"NO SUCH THING AS TOO OLD TO SERVE"

Good Evening to All!

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. (23) (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord").

(36)Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; (37) and this woman was a widow of about eight-four years, who did not depart form the temple, but served god with fastings and prayers night and day. (38) And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2:22-23, 36-38

These verses show us that no one is ever too old to serve God. Anna served Him for many years, but her most defining moment was when she saw the baby Jesus and recognized Him as the Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer. God can use anyone of any age.

Many women suffer from "Empty Nest Syndrome". They have problems learning what to do with their extra time. On the other end of the spectrum, we find women who have found that they are freer to serve God more fully, because they give Him more of their attention and find new ways to serve Him and get involved in new kinds of service.

Anna had only been married for a short time, but as a widow she gave her time to prayer and service. She is called a prophetess, meaning that she spoke God's truth. Her name means "gracious" and reflected her thanks for God's grace.

She knew the pain of losing a loved one, and could have easily turned bitter or dangerously depressed, but she didn't. She turned all of her attention to God. To serve and to pray.

I have been married three times. I'm always telling people that if anything ever happens to my husband whether he "leaves" me for some reason, or if he passes away, I will NOT remarry. First of all, I figure it took me three times to find "Mr. Right" to begin with. I always joke around saying third times the charm or three strikes and I'm out. I just would not want to have to "start over with a new relationship again, but mostly because I want to concentrate on my relationship with God. While I would like to be like Anna, I know I will Never make it to her level of servitude to God as she was a true Prophetess. That would take TOTAL commitment, and while I can strive to get to that point, I don't think I would ever make it. My attention span is not very long, so I definitely have a problem praying constantly without repeating myself, not to mention, I let other things get "in the way" such as television and computer games. I try to make up for it while researching for my blog post, but really it doesn't, because I am not strictly reading scripture and
I'm thinking about what I want to say and how to respond to what I have read. Therefore, I cannot truly say I am studying God's Word.

It is wonderful to be known as a man or woman of God, who is not afraid or embarrassed to speak His truth and share the joy of knowing Jesus! It took me a long time to be able to witness to people, and it is still difficult for me unless I start just a regular everyday conversation with them first. I cannot just go up and start telling them about God's Love, however I can steer the conversation around to my testimony and then elaborate on the teachings of Jesus from there, or get into salvation or baptism. I personally think they warm up quicker to the idea of being told about Jesus starting with a personal testimony because it seems more "tangible". Something that they can relate to, rather than a conglomeration of scriptures with nothing to build them around.

Anna's witness was a confirmation that Jesus is God. Our story of faith can help others believe in Jesus. As we gain experience and knowing the Bible, we can be even more open to teaching others about Jesus and let God choose our significant moments.

Here are the answers to last night's Bible Challenge "Christ's Last Days, Crucifixion and Resurrection " Part 2:

1. c) Judas (John 12:4-5)
2. clothes (Matthew 21:8)
3. b) spikenard (Mark 14:3)
4. d) fell over backward (John 18:1-6)
5. b) flung it into the temple in a rage (Matthew 27:5)
6. c) would fight for Him (John 18:36)
7. b) they gambled for His clothes (Matthew 27:35)
8. d) broke their legs (John 19:32-33)
9. c) Nicodemus (John 19:38-42)
10. "Peace be unto you." (John 20:19)

I hope you did well on the challenge and enjoyed taking it.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!