Church of Nigeria
(Anglican Communion)
Diocese of
Abuja
Cathedral Church of
the Advent
Quinquagesima - Sunday 26 February
2017
Today's Sermon
Theme: "The Christian Work Ethic"
Topic: Prepare For Retirement
Key Text: 2 Tim 4: 7
Summary:
Man's life is in phases:
Infancy, Adulthood then Old Age or Later Life.
In adult life, we expect
to have finished our education, taken up a career or a profession that most of
us keep till we stop work (particularly those in the Public Sector or Private
Sector where there is a time set for retirement).
In the Civil Service,
retirement is after 35 years of service or 60 years of age whichever comes
first, but we know that many falsify their age in order to stay on in office.
In the Political Sphere
especially in our Continent, we would have office holders who overstayed their
welcome and ended up a torment to the People they govern.
Most of us are afraid of
retirement.
However it is inevitable because
we cannot work forever. We must stop at some point, reflect on our lives, take
stock and enjoy the fruit of our labour positively or negatively, depending on
the role we played while in service.
For women it is a time for
going to look after their children and grand children with time on their hands
Having our own homes helps
to reduce the challenges of retirement.
In Luke 1: 23 we read of
John the Baptist's Father - Zachariah - that "when his time of service was
completed, he returned home." Remember, he was of a Priestly Family
For Paul writing to
Timothy in our Key Text, he stated "I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith." Here Paul takes stock of his
life and Ministry to God. His Christian life was a good fight worth fighting
for. He had fought against Satan and evil spirits, Jewish pagan practices,
false teachings, distortion of the Scripture, worldliness, sin, e.t.c. In all
he remained faithful to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
Inspite of all the challenges,
as a good soldier of Christ, he never compromised his faith nor the truth of
the Gospel.
For Christian workers, we
should stand on God's promise in Jeremiah 29: 11 - His plans for us are not to
harm us but to give us hope for the future; God is in control of His people and
has a future plan of hope for us.
Furthermore in Psalm 92:
12 - 14, God assures us that even in old age, we will stay fresh and green and
bear fruit.
We will enjoy this blessing
because we trust in Him. (See 2 Cor. 4: 16 - 18)
Some Points To Note
1. Begin to plan for your retirement from the first day of your
working career
2. Retirement ought to be a period of fulfillment and leisure - a
time every working person should look forward to
3. How should we prepare for the social, psychological,
physiological, domestic and other challenges we are likely to face after
retirement
4. Failing health may sometimes make retirement intolerable. Any
hope for our Senior Citizens?
5. Should our Children be our pension?
If yes, then we must be
sure to invest in their education and all round development
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