Embracing The Pioneer Spirit Despite Limitations

Brothers and sisters who have expended themselves in serving Jehovah for decades deserve warm heartfelt commendation. What is even more commendable is that they are still going strong and are determined as ever to serve faithfully despite their age and limitations.

At Legacy Place, we are blessed to have such older ones who fill the home with their zeal and joy. Not all of them might be able to pioneer but they keep the pioneer spirit going strong. Listening to their expressions on how they feel about the adjusted hour requirements shows just how focused they are. In this article, we want to share these wonderful expressions with all of you.

The Pioneer Spirit

Notice what Paul says in Hebrew 6:10: “For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name by ministering and continuing to minister to the holy ones.” Undoubtedly, when a person is younger and healthier, he may have been able to do much “work” to express his “love” for Jehovah. On the other hand, when he grows older and weaker, the work he is able to do may vary depending on his current circumstance but his love remains strong. And Jehovah cherishes the person who strengthens that love by cultivating a pioneer spirit.

Pioneer spirit is essentially a heart condition and it empowers us to give our best to Jehovah despite personal limitations.

“It might be defined as having a positive attitude toward the command to preach and make disciples, being fully committed to showing love and concern for people, being self-sacrificing, finding joy in following the Master closely, and taking pleasure in spiritual, not material, things.”

–          Kingdom Ministry 7/88

Demonstrating the Pioneer Spirit

No matter what our circumstances, we can all cultivate a pioneer spirit. Here’s how our dear friends at Legacy demonstrate this:

Gratitude

When we meditate appreciatively on all that Jehovah has done and is still doing for us personally, we will look for ways to expand our ministry. The friends at Legacy are excellent examples. Though old age brings many complaints, the friends try their best not to focus on that. Rather, they express their gratitude for the many provisions that Jehovah makes available to them. As you will see in the video below, they are thrilled with the adjusted hour requirement and see it as a blessing in their old age.

Encouragement

By sharing our experiences, and the points we enjoyed learning in our personal study or from the meeting, we build up our brothers. (Ephesian 4:29) By offering support and encouragement to those who are currently engaged in full-time ministry, by encouraging those who could potentially do so, and by participating in auxiliary pioneering when possible, the friends at Legacy have been a source of encouragement to all of us. Come spend some time with them and you will experience this firsthand. Write to us if you would like to come visit.

Love

If we develop a genuine love for our neighbors, we will be moved to help them spiritually regardless of their attitude. – Matthew 9:36. Those of us who work at Legacy experience the genuine love of these friends. They are determined to be there at the arrangements for letter and phone witnessing so they can reach as many honest-hearted ones as possible. They love people and above all they love Jehovah.

In this way, the friends do their best to serve Jehovah, regardless of whether or not they are actively enrolled in the full-time ministry. How grateful we are for the reduced hour requirement that enables us to show our pioneer spirit in action!

We hope you enjoy this compilation of some expressions from a few elderly ones in Legacy Place. We were encouraged for sure.