A Place for The Young and a Place For The Old – Part Two

This is the last post in this two part series I have been doing.

Last week I spoke to the seasoned people and if you want to know what “seasoned” means I encourage you to go back and read last weeks post.

Last week I talked about how we really don’t have an expiry date. In fact the only expiry date we have is when we die. Everything before that is open season.

I also talked about how God can you use anyone no matter how young or old you are. Don’t let your age limit you.

Today I want to talk to the young people.

God wants to use you and He doesn’t care how old you are. This is the time to ignite that fire for him. It’s time to pursue Him with all that you have. Look at what happened to the boy with the few fish and loaves. Jesus used that little boy and look at David, Jonathan, Mary and so many other young people.

Even though there is a lot to do at school and life make sure you are putting God first.

Get rid of the distractions that can so easily hinder you from achieving what God has called you to do.

Parents, make sure you are speaking to your little ones about the great plans God has for them. Make sure they grow up knowing that they are not a cog in a huge machine but that God created them on a purpose to do amazing things. Teach them that God can use them at the age they are now.

Proverbs 22 verse 6 says,

Direct your children onto the right path and when they are older, they will not leave it.” NLT

As I close I want to say one more thing to the seasoned readers.

Last week I spoke about how Caleb went to Joshua and asked for his mountain at the age of 85 years of age. Age was just a number to him. But there is something else in that story I want to show you.

“Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, amd Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him.”

Joshua 14: 6 NIV

I will stop there. When Caleb went before Joshua to ask for his mountain, he didn’t go alone. He went the rest of the tribe of Judah. He managed to pass on his faith to the people he was leading. They too had faith and that is why they went with Caleb.

We all have something to pass on to the next generation. The experiences you have gone through and the lessons you have learned are for a reason. God has put so much in you. Not just to use to accomplish what He has called you to do but to pass on to, to the next generation. There is a whole generation that needs mentors, that need men and women of God to love on them and show them the way. Will you be that person to step up to the plate?

As I end remember that God can use anyone no matter how young or seasoned they are.

Don’t let your age limit you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

A Place For The Young And A Place For The Old -Part One

I was watching one of my favorite series recently, Masterchef Australia. I love this show so much. Anyway, the latest season is champions versus fans or something like that. There was one contestant who was the first winner of Masterchef Australia who is probably in her late fifties or sixties I think.

She was talking about how she was struggling with the fact that she didn’t think she had nothing much to offer. She didn’t think she had anything new to bring to the table amongst a thriving and growing industry. The home cooks have got so much better, the creativity has blown through the roof.

And that struck a cord with me because in the world older people have been for the most part been relegated to the back. They are overlooked and not considered much but that is not the case in God’s kingdom. In His kingdom there is a place for both the young and the old. The world may be quick to tell you when your expiry date is but not so with God.

As far as I am concerned our expiry date is when we die and everything else before that is open game. No matter how young or old you are know that God wants to use you. And as you look into the word you will see a place for the young and a place for the old.

I think about Caleb who was eighty five years old when he went to Joshua and asked for his mountain. He didn’t let his age limit him. His faith was in God and that’s all that mattered. Age was certainly just a number in his case.

Don’t let age stop you from walking into what God has called you to do. He has so much in store for you. Remember Abraham and Sarah.

They had to wait for a really long time to see the fulfillment of what God had promised them but they kept their eyes on Him. They didn’t let their age or what people said about their age stop them!

“And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.”

Romans 4:19, 22 NLT

This is part one of this series so I will be talking about the young people in the next post.

I will see you next week.

God bless you friends!

Wait for hope to appear……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, 

to the woman who diligently seeks. 

It’s a good thing to quietly hope, 

quietly hope for help from God. 

It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out

through the hard times. 

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.

Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take

it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. 

Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail 

to return. If He works severely, He also works tenderly. 

His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. 

He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing 

roadblocks in the way: 

Lamentations 3:25, 36

 

What an amazing passage of scripture. There is so much to take

from it. What stood out for me was this verse that said,

‘wait for hope to appear‘

A lot of us have abandoned hope because what we were

trusting for didn’t come to pass.

We thought God abandoned us. But the word is very clear,

‘wait for hope to appear’…..

 

When all hope is gone, wait for hope to appear.

When life is hard, wait for hope to appear.

When trouble comes, wait for hope to appear.

Wait for hope to appear!

No matter how bad things seem, wait for hope to

appear.

The word is very clear:

 

“It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

quietly hope for help from God.”

 

We can hope because the Lord will never walk out on us,

He will never fail to return to us, the word tells us.

 

Hope can return. I may have given up and lost hope but

it can return! I will wait for hope to appear. God will not

let me down.

Don’t abandon hope, instead wait for it to appear!

Amen

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

He didn’t understand surrender…….!

 

 

What does it mean to really surrender? I am interested to know how God sees surrender. Let us look at a story of the young rich man who came to Jesus. His story will help us see surrender the way God sees it. As you know the rich young man came and asked Jesus what he should so to get eternal life (Matthew 19:16) We read in a later verse that the young man had kept all the things Jesus had suggested. We will pick up the story from there:

 

“The young man said, I’ve done all that. What’s left?

If you want to give it all you’ve got, Jesus replied, go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. Matthew 19: 20

 

The young man had followed the commandments unwaveringly and to some extent he may have thought it was enough. But it wasn’t. He may of thought he could hold on to those other things because he was following the commandments. He thought tithing, going to church, praying, fasting, listening to Christian music, and reading the bible was enough, He thought that was sacrifice and it is but it was not enough. The word says,

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. Matthew 19:22

What are you holding on to tightly? The young man couldn’t BEAR to let things go! He held on really tight but real surrender is being able to let those things go. I read this scripture a few days ago and instantly things came up, things that I had been holding onto tightly. I brought those things to God and asked Him to help me let go, I want to really surrender. God wants everything! Partial surrender is not surrender at all. He wants our all……! Will you surrender….??

Rolain