Lutheran Devotional 3rd October 2025, Friday Message
TOPIC: Every Age Has a Stage
SCRIPTURE READING: Numbers 8:23-26
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And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”
“I can’t wait until I can …” Remember saying those words? Maybe you’re still saying them. But when you were young, you couldn’t wait to get to ride your bike across the street and around the block. You couldn’t wait to go camping with your best friend, even it was only a tent in the backyard. And of course, you couldn’t wait to get your driver’s license and start driving, even if it meant driving the family minivan while delivering your little sister to piano lessons. Whatever age we are, there’s something we are waiting to do.
Well, that fits our text today. In Numbers 8, Moses recorded God’s directions for the different ages of service from the men in the tribe of Levi. They were to care for the tent of meeting where worship of God was held. There were three age divisions, those who were under 25, those 25 to 50, and those over 50 years old. It might seem that the middle group, ages 25-50, would be the important ones, but there’s a purpose for every age. God doesn’t have us doing nothing but waiting in our early years. And He certainly doesn’t have us doing nothing in our later years. There’s something for us all.
It’s a bit like our waiting to do something more grownup than we’ve done before. If you couldn’t ride your bike around the whole town or even around the block, did you sell your bike or shove it into a corner of the garage? No, you were probably like the brother and sister who live two doors down from our house. Their very careful mom lets them ride the 200 feet from her driveway up to our wide driveway where they turn around and they ride back. They can’t ride on the street yet, but they have perfected that U-turn in our driveway. And we really enjoy watching them come and go.
So, if you’re not at the peak of service right now, what can you do? Well, don’t despair. Certainly don’t stop. If you’re young, grow in your faith and your service. Take on the tasks that come your way, even if they seem small. Remember the wonderful truth: “Faithful in little, faithful in much.” Remember that Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28b). If He who is the King of kings would work as a carpenter, how can we be idle at any age?
So, just as there is much to do when young, so also as we become older, we’re not done yet. As the text said of those who were over 50 years old, they were to be guards in the tent of meeting. In our terms, that might be those members who come early to worship, to put on the coffee, to greet others as they arrive, and they stay a bit later to talk to the visitors and hear their story. And next week, they look for the ones who shared with you the week before and ask how they are doing. Guard the memory of what was shared; you’ll make someone’s day when you remember them.
There’s so much for us to do at every age of our lives. You’re not too young or too old, and even at your peak years, you’re not too busy to take on the tasks God gives you. Pray for the energy to do the work that you know. Pray for the eyes to see the work that’s waiting for you. Pray for the endurance to complete the work that you’ve begun. In the end, it’s not our doing but God who began a good work in us will bring it to completion in the day of Christ Jesus (see Philippians 1:6). Blessings to you as you find that work and fulfill the plan of God. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, thank You for the talents You’ve given us and the opportunities throughout our lives to use them. Give us energy and a steadfast spirit to use these gifts for the good of others and in thanks to You. We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- What age group do you fall into? Have you found things to do to serve God and bless others?
- How did Jesus set us a prime example for serving others in our neighborhood and community?
- Pray to God for His direction in what you can do—and be sensitive to His leading.
Today’s Readings:
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola.
