Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 71:9-15
Ps 71:9-15
9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 10 For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. 11 They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him." 12 Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. 13 May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. 14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. 15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
John 21:17-19
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 9 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
I read somewhere that a person said the good news was that they had reached their golden years but the bad part was that they could not find the gold. Old age is a mixed bag of blessings and troubles. What a blessing to be able to see and know our children and grandchildren (and maybe even another generation) and to have the joy that this brings to our hearts! But it is only natural that parts of our bodies begin to wear out and we are unable to do, even some of the most simple tasks we used to do with ease. “Getting old ain’t for sissies.”
But as we age, our faith should be stronger, our wisdom greater and our choices and priorities are more in line with what God intends them to be. We have many opportunities to share what we have learned with the following generations and to guide them in the right way of the Lord. So as we grow older, we do so with grace and dignity, recognizing our limitations but using our increased abilities.
O Lord God, I thank you for every day of my life, from my infancy to this day as I continue to age. Give me grace to age with dignity and wisdom to use what I have experienced and learned in life to help others. I realize how much I need your help every day in so many ways. Keep me from using my age as an excuse for not doing your will but also wisdom to accept my limitations. Help me be a good example for the generations that follow in the pathway of life. Thank you for my family, my friends and all of my fellow Christians. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
