Monday Memo 1170: A Gift From God
The key to a happy old age is to enjoy the Lord while you are young and do meaningful, purposeful while you can, remembering that life is short. Older folks always told me that my senior years would be here before I knew it—and they were right. Now I encourage you to make the most of the days you have, for they truly are a gift from God, and...
Monday Memo 1169: Old-Age Anger
Elisha was a prophet, the successor to Elijah who was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. When Elisha was on his deathbed, the king of Israel came for some counsel of what to do against his enemies. Elisha gave him this directive... read more
Monday Memo 1168: Thrive or Just Survive?
So what is your fruit? What is the purpose of your life? You must answers those questions regardless of your age, for God's promises or expectations don't have an expiration date. What's more, since the joy of the Lord is your strength, if you want strength in your latter years, you must...
Monday Memo 1167: "I Did It"
You have choices to make if you're a person of purpose. God isn't going to direct your every step. You'll have to do things that are consistent with who God made you to be if you want God to "remember" you. You'll have to be able to list what you've done if you want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Monday Memo 1166: Gray Hair
In our series titled 'Never Too Old for Purpose," I include some personal reflections on a passage from the psalms: I will always put my hope in you; I will praise you more and more. I will tell of your goodness; all day long I will speak of your salvation, though it is more than I can understand. I will go...
Monday Memo 1165: God's Good Pleasure
Because Moses was 120 years old, we may tend to dismiss his age as an aberration, an indication that people lived to be older "back then." But if that's the case, why would the Bible make sure we understood Moses' condition if it was so common then? Let's see if we can find out.
Monday Memo 1164: Run Your Race
The beauty of Paul's life is the clarity he had of his mission and his absolute commitment to it that allowed him to run the race and finish the course. I urge you to be as focused and resolute as Paul was to that when your end is near, you can be as matter-of-fact about your purpose race, declaring yourself the winner by God's grace.
Monday Memo 1163: The Dreams of the Old
The Spirit of God is no respecter of persons. That means if He wants to use you, He doesn't care how old (or young) you are. He's looking for people of faith who will partner with Him to rock the world. God knows how old you are; you don't have to inform or remind Him. Therefore...
Monday Memo 1162: Be Useful
I hear people today dismissing age as "only a number," but I respond, "Yes, but my number is pretty big!" None of us are getting out of her alive, but I'm determined not to cooperate with the typical image of old age. If I understand purpose correctly, we're never too old to find and fulfill it, so I invite you to join me on the road named "doing good."
Monday Memo 1161: Serving The Young
David was popular but on more than one occasion his self-centered tendencies caused his subjects many problems. Determine to be a person of purpose right up to the end, not insisting your own needs be met but doing what you can to meet the needs of others.
Monday Memo 1160: Won't You Be My Neighbor?
People of faith also see things. They see the future so clearly, sometimes even the future after they have departed this life, that they welcome those pictures of what is yet to come and work to make them a reality for themselves and for those closest to them.
Monday Memo 1159: Die in Faith
Joseph had heard the stories from Jacob, his father, that God was going to give the people the land according to the promise He made to Abraham. Joseph put his faith in that promise and was confident it would take place, even though Joseph himself had been...
Monday Memo 1158: Words and Worship
This week, we focus on Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and Sarah, who was a hero of faith in his own right by following in his family's footsteps. Since this series is titled "Never Too Old for Purpose," let's go to one verse that described Jacob "when he was dying":
Monday Memo 1157: Good As Dead
The truth is, it's never too late when you're in your purpose. You're only too old for purpose if you accept that thinking and then act it out. Or you can be like Abraham, seeing your best fruit in your later years, because you knew how to draw strength from the Lord as you walk in obedience to His will for your life, for which you are...
Monday Memo 1156: The Mother of Faith
In this series, "Never Too Old for Purpose," we're looking at people in the Bible who were fulfilling their purpose into their later years, which is why we have come to Sarah's story this week. Sarah's faith journey wasn't perfect and yours doesn't have to be either:
Monday Memo 1155: Old-Age Faith
There's an old proverb that says the old die and the young can die. That is the reality of life—and death. Unless the Lord returns, none of us are getting out of here alive. However, there was at least one man who found the secret of a smooth passing and that man's name was Enoch:
Monday Memo 1154: Wisdom Dispensers
As we move on in our 'Never Too Old for Purpose' series, we see another messenger arrive after Simeon was finished speaking to Jesus' family in the Temple: There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and...
Monday Memo 1153: Finish Well
You don't have to have a title for God to use you. Simeon wasn't part of the priestly family but was simply identified as a man who was "righteous and devout." The Spirit revealed something to him that He did not reveal to those with an official title or Temple position.
Monday Memo 1152: Run the Race
When people ponder currents events and listen to some of the teaching that's out there, they often ask me, "Do you think the end near?" If you've ever asked me that, then you'll know my standard response is "Yes, for me it's closer than it's ever been." And it's closer for you too. None of us are getting out of here alive and unless...
Monday Memo 1151: Old Thoughts
In some of my purpose coaching sessions, I hear people say they are "old." They think they should be further along in their purpose than they are and thus are fearful they are running out of time. Now that I'm in my 70s, it's funny to hear someone in their 40s or 50s tell me they're old. My usual response to them is...
Monday Memo 1150: Keep on Fighting
Last week we began a new series 'Never Too Old for Purpose,' and our objective is to examine people in the Bible who had purpose in their later years. In our first entry, we looked at Caleb who was 85 years old when he said to Joshua his comrade,
Monday Memo 1149: Never Too Old For Purpose
It's time to start a new series since last week we finished the "Never Too Young for Purpose." series. While at breakfast with a friend a few days ago, he said, "Make sure you write something about us older folks and our need not to retire but to stay focused and on purpose."
Monday Memo 1148: Purpose Wisdom
If God appeared to you and asked you what you wanted Him to give you, what would you ask for? Money? A car? A house? A spouse? That actually happened to a young man as we read in 1 Kings 3:5: "That night the Lord appeared to him [Solomon] in a dream and asked him, “What would you like me to give you?"
Monday Memo 1147: Proverbs
Early in my walk with the Lord, someone shared some advice with me that changed my life: "There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Read one chapter a day and you will finish the entire book in a month. Then start over again." I did that every month for many years and then I wrote and published two devotionals featuring a verse from Proverbs for every day of the year. Now fifty years later...
