Here is chapter 22 of my upcoming book, HOW TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Actually, the chapter numbers may be a little different once the book comes out, because I am pondering if I should delete a couple of chapters. This chapter contains part of my testimony and the rest is in my first book, MY JOURNEY WITH GOD. I pray it will encourage your heart to go all out for Jesus no matter how old or young you are.
Chapter 22: You Are Never Too Old To Start Serving God
“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty and five years.” Genesis 5:21-24
“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” Psalm 71:18
One day I was pondering how old I was, 46 years at the time, and thought to myself how I wished I had learned all that God was teaching me now when I was younger. I thought I could have given so much more of my life to God if only I had started younger. God immediately told me that age does not matter. He will use whoever will let him. That morning I read in Genesis about Enoch. It said that Enoch lived 365 years but he did not start walking with God until he was 65 years old.
It does not matter how old you are. God has a plan for your life and if you earnestly seek him, he will reveal it to you. If you will let him, God will use your life to change the world.
It was about a year ago, in the month of May, I was almost through with my first class at Faith Bible Institute and decided to write my Pastor an email thanking him for bringing Faith Bible Institute to our church. I also shared with him how much I was learning and what God was doing in my life. I remember it was a Friday evening. The next morning I checked my email and saw that my Pastor emailed me back. He was encouraged to hear what God was doing in my life and said he would really like it if I could share this during testimony time one Sunday evening. While I was getting ready that morning to go run my errands, I was talking to God about how I should respond to my Pastor. I wasn’t able to come to the Sunday night service and did not foresee this happening for some time. While I was talking to God about this, I clearly heard God say to me, “You are not going to just tell the Sunday night service, you are going to tell the world. You are going to write a book.” I could not believe what I just heard, but I was excited because I have always told God I wanted to shout from the rooftops what he was doing in my life. Right after God told me this, thoughts started flooding my mind. I sat down with a pen and paper and could not write fast enough of what God was bringing to my mind. God gave me the title of the book, My Journey With God, all the chapter titles and much of the content. After the weekend was over, I had typed out twenty pages of my first book. As I reflect on this a year later, I believe God gave me this message in exactly this way, because every time I would doubt that God told me this, I would remember that Saturday morning and think to myself there is no way that I made this up. I am not a writer and have never wanted to write a book. I believe it was my “burning bush,” so to speak. No one could tell me that this was not from God. My Pastor often says, “Don’t doubt in darkness what God made clear to you in the light.”
You are never too young or too old to serve God. Earnestly seek God every day with all your heart and he will reveal to you his plan for your life.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
