1/16 Strength for Today

Joshua 13:1
“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”

Quite often, when I preach in churches, one of the questions that pastors ask me is how to get the elderly involved in the work of the LORD. A mentality I have seen over and over again is, when someone retires, they think this retirement entitles them to retire from the LORD's work. I often say when I preach that retirement in the Christian life only comes when we get to Heaven.

In the verse above God addressed Joshua as “...old and stricken in years...” You must understand that at age forty Joshua began to wander in the wilderness with the rest of the children of Israel for forty years. Then, at age eighty, he began to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. After conquering much of the land, God came to him and informed him that there was still very much land to be possessed. In other words, God was telling him that as long as there was land to be possessed, he was to continue pursuing the land not yet possessed.

Christian, no matter how long you've been saved, you will always have more to conquer. Your age is not an excuse for you to sit down and do nothing in the work of the LORD. The multiple years of serving God is not a good excuse to sit down and do nothing in God's work. Many Christians who have been serving God for many years think they have put their time in and that it's time for others to do the work while they sit and watch. This is wrong! Yes, you may have gone through many things as Joshua did, but as long as there is more to possess in the Christian life, we are to go forward to possess that land.

The word “stricken” in this verse means to be worn out. God told Joshua that even though he was worn out he still had a responsibility to keep going. Even if you are worn out from years of battling, somehow you need to find within yourself the energy to step up and do your part.

Always remember, no matter what you do in life, you have not earned the right to sit down and let others do all the work. The work of the LORD is a great work, and we need everybody to continue to further this work. You must find within yourself the character to make yourself go on even when you don't feel like it. I understand that because of age some will not be able to do as much as they used to do, but you can still contribute to the LORD's work.

Let’s not give up! Let's not retire from the LORD's work! Keep going realizing that retirement in the LORD's work comes when we get to Heaven. Until then, keep picking yourself up on a daily basis and pursue that which remains to be possessed.