Subscription Lists
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
This age thing is annoying. They say (whoever they are) you forget what you've just said and repeat yourself quite frequently. This age thing is annoying. They say (whoever they are) you forget what you've just said and repeat yourself quite frequently. That being said (twice even) growing old is not all that it's cracked up to be.
I pray that I can grow old gracefully. I pray that I do not become some curmudgeon whose outlook on life is self-centered. I have the privilege of being around some of the finest people anyone could wish to meet. The senior saints of the Minorsville Christian Church are a vivacious group of hard driving, still serving people who aren't ready to sit down yet and probably wouldn't if they could.
That's the kind of latter years I hope to cultivate. I am only a couple of decades from being a part of that group of seventy somethings that we have in our church who still function as though they were my age. They still have a heart for service and still want to be involved in the matters of the kingdom. I see them first hand, week in and week out, doing things for the Lord without expecting something being done for them.
That is the ideal presented in the Word of God. The saints of old never rested on their laurels. They knew they could lose their standing with one turn of a phrase or failure to serve. Noah was six hundred years old when he started building the ark. Today people don't live so long, but they can still live as well. They can be ready to embrace the call of God and not qualify it by age preference.
"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness" Proverbs 16:31 The worth of a person is not measured in God's sight by the years that have been lived, but by the righteousness maintained in those years. "Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding." Job 12:12 Those who have the years behind them but still have the purpose of the cross before them need to be sought out. Aged can either be a blessing or just being old.
Rate it:
...He was the Minister of the Minorsville Christian Church located near Stamping Ground, KY.
...Becky and Tom have three children; John, single and in worship ministry in Nicholasville, Kentucky; Sean, married (Jennifer, elementary school teacher) with twins (Grace and Patrick, b.d. 10/31/04) and regional director of Papa John's Pizza in Central KY; Kara, married (Vince Taylor, prison guard) and working with Hospice East in Winchester, KY.
...Tom went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. If you have been touched by Tom's writings please send an email to Tom's son at jkelley@catalystchristian.net
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.