Copied from Ministry 127…..A group of tourists visiting a picturesque village walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked him, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.”
Every person who is a born-again believer starts life as a baby in Christ. Whether the new convert is six or sixty, that person is still a new Christian and needs to grow in the Lord. A baby Christian who has been saved for forty years is a tragedy. God intends for us to grow and mature so that we can be a positive influence in the lives of others. Until we learn to dig into the meat of the Word for ourselves, we will never grow.
At times our youthfulness in serving will not be seen, but our childlike attitude will be seen. Every believer should be seen with a young, current attitude about life! We should never be stuck in the doldrums of our past successes and accomplishments. God is wanting to do something new every day in our lives and our attitude about accepting those new things should be wide open and ready. I don’t think anyone is supposed to be “old” and that “old” is not confined to a delineation by age. I know some young aged people who are very old in their thinking and of course, I know some old aged people who are “old” in their thinking. Here is what Lamentations 3:222-23 says 22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Look at what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah in 43:19 19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. These verses indicate that God is an up-to-date God that is always ahead of the game. GOD IS THE LATEST TREND!! Our world is so enamored with the thought of being trendy. I’ve got news for the world. God is the trend setter in every situation of life because he is the constant of fresh new things that only He can give. We may think we are so clever and “cool”, but in reality our thinking is last year’s news. Look at what God was able to do with dry bones in Ezekiel 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
When we come before the Lord and ask Him to empower us and enable us with the Holy Spirit, in so many ways He says…GO ON AND BE GREAT!! But it always important to remember that true greatness is a humble and willing heart that bows before the one with true greatness and that is our Lord.
Keep on aiming for greater and newer things and see what changes God will make in your life. He will put age aside and cause you to see life with a freshness that is contagious. An old (in age) preacher came to a youth camp where I had taken our youth. He preached each night and numerous youth were saved and also called into full-time Christian service. His messages were no longer than 15 minutes, but they were fresh, concise, and filled with God’s Word. His effect on those young lives (in age) was a testimony of keeping a current, fresh walk with the Lord. That preacher glowed with the glory of God in his life and the impact of God’s fresh message from this man’s mouth impacted youth who were a mere fraction of this man’s age. He challenged me as a young minister (in age) and challenged my heart and life in the area of prayer and I have never been the same since then. As I get older in age, I also get younger in attitude and I like it. You can call me immature, but in reality I am maturing more every day and it is refreshing to my life walk.
Here is my challenge!! Don’t become some old person who has a dead faith. Take on the challenges of life with a renewed spirit and let the Holy Spirit of God empower you to handle any struggle in life with an upbeat attitude and let the breath of the Holy Spirit rebuild a vibrant Christian walk with the Lord as your strength and direction. You will never regret it! GO ON AND BE GREAT!! Vitality (def) – the state of being strong and active; energy. Your vitality that is given by God is vital to living the Spirit-filled life God intends for you to live!!
The Pilgrimage continues…..
David Warren
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