Working to Retire

 I read two passages in the Bible that convince me God never meant for us to retire. In [Joshua 13:1] God told Joshua, even though he was old and advanced in years, that there was still much of the land that had not been possessed. I interpret that to mean God still had work for Joshua to do in his old age. 

In [Joshua 14:10-12] Caleb wants to undertake the difficult assignment of taking an inhabited mountain though he was 85 years old. He boasts that he was as strong at 85 as he was when he was 40. He did not use his old age as an excuse to take it easy and shrink away from challenges. 

These passages hit home with me today. At 58 society tells me that I am nearing the age of retirement. I do not even accept mail from the AARP. I throw it in the trash. I have no intentions of joining that group because I never plan to retire. I love my work. I love the solitary hours spent in prayer and study of scripture. I love the delivery of those messages. I love to shepherd the flock. I love the relational bonding that takes place between a pastor and a flock. I love to write. I love to cast vision and lead people toward the accomplishment of goals. I certainly love seeing people saved and celebrating that new birth at baptism. 

I got curious this morning where the whole idea of retirement originated. I was surprised to learn it dates back to 1935 in response to the Great Depression and the fact that Germany instituted people retiring at the age of 65. The idea of retirement was part of the Social Security Act of 1935. 

Things have evolved now where people can elect to take early retirement at 62. This fascinated when I considered the average life span for people in America is 77. What do people do with 15 years at the end of their lives? Some have positioned themselves financially to be able to travel. Others take up golf. Groups enjoy an active social scene with other seniors. Sadly, some survive their waning years alone, anxious, and afraid. There are some who devote themselves to volunteer work in retirement. 

I know a couple who moved to Honduras to do missions work after retiring. I know of a retired pastor who still preaches every Sunday as an interim pastor at 90. My pastor, in my hometown, retired from my home church where he served for 34 years. He began interim pastoral work. A church wanted him to stay and at 80 he still shepherds the flock. I heard the story yesterday of a pastor in Odessa who has served his congregation for 60 years and he is 80. David Jeremiah is 83 and still going strong writing books and preaching. Chuck Swindoll is 90 and has retired from pastoral ministry, but he still heads up Insight For Living. John MacArthur is 85 and still going. 

God never intended for us to squander the last dozen or more years of our lives playing. There is much Kingdom of God work to do. Souls to be saved. People to disciple. Missions work to be pioneered. Churches to plant. Ministries within the local church where to serve. 

I am not even considering retirement at 58. Like Caleb, I still think I have some fuel in the tank. I pray that God will invigorate me with power to be more effective in the last years of my ministry than in all the previous years. I asked God for physical and mental health to keep shepherding the flock faithfully. I hope to see 65 come and go without blinking an eye. If the time comes when I am no longer physically or mentally able to shepherd a church and my sons put me in a retirement home, I plan on taking over the preaching duties in that facility. I hope to keep expounding the word of God and helping people until God calls me home. 

I love my work. Some people work to retire. My retirement will be heaven. Until then, there are still things to be done. May God strengthen me to do my part in my little corner of the world for a long time to come.