Lately, I've been hearing from friends who have been rejoicing over their recent retirements. I'm happy for anyone that is happy. One man worked in coal mines for years and was celebrating his retirement, another was a recently retired public school teacher and another retired from business.  One of our seminary adjuncts, Jim Highland, who is 75 and still pastors and works most every day said this, "Don't be envious of those people."  I'm not.  Even if I wanted to retire or could retire, I'm not sure what that would mean.

What would I retire from? I wouldn't want to retire from preaching. I love to preach. "I'd rather be a preacher than have a paying job."  I heard someone say that once, but I feel the same way. I had the opportunity to preach a little bit with Dr. Anthony McCallum at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina last Sunday. Wow...that is a church! Dr. McCallum has it going. Carole sang and we were so overwhelmed by the church's response. I love talking about Jesus - anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Why would I ever want to retire from that? Preachers don't ever really retire. We may transition to other areas of ministry but there is always a sermon burning to come out of us.

Jim Murray is another one of my heroes. He is about 78 years old and is the Executive Director of the General Baptist Convention. He has just recently taken the job after serving as a college President for thirty years.  Jim preaches at least 30 revivals a year. He's preached over 1100 in his lifetime. Jim is a preaching machine. Say preach and he lights up like Times Square. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim dies preaching...when he's about a hundred.  

Ministry servants have a different kind of life. I realize that we sometimes get tired in the work - but we never get tired of doing the work.

Remember:  Use your life or lose it. God saved us to be useful.  Take vacations, take a day or two off, but keep your life burning for Christ. Also...keep oil in the lamp. You can't burn on empty. Take a class occasionally. Listen to someone else teach and preach.  Visit seminars and fellowship with other Christians. We learn something from others and we all need that.

Caleb said, "So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day."  Enjoy Numbers 14: 6 - 13 with more of the story.

Joshua 14:6-13: "Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.' Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites [giants] were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, will drive them out just as he said.' Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance."