I met a couple that created a group called, “OPUS!” They said it means, Old People Up to Something! This doesn’t mean they are up to trouble or no good, but instead up to accomplishing God’s plans no matter their age! They want to be about God’s business until the very end of their life!
My grandmothers could have been part of that group! Longevity tends to run in our family. My grandmother and great-grandmother both lived well beyond their 100th birthdays. I had a great relationship and was very close with my paternal grandmother.
My grandma had a habit of repeating a few things over and over and over! One statement was this: “As long as there is breath in your lungs, you can praise the Lord.” She did that—every single day. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was paraphrasing Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (ESV)
Even at the nursing home in her final years, you could hear her singing, hear her praying, watch her read her Bible, hear her quote Scripture, and listen to her telling people about how Jesus saved her life. She didn’t stop. She did it so many times, sometimes the staff and assistants would simply walk away and say, “I know. I know.” She lived to praise Jesus until her final breath. I want to do the same! Do you?
Let’s determine to walk it out! That’s something all of us can do!
Have you noticed, if you are not careful, extra pounds can add on quicker with every passing year as you age? Statistics say most adults gain an average of 1 to 2 pounds per year. It’s known as weight creep, which is common in middle age with slowing metabolisms and reduced muscle mass.
Remember: Growing old is not for the faint of heart! Someone else once said, “Growing old is not for sissies!”
Trying my best to stay ahead of the curve in all things finances, body composition, life, and Jesus, I headed to the treadmill and decided to multi-task in the process. I put worship on softly in my headphones and opened my Bible to read while I hiked up the human hamster wheel incline. I read a Scripture and almost tripped over my own two feet. I read it again and thought, THIS! This is what my heart desires as I am growing older.
Here is what the Word of God says in Psalm 92:12-15:
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.'” (NIV)
The righteous will flourish and grow when planted in the house of the Lord. And they will still bear fruit in their old age, all while staying fresh and green and proclaiming the truth of the Lord.
This was OPUS right here in the Word of God: an older group bearing fruit in their golden years! We can stay green and fresh and continue to bear fruit in our old age!
No matter your age (it’s just a number), are you up to anything these days that is still bearing fruit? Are you praising Jesus while you still have breath in your lungs?
Take time today to share what Christ has done in your life with someone around you. Encourage someone older than you that is still pointing to King Jesus! Spur them on in their faith! Let’s stay fresh and green and bear fruit with every passing day! No matter the day, you are still older than you were yesterday! Let’s be old people up to something that still bears fruit!
How can you make Monumental Moments and live to multiply His movement today?
