Press On
“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” Joshua 13:1
Joshua was probably between 90 and 95 years old when God spoke to him about the remaining land to be possessed in Joshua 13. He lived to be 110 years old. Even while acknowledging Joshua’s advanced years, God still told him about work that had to be done. Even in advanced years, God has work for His people to do. There is natural work for the Elect at every age and there is spiritual work. The promise land is a metaphor of spiritual territory that God has given to us that have yet to be possessed. Christians should press on to continually possess more of Christ, to remain active in all seasons of life as they grow in their relationship with Christ.
Retirement is an American ideal where we stop our natural occupation in favor of preferred activities, often leisure, but it is also an extraordinarily precarious time because it may cause us to be inactive and unproductive in our lives. Growing older should cause us to shift gears, adjust our effort and focus but we should never be out of gear, especially spiritually. Our body, mind and spirit were designed by God for activity and productivity. Activity is how we grow. Productivity is how we serve others. We neglect this to our own detriment and the result is inevitable deterioration. Our attitude should be like the Apostle Paul who was 60 years old when He wrote to the Philippians, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). May we "press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3, ESV).
Joshua was probably between 90 and 95 years old when God spoke to him about the remaining land to be possessed in Joshua 13. He lived to be 110 years old. Even while acknowledging Joshua’s advanced years, God still told him about work that had to be done. Even in advanced years, God has work for His people to do. There is natural work for the Elect at every age and there is spiritual work. The promise land is a metaphor of spiritual territory that God has given to us that have yet to be possessed. Christians should press on to continually possess more of Christ, to remain active in all seasons of life as they grow in their relationship with Christ.
Retirement is an American ideal where we stop our natural occupation in favor of preferred activities, often leisure, but it is also an extraordinarily precarious time because it may cause us to be inactive and unproductive in our lives. Growing older should cause us to shift gears, adjust our effort and focus but we should never be out of gear, especially spiritually. Our body, mind and spirit were designed by God for activity and productivity. Activity is how we grow. Productivity is how we serve others. We neglect this to our own detriment and the result is inevitable deterioration. Our attitude should be like the Apostle Paul who was 60 years old when He wrote to the Philippians, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). May we "press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3, ESV).