Christian Retirement?

     Retirement is someone else's word.  It is the opposite of what I want to do.  I want to be active and alive.  I don't want to fade away.  I want to stay in the game.  I want to continue to grow!
     I consider myself to be a Christian: a follower of Christ.  Would a Christian "just fade away" as General MacArthur said about old soldiers. ("Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.") It is rather the opposite for Christians, they will die, but they won't just fade away. They may fade in to obscurity to their fellow man after death, but never to their maker, who loved them and called them.
     The Bible speaks about praying to have your youth restored. Scriptures such as Psalm 91: 16 speak about the blessing of a long life.  In Psalm 91:14,  David speaks about the righteous in this way:  "They shall bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing to declare that the Lord is upright..." (NKJ) In other words, they will be fruitful, fresh and flourishing even in old age.
     Can a Christian retire?  Can a Christian rest on past service or acts of faith?  Christians have to press on until death toward the "mark of the high calling" of Christ. How can you press on if you are retired? Can you retire from your purpose, your calling, your mission, your passion or your love?   Can a servant say to his master: "I want to retire!"? Can you say to your maker, "I have done enough, I want to take a well-deserved break."?
      The Christian can never retire, but does receive a pension.  The best imaginable benefits of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These benefits are accrued not by saving or hoarding or a biweekly deposit.  They are primarily earned by giving.
      Christian retirement is an oxymoron.  You can't retire from the Christian life.  You can't say that your tenure of service is up and that you want to rest on your laurels. You can't say that you want to cash in your benefits and take them for yourself.  You do know, however, that you will be and are rewarded for your years of service, by more opportunities to serve. A Christian will be "fruitful, fresh and flourishing" until the end and forever.