Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. And all that we do and all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. I'm Darrell Bailey, Service for Christ. As we open up in a new series, Secrets to Happily Ever After. You know, in a world where fairy tales promise love without struggle and culture, it redefines commitment. God's word offers a better blueprint, one rooted in truth, grace, and daily surrender. And so, This series uncovers the biblical principles that strengthen relationships, heal past wounds, and build lasting love. From the foundation of faith to the words that we speak, from choosing forgiveness to honoring commitment, this series walks us through the real life God-given secrets to joy and longevity in marriage and in love. Now, this is not about perfection. It's about pursuing holiness over happiness, serving instead of demanding, and growing together instead of giving up. And so, as we look, each and every one of us deals with getting older. And really, that's exactly what this series focuses on. Happily Ever After isn't a fantasy, it's a faithful walk with Christ. And it's one that you've already been walking for many years. And when he's the center, every chapter can be more beautiful than the last. That's what this series is all about. Secrets to happily ever after. I start out in my first of this series out of Psalms chapter 118, verse 24, and I talk to you about how to start your happily ever after today. Let's open up with a time of prayer, and then we'll get into the message. Heavenly Father, we come before you seeking your grace, mercy, and strength. You are the resurrection and the life. And Lord, I praise you for loving and caring for each of us, entering with us into our pain and bringing hope to us in our despair. You are the one that sees me, loves me, and knows me by name. And Lord, just like Mary, I can be so overcome by my grief that I fail to recognize your presence with me. Make me aware of your voice calling my name, speaking life into the places that feel like death. Help me to hear your voice and believe. And Lord, as you foretold your death, so you reassured your disciples of your resurrection. And as with Mary Madeline, Your faithful love is always personal, Jesus. Your resurrection power will transform us into your resurrected people. And I trust you to lead me into that new life forever with you. Help us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand victorious in our aging, in our joy, and in our journey with you. And Lord, we want to live without regrets. Leave a legacy of love and faith and laughter. Teach us today how to begin our happily ever after. Not tomorrow, but today. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name we pray, amen. You know, I was reading a story about a 78-year-old woman named Clara. She sent in a letter about learning how to ride a bike. Her grandkids bought her a pink one with a basket, and she said, I may be old, but I'm tired of sitting down watching life ride past me. Well, she fell more than once, scraped her knees, and she kept on riding. She closed with this, I don't know what heaven will feel like, but yesterday I rode down a hill and giggled all the way. That must be close. Well, friend, don't wait for someday to start living. Some folks think happily ever after begins at retirement or in heaven. But what if it could start today? How to start your happily ever after? You know, you could add a touch of joy, a sprinkle of wisdom, and maybe a few funny brushes like Clara's. And I want to explore the upside of looking at the hard truths of getting older and how to live without regret because this isn't the end of the story. It's the best part. And so, as I start out, how to start your happily ever after today. First of all, you need to reclaim the joy of today. Psalms 118 verse 24 says, this is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. And so, I'm glad that when we look at the word rejoice, It's the Hebrew root, gil, that means to spin around with delight. Not tomorrow, not next week, today. And so, we reclaim the joy of today because this is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. We celebrate God's daily gift because every day is a wrapped present. Don't just save the good dishes for guests. Use them for breakfast. You know what? When we celebrate God's daily gift, we can laugh like a kid again. We can have a cheerful heart. Proverbs 13, 22 tells us so. And it's a spiritual medicine for us. And even Sarah laughed in her old age when they said that she was gonna bear kids in Genesis chapter 18, verse 12. And so, reclaim the joy of today. That's how you start your happily ever after now. Celebrate God's daily gift. Laugh like a kid again, and then stop delaying the joy. Quit waiting for life to be perfect. It'll never be. Put your praise on. And I'm glad that C.S. Lewis said one time, joy is the serious business of heaven. You know, I once met a 90-year-old lady who told me I finally started dating again, and his name is Bingo. Well, how do you start your happily ever after today? First of all, you reclaim the joy of today with Psalms 118 verse 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Do you see what I'm doing? I'm being very repetitive. because that's the old-fashioned preacher that I grew up listening to. And the more that I can repeat it, the more that you will remember it and also keep the devil from stealing it from you. And so, how to start your happily ever after today? First of all, reclaim the joy of today, but secondly, Recognize the purpose of your years. Proverbs chapter 16, verse 31 says, the hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. Well, guess what? When we look at the words of hoary, H-O-A-R-Y in Proverbs 16, 31, you know what that means? Hoary means gray. And that means when you're gray, you're honored. God doesn't waste your age. He honors it. And I'm glad that all of you gray heads out there that are listening to my series, Secrets to Happily Ever After, this is all about love. It's all about love. relationship. It's all about getting older and you ain't got to worry about going back through all of the things these young kids are going to still yet have to go through. You've done beat them and you've survived them. And so when we look and realize that God don't waste your age, he honors it. And so, recognize the purpose of your years. Wisdom isn't wasted. You know more now than you did at 25. Let others glean from it. Whether they want to hear it or not, you might have to tell some of them to shut up because these youngsters think they know it all, but they don't know nothing and they've still got a long ways to go to learn a lot of things that you already know. Wisdom isn't wasted. Purpose isn't over as well. Recognize the purpose of your years. Purpose isn't over for you. Moses was 80 when God called him at the burning bush, hallelujah, in Exodus chapter seven, verse seven. And so, recognize the purpose of your years. Wisdom isn't wasted, and purpose isn't over for you. But thirdly, testimonies teach others. Your story is a sermon someone needs to hear. Preach it to them. Thank God my wife preaches hers to me. And so, I'm glad that Johnny Hunt said one time, God's not finished with you when you retire. He's just getting started. And so, I once told a retired teacher who began a prayer ministry by writing birthday prayers to every kid at her church. And at 89, she said, I pray now than I taught back then, and these kids are learning love. Praise God. And so, how do you start your happily ever after today? First of all, reclaim the joy. of today in Psalms 118 verse 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Secondly, recognize the purpose of your years. Proverbs 16, 31, the whorehead, which is what? The gray head, is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. And then thirdly, how to start your happily ever after today. Thirdly, release the weight of regret. In Paul's writing of Philippians chapter 3 verse 13, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before. Thank God, I'm glad when Paul was talking about forgetting those things, he wasn't talking about all the sticky notes that you've got beside your bed and in the kitchen and on the cabinets and everywhere else. He was talking about the Greek word that means to no longer be influenced or affected by. You know why? Because each and every one of us that are older and that are getting older are not influenced by nobody anymore. You release the weight of all regret. You can drop the bags of guilt at your age. Regret is very heavy. It'll weigh upon you. Grace is light. Take up that grace. Drop them bags of guilt that you've been carrying around all these years or whatever it is. Drop them like a rock. and then not only drop the bags of guilt, but embrace the cross's final word. What was the final word on the cross of John chapter 19, verse 30? It is finished, hallelujah. It is finished. Embrace the cross, the final word, and then thirdly, not only drop the bags of guilt, not only embrace the cross's final word, it is finished, but step into grace, hallelujah. Don't drag your past into your promise, uh-uh. Listen, Robert Jeffries said, there are no do-overs in life, but there are deliverance. And so, I once heard a man say, if regrets were calories, I'd have to jog to Mars. And so, as I get ready to close out, because I know you're older and I don't want to put you to sleep, I don't want you to get in the boxing ring with me, but how to start your happily ever after today. How do you do that? Reclaim the joy God has already placed in your life, in your day, in your years. Reclaim that joy. Secondly, recognize that your age is not a prison. It's a platform, hallelujah. Enjoy your older age. Glory, hallelujah. I know I am, and I'm just a youngster, but I know folks in their 80s and they're living it up. You know what? Not only reclaim the joy that God already placed in your day, recognize that your age is not a prison, it's a platform, but thirdly, release the regret that tries to follow you around like an unpaid bill. Woo! Listen, you're not too old, and it's not too late, and the happiest chapter can still be written with God's hand, and so, as I get ready to close out. What's stopping you from enjoying today, huh? Often it's the comparison and sometimes the regret. Psalms 90 verse 12 reminds us to number our days. Each one counts. And so, how can I use my current stage of life for God's glory? You could be a great mentor. Your testimony, your many experiences. No one has been where you've been. Your prayer. what you have done in service, your smile, whether you're 60, whether you're 50, whether you're 70, whether you're 80, or if you're hitting on a hundred. Titus chapter two encourages older men and women to guide the younger. And then thirdly, what regret do you need to surrender to God today? Listen, whatever it is, even in your old age, the secrets to happily ever after, hey, I say confess it, release it. 1 John 1, 9 promises that he's faithful and just to forgive. And so, Here in a little bit. We're gonna get to our next messages of the upside of aging tune in and don't don't pass it up because the secrets to happily ever after is all about somebody that's getting older and that's getting better and Remember what I said, you're not too old It's not too late, and the happiest chapter can still be written with God's hand. So, thank God, reclaim the joy God already placed in you. Recognize that your age is not a prison, it's a platform, and release the regret that tries to follow you around like an unpaid bill. Lord, you are the author of every good chapter of our lives, and we give you our joy, our years, and our regrets, but forgive our sins, Lord. and help us daily to put on that armor of God that only you can give to us. And so, let our laughter be holy and our testimonies be fruitful and our lives be rich with joy and grace and may today be the beginning of someone's happily ever after in Christ. Save that lost person, Lord. Lord, bring them across our path. We're gonna tell them our testimony. We're gonna tell them when we got saved by God's marvelous grace. Restore that wanderer that's out there out of church and that is miserable because they're trying to straddle the fence and strengthen the faithful. All of this in Jesus' marvelous mighty name we pray. How to start your happily ever after today. Amen. you