Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1303 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomNew Wine and Old Skins – Ask Gramps
Wisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is https://wisdom-trek.com/captivate-podcast/day-1303/ (Day 1303) of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.
As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.
We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but we will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to
[email protected]So the question for this week is…
“Hey Gramps, as I observe others growing older, including myself, there seems to be a resistance to change for many people, and they seem to give up on actively impacting the lives of others. As a Christ-Follower, is there a time in our lives where we have done enough and just sit back?”
New Wine and Old Skins
There has never been a better time to be alive, regardless of your age. Life expectancy and quality of life for those who were once considered elderly are greater today than in most of all history. There is very little reason to retire in the sense that we have thought about it for several generations. While you may not continue to work or minister in the same places and in the same manner as you once did, there is no excuse to stop. The old sayings of yesteryear, such as “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” or “He’s old and stuck in his ways,” or “She’s never going to change” no longer need to apply. There is so much new information to learn and put into practice, and there is a little impediment that is age-related.
There is an ingrained, all-too-often-proved-true, prejudice that when we get older, we can't, or won't, change any more. This is despite some great examples in the Bible — like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and Caleb and that's just the first six books — and some great passages of Scripture that challenge us to keep on changing to become more like Jesus. Listen to https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+4%3A16andversion=NLT (2 Corinthians 4:16,) "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day."
God gives us freedom through the Spirit to kingdom building for Him regardless of age. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A17-18andversion=NLT (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) says, "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
Two great examples in the New Testament who are old in years, but fresh and new in faith are Anna and Simeon, who greeted the baby Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. This story can be found in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A22-38andversion=NLT (Luke 2:22-38). I wonder how many asked them, “Why can't you just act your age?” or “When are you going to be more...