Most of us simply assume that we have a right to retire from work and spend the rest of our lives doing whatever we want. While the idea of a long holiday sounds wonderful, this is not the whole truth. Retirement is a relatively new concept in world history and often brings relationship challenges, health problems, and crises of purpose and motivation. It is often not the paradise we have been promised.
God's word never encourages us to take an extended holiday towards the end of our lives; while the concept of retirement is not found in the Bible, God's word remains very helpful for us as we prepare for our later years. God speaks to us through his Word about important issues like purpose, death and identity that make sense of the struggles many retirees face. The book of Ecclesiastes is a particularly rich source of wisdom for us as we consider the best way to live out our lives in God's world.
Older Christians should live in a very different way to those who don't trust Jesus. The Bible is full of teaching about age and maturity, while also furnishing us with a range of helpful and unhelpful examples of older believers who have gone before us. God's word also helps us think rightly about health limitations, nostalgia, money, and many other relevant issues.
While some older Christians may feel less important or that they have less to offer, the Bible teaches that our worth is not based on our work. Older believers have a great deal to offer the church and the world. The combination of experience and time means retirees are in a unique position to be a positive influence on those around them.
Christian retirees should be a great resource for the local church and a blessing to the communities that they live in. There are all kinds of opportunities for mentoring, encouragement, leadership, and evangelism. This book aims to give Christians a Biblical vision for how our later years might be used to serve Jesus.