I had to fill the pulpit once again this week and since it was fathers day, I of course spoke about fathers! But most of the men in our church are older and we have been through the raising of our children. We’ve been through the changing of diapers and adolescence, the teen years and having to buy pets for our kids.
Those were great years, but that was a season in our lives, but for most of our men in our church, we need to hear from our Father in Heaven about things that pertain to us fathers who are older and pass the age of rearing children. And so we went to Joshua.
Joshua was a great man of God, who was also one tough soldier, he made John Wayne look like a girl scout!
But at the end of the Book of Joshua, he is old and he gathers his people together for some words of encouragement. Us men who are growing older need encouragement, and he tells the men to remain courageous, it takes courage to get older, especially when we see the younger generation taking control over our nation and taking it in a direction that is completely wrong.
We know that certain directions will bring hardships, loss of blessings from God, and immorality. And because we’re older, theres not allot we can do to stop things, But thats where we need courage. Knowing that our God fights for us, and that he’ll never leave us nor forsake us.
Secondly we need to love God supremely, it won’t be long before we see him face to face. Its our love for God that sustains us through our older years.
And then Joshua tells us to remain faithful, its not easy staying faithful when there is so much temptation thrown in our faces everyday. Its tempting to rely on a doctor and pills instead of relying on God, We may need the pills, but we need to trust Christ and remain faithful to him. Its tempting to stay home on Sundays because theres something in our body that hurts. But our God wants us to be in fellowship with our church.
Its tempting to throw up our hands in despair when watching our government continually working overtime to bring division between the citizens of this country, so that their party can stay in power! Or we can stay faithful in prayer and doing whatever we can to heal our nation.
As older fathers, we have an obligation to live a faithful life to Christ before our children, remain courageous, tell them about what Christ has done for us, pass along our faith and our wisdom.
Men, God will bless you if you continue to bless him!!!
Stay on your knees, stay in the Word, be a father until the day you die then meet your heavenly Father.