Transcript
Ben Fallon: Welcome to the brand new “Ask Paul Tripp” podcast where pastor and author, Paul David Tripp, answers your questions about anything and everything, connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life, as he always does. My name is Ben Fallon, and I'm the Executive Director of Paul Tripp Ministries, and I'll be your host, asking Paul your questions, at least to start. So, if you have a question that you would like Paul to answer, you can submit it online at paultripp.com/ask, or by sending an email to ask@paultripp.com.
We'll jump straight in. Paul, today, we have a question about retirement: “How should Christians think about retirement, and are you ever planning to retire?”
Paul Tripp: Well, I don't; we all know that there are no chapter and verses on retirement. The Bible does talk about wisdom, old age, and honoring an older person.
But I would say this, that the system, if retirement means that at some point, I cut off all my connections, I move to some place where it's comfortable for me, where nobody knows me; and for the rest of my life, all I think about is me, then that's not a godly or biblical system. In fact, I would say that if you want to retire from daily labor, you are now free to serve the church in ways that many younger families or middle-aged families could never do because you've got time on your hands. And you have walked with the Lord for 30, 40 years; you have so much to offer.
Imagine a retired couple who becomes part of a marriage ministry, and part of their life is counseling couples; or a retired man who's been in business who works as a non-paid financial counselor for young couples in the church; or a man who is a laborer who can now do small carpentry or plumbing jobs around the church. There are so many ways you can serve the church with now not working every day, and even with your limited capacity, that the fact of the matter is God wired us with limits. And one of the limits that God built into humanity is aging, and we all experience that.
I don't have the energy that I once had, and I've had physical things go on that have sapped my energy, but I don't ever plan on stopping. That doesn't mean I'm going to be as active as I once was. I mean, for years, I traveled every weekend somewhere. I couldn't keep that pace. But I think I have lots of meaningful contributions to the church still inside of me, and I think I benefit from long experiences of dark valleys and high mountains and all the wisdom of the Word. When you get wisdom in the nature of life combined with wisdom in the Word, it's a wonderful combination, and only an older person has that.
So, if retirement means I'm no longer going to be working 40 to 50 hours a week, well, that's wonderful. Praise God you're able to do that. But don't abandon your calling to use your gifts and experiences and opportunities to continue to contribute to the work of God wherever you are. I think we need a company of older people to stand alongside young couples with a variety of experiences they can offer in helping younger families negotiate the difficulties of life in this fallen world.
BF: Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's excited to hear that you still have a lot more to contribute and that you don't plan on retiring. Thank you, Paul.
So, that's the first episode of the new “Ask Paul Tripp Podcast” complete. Lord willing, we plan to record these in advance and post a new answer from Paul every Thursday and Saturday.
But for that to work, we need your help. We need you to submit questions for Paul to answer. You can do that in two ways, either by filling out the form online at paultripp.com/ask, or by sending us an email to ask@paultripp.com. Keep coming back every Thursday and Saturday for a new episode of the “Ask Paul Tripp Podcast,” and we trust that you'll be encouraged and equipped by Paul's answers as he connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Teaching@PaulTripp.com.
