There are few things more important on a package of food than the expiration date.
Sure, some things can be used well beyond the expiration date, but other things expire like clockwork. Prepackaged biscuit mixes, for example, won’t rise properly once the expiration date is past. Diet sodas will become bitter and tasteless.
Yet, there are expiration dates for things besides food. The career we enjoyed before that first baby happened along; a summer home that remains vacant year after year; a relationship left to simmer too many nights. There are points at which those things can be rescued, but there also comes a time when we can only survey the remains of what was and move on.
How about our usefulness for God? What type of expiration date does he put on us?
The story of Noah illustrates God’s expiration date for us in three broad strokes:
God chooses us when he needs us.
In the modern world, men are selected for their youth and vitality. However, God chooses us for our usefulness to him. In Genesis 6 Noah was already 500 years old when God told him to build the ark. He had a family with grown sons. He may have been looking forward to stepping back and spending leisure time with his grandchildren.
Yet, God’s time was ripe, and Noah was perfectly situated to rise to God’s demands.
God gives us all the time we need to finish the task.
The modern business model demands high efficiency, a quick turnaround, and speed, speed, speed; hence, our assembly line manufacturing process.
It took Noah 100 years to build the ark. God was ready to destroy the world, and still, he stepped back for a century to allow Noah to complete the task to which he had assigned him.
God continues to bless us with life and health even after our task is completed.
Noah was 600 years old when God called the animals into the ark. It was nearly a year before the ark rested on dry ground once again. It was surely time for him to finally retire, giving up all his hard labors.
Or was it?
In Genesis 9 Noah started a vineyard, and he lived and prospered another 350 years.
God doesn’t care how old we are. He cares how ready we are. When we are willing to put aside our own plans and do whatever he asks, he will give us life and strength to carry out the task he has given us.
Our expiration date is in our minds. God only sees expectation dates for the job he wishes us to do.
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Code: FD.FGO.E.21.13.