10 “….. Here I am today, eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks[a] is now as it was then. 12 Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day, (Joshua 14:10b-12a CSB)
Toby Keith put out my anthem when he put out “As Good as I once was.” If you do not know the song the main line is “I may not be good as I once was, but I am good once as I ever was.”
I tend to live my life this way and my, getting older body, explains the first part of that verse to me the days after I do things like the second part. I am no longer 10 foot tall and bullet proof. But I am still 6’6” and well armored. At least in my mind.
However, when it comes to things of faith and what the Lord puts before me I know that, like Joshua, I am now as it was then. Meaning that God gives me the strength to overcome my physical and mental frailty to do His good work. Even when my body and brain protest.
I am not one of those people who plan on retiring early. In fact, especially when it comes to ministry, I do not plan to ever retire. I think God can use us no matter our age or our frailty. God does not make junk and He equips us, mind and body, for His task.
So the next time you feel lead by God to act but are tired in mind and body, remember “you may not be as good as you once were, but you are good once as you ever were”.
