retirement

¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think over you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of affliction, so that I may give you patience and an end.

²³And it happened that, after the days of his office were completed, he went away to his house.

²⁴But I dread none of these things. Neither do I consider my life to be more precious because it is my own, provided that in some way I may complete my own course and that of the ministry of the Word, which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.

²³And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²⁴“This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years and above, they shall enter to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant. ²⁵And when they will have completed the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve. ²⁶And they shall be the ministers of their brothers in the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to care for the things that have been commended to them, but not to perform the works themselves. So shall you assign the Levites in their duties.”

¹³The just one will flourish like the palm tree. He will be multiplied like the cedar of Lebanon. ¹⁴Those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of the house of our God. ¹⁵They will still be multiplied in a fruitful old age, and they will endure well,

⁷I have fought the good fight. I have completed the course. I have preserved the faith.

²²The good leave behind heirs: children and grandchildren. And the substance of the sinner is preserved for the just.

¹⁶Then he spoke to them using a comparison, saying: “The fertile land of a certain wealthy man produced crops. ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying: ‘What should I do? For I have nowhere to gather together my crops.’ ¹⁸And he said: ‘This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And into these, I will gather all the things that have been grown for me, as well as my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul: Soul, you have many goods, stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, and be cheerful.’ ²⁰But God said to him: ‘Foolish one, this very night they require your soul of you. To whom, then, will those things belong, which you have prepared?’ ²¹So it is with him who stores up for himself, and is not wealthy with God.”

²⁵I have been young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.

⁶I am confident of this very thing: that he who has begun this good work in you will perfect it, unto the day of Christ Jesus.

¹⁹Do not choose to store up for yourselves treasures on earth: where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither rust nor moth consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there also is your heart.

¹⁷Instruct the wealthy of this age not to have a superior attitude, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, who offers us everything in abundance to enjoy, ¹⁸and to do good, to become rich in good works, to donate readily, to share, ¹⁹to gather for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may obtain true life.

¹All things have their time, and all things under heaven continue during their interval. ²A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pull up what was planted. ³A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to tear down, and a time to build up. ⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. ⁵A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. ⁶A time to gain, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

¹⁶Look down upon your servants and upon their works, and direct their sons. ¹⁷And may the splendor of the Lord our God be upon us. And so, direct the works of our hands over us; direct even the work of our hands.

³³Sell what you possess, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that will not wear out, a treasure that will not fall short, in heaven, where no thief approaches, and no moth corrupts. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

¹⁰For God is not unjust, such that he would forget your work and the love that you have shown in his name. For you have ministered, and you continue to minister, to the saints.

¹⁹Remember me, O my God, for good, in accord with all that I have done for this people.

²⁸For who among you, wanting to build a tower, would not first sit down and determine the costs that are required, to see if he has the means to complete it?