God's Retirement Plan

Good morning everyone,

Would you believe I am rushing out the door again. These days I feel I am very Russian. :-)

I doubt many of you have given much thought to retirement. Then again, maybe you have thought so far ahead you already have your retirement plans in place. Most people do not. Many people think of retirement all through their working years, thinking how great it will be to reach that age when they can decide for themselves every day what they will do. The only problem is that they fail to live during their working years and thus fail to build a life for themselves because they think living will start at 65 years of age. However, when they get there it is empty, lonely and boring

Personally, I have never been able to see myself retiring. The thought of not working just does not appeal to me. I like to imagine that I will be like Caleb. Caleb was one of the two spies who came back from their scouting trip into the Promised Land with a good report. It was he and Joshua who were ready to go and take the land as the Lord had commanded. Caleb and Joshua were the only two from their generation to enter the promised land after the forty years in the desert. After five years of battles to take the Promised Land he was now 85 years old. That is older than most people live. So we could imagine that after five years of fighting he would be ready to hang up the sword. But not Caleb.

At the age of 85 years he approached Joshua and laid claim to a promise he had received from God; he wanted the land he had been promised. This land was mountainous and filled with a mighty warrior people. It did not matter. He had been promised and he was ready to go and fight for what was his. So this mighty man of God did not come into his destiny until he was 85 years of age, but he lived every moment of his life up to that point.

There are many mighty servant's of God who did not come into their destiny until well after their retirement age. The thing is in the Kingdom of God there is no retirement. We have been called as workers. Sometimes our work requires 60 years of preparation for 10 years of ministry. Sometimes we live most of our life fulfilling our destiny. It is different for each of us. So, if it is still unclear for you what that destiny may be, work hard at living what you know. Work hard at the development of you character, of never quitting, of persevering even if it is 40 years in the desert.

Consider Caleb today. He had to suffer 40 years in the desert because of other people's stupidity, but he never gave up. He spent five years fighting for other people before he was able to fight for his family, but he never gave up. He was a man of character even at the age of 85 years. Most of you are just kids compared to 85 years but your training has already started for the battles you will be fighting. I wonder where you will be and what you will be doing when you are 85 years old.