Verse 14: "They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,"
Back in the 70's when I was running marathons, one of my heroes was Walter Stack. He was 85-years-old and was still running marathons. He did most of his training in northern California around the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the sports writers asked him "Don't your teeth chatter on those cold mornings?" He said, "Naw! I just leave them in my locker!"
C. H. Spurgeon said: "Aged believers possess a ripe experience, and by their mellow tempers and sweet testimonies they feed many. Even if bedridden, they bear the fruit of patience; if poor and obscure, their lowly and contented spirit becomes the admiration of those who know how to appreciate modest worth."
Perowne says: "THEY SHALL BEAR FRUIT, in allusion probably to the great fruitfulness of the date-palm, which, when it reaches maturity, produces three or four hundred pounds' weight of fruit, and has been known even to produce six hundred pounds' weight."
Jesus said after they left the upper room and were going down to the Garden of Gethsemane: "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (John 15:8 NIV).
D. L. Moody said: "It does not pay to get sour as you get old. I pity a man who lives in the past. He lives on stale manna. He gets stunted."
Wiersbe says: "God wants you to grow like strong, productive trees that bear much fruit. He wants your roots to grow deep to draw nourishment from His hidden spiritual resources. Are you planted and feeding on the Word of God daily? Are you producing fruit and bringing glory to Him? Are you flourishing and feeding others?"
Jeremiah 17:7 - 8: "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (NIV).
Verse 15: "proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.'"
These who "still bear fruit in old age" have a 3-point testimony: (1) "The Lord is upright"; (2) "he is my Rock"; and (3) "there is no wickedness in him." Yes, He is everything to me!
Vernon Ground says: "What about your own life? Is it spiritually dried up? Ask Jesus, the fountain of living water (John 7:37), to fill you with His presence. Then joy and peace will begin to bubble up and even overflow."
Bonar says: "I heard the voice of Jesus say, 'Behold, I freely give the living water, Thirsty one, stoop down And drink and live.'"
Jeremiah 31:25: "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint" (NIV).
Wyrtzen prays: "O Lord, Most High, You are exalted forever. I confess my utter dependence and vulnerability before You. Satisfy my thirst for You today."
In Mark 1:41: we read these words: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man..." (NIV).
