Commentary: Age and purpose

Ralph Fudge

All Christians have been endowed with the Holy Spirit for guidance and at least one spiritual gift with which to edify God’s church.”

As we age, we become physically weaker and tend to give up activities we once enjoyed. This is normal, but it can be depressing for some people. And many are unwilling to face their limitations that come with age. That is why someone has made the observation, “There’s no fool like an old fool.”

Unwillingness to face one’s age accounts for things such as old men buying sports cars, dressing like young people, having inappropriately long hair, wearing their shirts untucked, etc. Sometimes these things are manifestations of a “mid-life crisis.”

But it does not have to be this way. Everyone living gets older by the day. We are all in the same aging boat. The important thing is to continue, as long as possible, doing what one is talented or gifted to do. All Christians have been endowed with the Holy Spirit for guidance and at least one spiritual gift with which to edify God’s church. But we all tend to be lazy. The Apostle Paul told his protégé, Timothy, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you...” (2 Timothy 1:6).

The people I most pity in life are the ones who reject Christ. Other than that, I most pity those who seem to have no interest in anything. I have a relative who has no hobbies and does not even like to read! I agree with the one who said that reading your Bible is never a waste of time. And I might add that your Bible is your best and greatest possession on earth. The Bible contains the words of eternal life. What is more important than that?

All Christians are gifted in order to serve God, although serving Him has nothing to do with the salvation of their souls. That is by God’s grace alone through faith in Christ Jesus. When we do anything constructive and God-honoring, we serve the Lord. Paul also says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Some will protest that they are no longer physically able to do work for the Lord. To these I ask, “Can you still pray?” All sincere prayer serves the Lord. All Christians should “Pray without ceasing” as Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. There is great power in prayer, and it is usually overlooked. One terrible old expression is, “He doesn’t have a prayer.” Well, if he has a prayer, there is great hope, if he is a Christian, because prayer often elicits miracles. All Christians should be in constant prayer every day. Prayer gets results. Prayer works.

I often preach about the thief on the cross beside Jesus during His crucifixion. This man could not serve the Lord. He could not go out and witness for Christ. He could do nothing but repent of his lifestyle and call on Jesus for salvation. And that was enough. How did he repent? He acknowledged that he and his friend were getting what they deserved. And, by calling on Christ, he was repenting. No one can do that without realizing he is wrong and leading the wrong life. And no one can be saved without changing his mind about Christ. That is repentance.

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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.