Ruth 1:12
“Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;”
Age should never be an excuse when it comes to the things of God. Naomi had grown old in the land of Moab. She never expected the move away from Bethlehem to end the way it did. She had lost her husband and two sons, and was left with her two daughters-in-law. Certainly, when she left Bethlehem she had dreams of grandeur, but sin left her empty.
As she packed her remaining belongings to go back to Bethlehem, she looked at her daughters-in-law and told them to go back to their old ways because she was too old to get remarried. She looked at what she had and thought she had nothing to offer. What Naomi did not realize is that you are never too old for God. No matter what your age may be, God expects you to continue on until He takes you to Heaven. There are four areas where Naomi missed the mark about being too old.
First, you are never too old to get right. She should have realized that though her actions from years prior had caused her situation, she was never too old to go to God and acknowledge her wrong. Christians are never too old to get right. It doesn’t matter how long ago you did wrong, you must never think it is too late. Your sins are never too old to be put away. If you have done something wrong, it is never too late to get right with God about what you have done.
Second, you are never too old to do right. Doing right is not an issue of age. I have seen over the years how Christians develop a mentality that they have earned the right not to have to do something because of their age. God doesn’t say do right because you are a youth, He says to do right because it is right. You are never too old to do right. Doing right by obeying the Scriptures is something you should do till the day you die.
Third, you are never too old to care. One of the sad things about the story of Naomi is that she didn’t care for the eternity of her daughters-in-law. Caring for the lost condition of a world should never be an age issue. You should be a soul winner till the day of your death. You may not be able to go soul winning as long as you used to, but you can still witness everywhere you go. Soul winning is not just for soul winning time, soul winning should be done at all times. Never let your age be an excuse for not witnessing to the lost.
Fourth, you are never too old to serve the LORD. Naomi still had life, and she still had a chance to give the remaining years of her life to God. Don’t waste any years in serving the LORD. No matter what your age may be, there is always something you can do to serve the LORD. Don’t think retirement from your employment means you can retire from God. You are to serve the LORD in some capacity until the day of your death.
Have you acquired the Naomi mentality by thinking you are too old? When you develop this mentality you die a premature death. I’m not talking about physically dying, I’m talking about a death to life. Don’t ruin the latter years of your life because you feel you are too old. Use your wisdom to maximize your energy for Christ. Use every year of your life to its fullest potential so that when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ you will have no regrets of wasted years.