Blindsided by Culture’s Lies (Part 2): Retirement

I am amazed at how much the world’s way of doing things influences us followers of Christ. Without constant thought and prayer, we ingest the world’s notions of things like we inhale the air we breathe. We need consistently to compare the values our world teaches with Scripture’s wisdom.Take the concept of retirement, for example. The American Dream says we are to work tirelessly for most of our lives so we can spend our last years lounging on beaches, traveling the world, and playing golf. After all, we’ve earned it!But where do we get this from the Bible? I see the men and women of God in Scripture serving Him faithfully until death. Think of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. How about Peter, Paul, and the apostles? Psalm 92:14 says the righteous will “still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”Sure, our occupation may change as we age, but we should never quit seeking God and asking Him what He wants us to do to advance His kingdom on earth. One of our chief roles must be to pass the baton of faith on to the next generation and pray they run to the goal as well.I love the work of Don Moore, a highly respected spiritual giant from Arkansas. Don, who himself is a senior, has launched what he calls the Senior Adult Prayer Force in his state, recruiting seniors to pray diligently for revival and spiritual awakening. At last count Don had more than 1500 seniors who have pledged to do the following:

1. DAILY, spend time praying for revival and spiritual awakening
2. WEEKLY, find someone else, maybe two or three, who will join you in praying for revival and spiritual awakening
3. MONTHLY, find or start a prayer group that will focus intense prayer on revival and spiritual awakening; become involved with believers outside your local church who share the same burden

My friends, on this side of eternity, while it may not always feel like it, the reality is, we are at war. Our enemies are the world system, the flesh, and the devil.God has placed us here, not for our own luxury, but to advance His kingdom through prayer and action. Let’s not allow the world to squeeze us into its mold, but let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds by His Word, empowered by His Spirit, until He chooses to take us home.