*All Scriptures are quoted from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible.
“Even in old age they will produce fruit; they will remain vital and green”—Psalm 92:14.
David the psalmist and Jeremiah the prophet described people who put their trust and hope in the Lord and His law as trees planted along a riverbank. The trees’ roots reach deep into the water so their leaves can stay green without withering, and they produce fruit each season without heat or drought bothering them (Psalm 1:1-2 and Jeremiah 17:7-8).
David said in Psalm 92:14 seniors could remain vital, producing fruit in their old age. Like the trees along the riverbanks that never fade, people will always be forever young like evergreen trees. To maintain lively and energetic as the leaves planted along the riverbank, seniors must find vigor in Jesus, for the Lord gives strength (Psalm 28:8 and 29:11).
Now that David is losing his strength in his old age, he prayed to the Lord not to set him aside and abandon him (Psalm 71:9). Even though his health fell and his spirit became weak, David confessed to the Lord that God remains the strength of his heart (Psalm 73:26).
When David claimed the Lord as his strength, God renewed his youth like an eagle (Psalm 103:5). Like David, if seniors accept the Lord as the strength of their hearts, God will also see them like soaring eagles in the sky. People who trust the Lord will find new strength to soar on wings like eagles; they run without growing weary and walk without fainting (Isaiah 40:31).
David also said seniors can still produce fruit in old age—the fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If seniors want to be as fruitful as the trees planted along the riverbank, they must remain in Jesus Christ.
In the fifteenth chapter of John, Jesus described Himself as a true grapevine and God, His Father, as the gardener. Jesus said God cuts off every branch of HIs vine that does not produce fruit, while He prunes the branches that bear fruit so they can be more productive (John 15:1-2).
Jesus describes His people as the branches of His vine. His true disciples must stay on His vine to produce much fruit. As a bough cannot beat fruit without being on a vine, Christians cannot be fruitful without abiding in Jesus. People who do not remain in Jesus are like a useless, withered offshoot that God cuts to throw away into a pile for burning (John 15:4-6). Christians who produce much fruit of the Holy Spirit are Jesus’ true disciples, which will bring great glory to God (John 15:8). Because Jesus has called and appointed His people to produce everlasting fruit (John 15:16), they must abide on the vine of the Lord. Jesus’ disciples that stay connected with Jesus will produce fruits of the spirit that are loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, good, faithful, gentle, and kind.
May seniors search for the Lord and continually seek Him for His strength (1 Chronicles 16:11 and Psalm 105:4), so they can have faith as strong as an eagle soaring high in the sky and remain young at heart like David.
May all seniors allow Jesus’ Spirit into their hearts so their roots can grow deep into God’s love to make their life produce every fruit, which is the righteous character that Jesus brings into our lives: this will bring great glory and praise to God (Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 1:10 and 2:7, and Philippians 1:11).—Kenneth Sullivan