Putting Off the Old Man – by Ron Herrold, Westville, IN

Ron Herrold

A few years back, before I turned 60, I was helping an irrigation repair man fix an underground broken pipe and wire. The repairman was actually the owner of the company. He had sold his successful John Deere business and began an irrigation business. He had made enough that he wouldn’t have had to work in the summer heat and miry mud.

We began talking about many things. The conversation came around to the Lord. He shared about turning 60, and he had found his life’s verse – 2 Corinthians 4:16–18. My ears perked up because I had never zeroed in on a life verse. I actually took my phone out and looked up the verses.

Paul said that though the outward man is perishing, the inward man is renewed day by day. These verses really can get things into focus. For things that are seen are temporal, but things that are unseen are eternal. Wow! A lot of times during my farming career I would lose sight of what really matters. I would be so focused on the immediate problem and not realize this too will pass.

In farming, there are very few things that I have control of—the weather, the markets, government policies, interest rates, equipment dependability, and family.

This summer at the Fellowship of Christian Farmers Conference, we had a speaker, Bill Fields, who shared about accidents happening on the farm. He used a sign—“HALT”—to demonstrate his point: Stop when you’re Hungry, stop when you’re Angry, stop when you’re Lonely, stop when you’re Tired.

In 1988, I had a farm accident and had to sit on the sidelines during planting time. I felt like the kid saying, “Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play.” However, God was teaching me during this time. I had to develop patience and set my affection on things above and not here on earth. Putting to death those earthly desires is a daily challenge.

Reading the Word of God with the help of the YouVersion Bible app on my phone has made a huge difference in taking on that challenge. Although I have read through the Bible six times, I must still reflect on the significance of that struggle in further study. I still must acknowledge that the reading of God’s word must be internalized so that we are enabled to put off the old man—2 Corinthians 5:17. That is why 1 John 1:9 is so important: If we confess our sins… He will forgive our sins.

God can only use a clean vessel. Are we clean vessels? Have we put off the old man?