Senior Saints Luncheon Notes

Paul J. McQueen, II

Opening:
Welcome Comments

• Here to “encourage AND challenge”

• Many influenced me; past and present. Not one to name drop…
• Memories
• James Chandler/Sarah (ever-presence/faithfulness)
• John Duckett (unwavering resolve)
• Russell Thomas (endless energy)

• One thing recently that caught my attention was Brother Black assigning
Shirley Chatman to a young sister new to the area. These are the things that wisdom
recognizes, and things that hopefully we can do more of.

Intro:
Draw attention to a few well-known bible characters; all of whom were advanced in age,
yet were extremely useful in the eyes of God:
• Moses – best years of his life were his last 40. Life
in service to God began at the age of 80 when God used him to
deliver the Children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt. “There
arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the
Lord knew face to face.” (Deut. 34:10)
• Joshua – who succeeded Moses was also amongst
the elderly and led God’s people to go in and conquer the land
which God had promised. God said to him “be strong and of
good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the
LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua
1:9)
• Caleb – too was one of those elderly men that God
used to spy out the land. He (Caleb) said to Joshua at the age of
85, “give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that
day…if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to
drive them out, as the LORD said.” (Joshua 14:12)
• Anna – the prophetess, a widow of great age, about
84 years old, during the time of the birth of Jesus Christ; “which
departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and
prayers night
and day” (Luke 2:37)

Their common thread = AVAILABILITY! Someone has said that

 AVAILABILITY is our best gift to God. Just as
PROCRASTINATION is the devil’s greatest weapon. Your life in
Christ can be, and should be a blessing to many that cross your
path. Make sure you radiate Jesus above all else!
“Let your light SO shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt
5:16)
These latter years of your life are often called the Golden Years.
Make sure that gold shines for the LORD! God wants us all to
serve Him, both young and not-so young. The world around us
desperately needs it!

Body:
How To Live In The Day
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matt. 6:11)
“…the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself; sufficient into
the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt. 6:34)

1. We awaken each morning with a clean slate. Take time to focus on our
gratitude for the day. Even if we don’t feel grateful, we should thank God for all the
things in our lives that are good. That sets the stage for the day’s focus.
2. Remember God’s faithfulness. The past is a cancelled note. The record is
clean. It is ok to think on the past, but to obsess about it is to deny God’s creative
presence for us in this day. God is with us at every moment. He does not leave us. We
leave Him. He is as faithful today as He has been in the past. Know that His faithfulness
will lift us past any challenge the day has to offer.
3. Find someone to love. Look for someone that you can make feel better
today – every day! The spouse, a neighbor, someone you meet, someone in the hospital
or nursing home. Build someone up. This is an active work! “Blessed are the
peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9)
4. Finally, when the day is done – Thank God at night for every event in the
past day. For this day was another opportunity to share and to grow.

Prayer
Loving Heavenly Father: Help us all to look for the joy and purpose in this, and every day.
Father we know that sometimes we feel lonely and empty and often without purpose. Help us to
know that even in those moments You are with us. Give us the wisdom that only comes from
you and only comes with living a long, Godly life. Thank you for this fellowship gathering; and
we ask that you be with us all; keeping us safe as we leave this facility and travel to our own
homes and back to our families. Thank you always Father for the sacrifice of our Lord and
Savior – Jesus Christ. It is by His authority that we offer this prayer to you. Amen