain Christians circles excludes what I can bring to the table. So the conclusion about older adults we can make in those Christian circles is that they don't truly believe the whole Bible and in their ability to make their point they exclude certain scriptures that they cannot grasp. Paul spoke on behalf of Timothy's young age in 1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. That scripture might sound like this for older adults. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are old.

I am being renewed every day as scripture states and I know many others with some age on them that have a current, vibrant walk with God and the contribution we have for ministry is still real and relevant. So I am going to keep on keeping on amidst the continued ageism I experience every day and let the renewed faith God gives me be the power and strength I live in, while I can. AGE REALLY IS JUST A NUMBER FOR BELIEVERS!! I truly believe we will see a Spiritual Awakening in the days ahead. In 1972 that awakening came in through a youth culture and I believe it will happen again because those that were youth in 1972 are now Senior Adults today. Just think what would happen if Senior Adults in churches would stand up and get excited about Jesus and begin to accept God working a "new work" in their lives! It would make a huge impact on our world and the results would be many coming to faith in Jesus, all ages!! Look at what God said through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 43:19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Wow! I don't know about you but I am ready to get in on the wave and ride it to Spiritual Awakening. How About You??

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren