The Tragic Realization of Elder Mark
The danger of not having a relationship with God and despising God. Just as I was set to write some notes in my book, Elder Mark called again to make his usual declarations over me. I summoned the courage to tell him my thoughts.
“Elder Mark, do you know you can still fulfill God’s plan for your life?”
“No, my son, it is just late, it’s just too late. I have gone too far away from Him. I’ve dined and wined with demons so much, my son. How can He even accept me again? How can I ever be accepted?” He cried again. I was silent for a minute. A lot was going on in my mind. “Was it the same Elder Mark that calls me often to pray with and for me, telling me that he has wined and dined with the devil? What, then, were all the prayers about? Hypocrisy?” I couldn’t place my imagination around it all. What exactly did he mean?
As if he could read my mind, he said: “You see, every day, I call you to pray with you to continue in the path you have chosen because you are doing the things I’ve always wanted to do, except that my flesh got into the way. My wife warned me, but I refused to listen. Now, look at where I am. I have sold my destiny to the devil; I lost my wife and only son to the devil. I am bitter, battered, and shattered. I wish I never dared to walk out on God.” He cried harder this time.
“Uncle, God loves you just as you are. He can restore all your wasted years and give you a new life in Him and a fresh start if you genuinely accept Him into your life. You can begin a new journey in Christ rather than waste time dwelling on your past, hurts, and unnecessary weight.”
Elder Mark’s story is just one of the many or few senior citizens who retire from active services seamlessly but without a relationship or encounter with God. This is a dangerous trend.
The nature and characteristics of those who despise God.
To such people, their problems may have just started immediately after retirement. During their years of service, such people are generally known to be very powerful, feared, and worshiped as God, with everything good working for them. However, they despise God, His word, and servants. They go after vanity, follow and serve other gods, and take people’s land. They choose to worship idols rather than keep God’s laws and waste people’s destinies in the dark world. They are the masters of occultism. They destroy lives, smash people’s greatness, practice all manner of wickedness, deny people their rights, benefits, and entitlements, amass wealth and properties fraudulently, give births to sons and daughters, and retire without coming to know Christ.
Is God’s grace sufficient for all?
In a moment, the problems of such senior citizens may have just started without any remedy, peace, or help, even amid all the good things surrounding them. God knows how to fight His battle. Remember the story of Herod, the king who stretched forth his hands to destroy the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
“Moreover, upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, ‘It is the voice of a god and not of a man.’ And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” ACTS 12:1-2, 21-24
Even though most highly placed individuals take Him for granted, God’s grace is sufficient.
The fate of those who refuse to repent.
Sometimes, for some reason, He may allow you to retire when it is public knowledge that you are a murderer, rapist, child destroyer, adulterer, land grabber, half-human, and half-spirit. However, if you do not repent of your evil ways, you will bear the consequences of your sinful nature at the appropriate time. Why live a life that would lead you to shame and eternal damnation when you can receive a life of peace, love, and eternity in Christ?
Is there anyone that God cannot forgive and still use?
If you think it is impossible to walk into God’s love because of your past, let me give you the full gist of Elder Mark’s story after our previous conversation on the phone. Elder Mark had reached me in a state of unrest. For some reason, he had spent the rest of the day crying bitterly and wailing like a woman after he hung up the phone. He felt his life was worthless, and I only just reminded him of how useless and disgusting his life was when I told him to accept Christ again. He cried so much that his neighbor had to ask him if everything was okay, but he ignored him. He was so drawn in his pain that he could not see or hear anything again. He remembered his late wife and even wept more. He remembered how she had told him to stay true to himself on the path of Christ and leave the life of deceit.
Qualities of a good senior citizen
Working for long years and retiring is insufficient to qualify you as a good senior citizen. Experience and wisdom are among the qualities of good senior citizens. There is a reason to be preferred above the rest of the citizens. In the case of Daniel, an excellent spirit was found in him. He was faithful to God regardless of the threats against his life. He was strong in the Lord, not witchcraft, occultism, injustice, or wickedness (Ephesians 6:10).