A Few Reflections on My 50th Birthday
A half a century. How is that possible? I look at my children and wonder how they got that old…then I look in the mirror and wonder how I got that old! (Tammy is the only one in the family not aging it seems.)
Rarely do I write an article about personal matters, but I hope you will forgive me for being a little reflective. Today has been a sweet day with a local church and Christian school in Michigan. They have a large banner in the front of their auditorium this week that says, “Celebrating 50 years!” It is not for me. Ironically, this wonderful ministry is celebrating their 50th anniversary and we have been reflecting together this week on the goodness of God.
A Time of Consecration
Every time of celebration should be a time of consecration for those who love Christ. We rejoice in the faithfulness of the Lord to us, and at the same time we rededicate ourselves to Him. I can tell you that my heart is full with the goodness of God. He has been so merciful and kind at every turn on my path, and I am truly thankful.
Dad and Mom took us to dinner last week before leaving town, and I am especially grateful for the time that we get to be together. Tammy and the kids surprised me on Friday night with a wonderful birthday party. It is a rare thing for them to sneak something by me, but I was oblivious to their plans and thoroughly surprised to see so many family members and special friends. Today I have heard from a host of people that I love and they love me. I feel rich in relationships God has graciously given.
My Jubilee Year
And so I begin my Jubilee Year. The 50th year in ancient Israel was a sacred time of renewal and restoration. Leviticus 25:12 says, “For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you…” The Jubilee was a year of faith and a new beginning for God’s people. Prophetically, all of that was fulfilled in Jesus. Read Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:18-19 and you will discover that Christ is the One who brought lasting joy! He gives perfect rest, restoration, renewal, and return. It is also significant that “the acceptable year of the Lord” officially began on the Day of Atonement. What Christ did for us at the cross gave us all a new beginning. And it is He who makes every year holy to the Lord.
I want this year to be a year, not only to reflect on the goodness of God to this point, but to reconsecrate myself to what matters to Him. Pray for me. I want to be more the man of prayer and the Word that God called me to be. I am happy to be doing on this my 50th birthday what I believe the Lord put me on earth to do. By God’s grace, I want to continue in the work of the Word until I see Him face to face…and what a Jubilee that will be.
Let’s all be grateful for another day of life and be committed to following the Lord with the days we have left. My devotional reading of Scripture today led me to these verses that perfectly express the prayer of my heart:
“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end” (Psalm 119:111-112).
Related Message: The Root of Lasting Joy
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Sounds like you had a blessed birthday. You wonder where half a century went. Wait until you have lived 3/4 of a century. But, what a blessing God has always been, even when I wasn’t living like I should. He is faithful. He is good all the time. Hope you have a half century more birthdays.