Mind about retirement

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent [man] foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.

There's time for everything, a time when you have all the strength in this world and that time when you don't. The time of being a youth and the time of being old, when you cannot do a lot physically. Prepare for that time today. 

Youths boast in their strength but old men boast about their grey hair. Grey hair denotes experience and advancement in the affairs of life. Old age comes with a certain wisdom that young people only only dream about. The reason being that they have seen a lot. Jacob told Pharaoh when he was asked about his age, he replied, 130 hard years. One version says 130 few and difficult, Genesis 47:9. There are difficult pasts, those you even don't wish to go through again but there is some difficulty ahead too if you don't plan for it. There will be times when you will look back and feel like you would have acted wiser with your spending, yet you cannot turn back. When I was at campus, I couldn't wait to have my first salary, all I dreamt doing like it is for many was to buy all I want until it's no more in a few days. I tend to look back I ask myself, "why did I do that?" yet you can't bring it back. Foolishness causes people to blow up their salaries and the world is going to ring that bell louder in your ears of you aren't careful. It will point you to the newest in vogue things every now and then. Since all the good the world will ever have is in the here and now, they don't have hope of a better life after here, but hells flames, so their enjoyment is here. This is all the heaven they will ever get thought eternity. For believers we know better. 

There's an old man I love to listen to Dave Ramsey who always says, "don't waste money." On his talk show he advises young men and normally adds that phrase, "if I were you, I would do this and that, listen to this old man telling you things I wish I knew then." It is good to heed to counsel from grey haired people who are doing well financially. The irony is young men don't want to listen, no one is talking into their lives, they don't want to read books, don't want to save for investment, all they want to do is party and to "work and eat the money." Whoever is giving them such advice is really giving them poison. Anyone who hates attacks your sources of livelihood. "The grass feels greener, even the air feels cooler, when you walk in financial freedom" Dave always says, " when you can pay cash for all you want, travel the world, buy land and build, give to the church and to charity, take your children to University, and still be debt free." 

You may say it's impossible to save in this day and age. And some even think it's impossible to tithe and end up eating God's money. One author argued and said, if your income reduced by 30% wouldn't you survive? I remember in COVID-19, life was a little different in terms of earning and yet God was faithful, we somehow went through it and we are still here. Some even say that it's when they got more money than ever before! So you can still tithe and save for investment later. Save for your retirement too with a percentage taken off your money everytime you get it. Live on less, you won't die. That retirement percentage should be at least 15%.

There's an evil ahead awaiting you young man and those are bills and yet age is catching up with you. Like our theme scripture says, hide from it or do something about it. Let the days ahead be smooth because you acted in wisdom now. Research has it that people die within 5 years after retirement, I mean those who have had permanent jobs since graduation. Why they blow up their pension or NSSF savings and they have no way of survival. Coupled with, "I feel pain here and there" because if old age, if they lack a support system they end up dying quicker. While they worked they had the comforts of a company car and insurance, now they are no more. Those in business are not left out, if you don't set up systems in your business to run without you physically being there, you need to mind about the years when you cannot be in it fully or when your strength diminishes. 

One phrase I got to learn is that God doesn't bless foolishness but blesses diligence. Don't ignore or fear the future, simply walk into it with a plan.