7.24-What is the most fruitful age for our work?
7.24-
What is the best age?
What is the best age?
Stephen J Cole, Minister in Scottsdale, AZ wrote in his blog
Bishop John Reed of Sydney, Australia, was
preaching in Christ Church Cathedral one Sunday when a 75-year-old woman
named Ethel Hatfield got saved. Mrs. Hatfield had attended that
Anglican church for decades, but the message had never gotten through to
her until that day. The following day she came to see Bishop Reed and
said, “I could hardly sleep last night I was so excited about what
happened. I want to do something to serve God with the few years I have
left. I was wondering if I could teach Sunday School.”
Bishop Reed looked at this 75-year-old,
white-haired lady and just couldn’t picture her controlling the
rambunctious third or fourth grade kids. So he said, “I’m sorry, but we
don’t have an opening in our Sunday School.” Her face fell. Bishop Reed
said, “You mean business, don’t you? I don’t know what kind of service
God may have for you, but let’s pray.” So they prayed for God to reveal
His will for her.
The next day Mrs. Hatfield was out in her yard
tending her roses when a Chinese student from Taiwan walked by. He
stopped and complimented her on her roses and they began to talk. She
thought, “He seems like a decent chap; I’ll invite him in for a spot of
tea.” So she did and she told him her testimony. He found it an
interesting story, so when he had to leave he asked if he could come
back and talk further. She said, “Yes, and please bring a friend.”
He came back and brought a friend and she again
shared how she had come to put her faith in Jesus Christ after all these
years and how Christ had forgiven her sin and given her eternal life.
These students came back and brought more friends, who brought even
more. Within two weeks, Mrs. Hatfield was leading a weekly Bible study
with 70 Chinese students in attendance! She led many of them to personal
faith in Jesus Christ. That which seemed a hindrance to Mrs. Hatfield’s
serving the Lord--her age--God turned into the key to reaching a group
of people who respect old age!
The September, 1993, “Global Prayer Digest” tells
the story of Jonah, a 73-year-old Chinese evangelist, who, since 1976,
has traveled around the People’s Republic spreading the good news about
Jesus Christ. “His days are full, and his energy unflagging. In one
weekend Jonah may bicycle nine hours, spend 40 hours on a hard railway
seat and eight hours on a bumpy bus just to bring the message of Jesus
Christ to people in remote villages, or to urban churches with 5,000
members, or to young soldiers .... The schedule is grueling, but
73-year-old Jonah says, ‘Rest is for the next world.’”
God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a
walk with Him now--a walk that involves a deep personal, experimental
knowledge of God, a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise, and
hope, and a walk that involves a lifestyle of ministry for God. Then, as
long as we have life and breath, we can show and tell and sing of the
greatness of our God to the next generation. What a way to go!
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