Reluctant Retiree

Sometimes we go to an event or do a project that turns out to be good for us and for others. Then we expect the same good results the next time we try it. Unfortunately, the second or third time we try to do something that was good doesn’t necessarily have the same good results. Just because it was good once doesn’t mean it will always be good.

Zechariah 9:17 says, “For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!” The Lord will always be good to you. Trust in His goodness as it will follow you everywhere. God is always good and He is good to everyone.

Psalm 121:5 says, “The Lord is your keeper.” We don’t often think of using the word “keeper” in relation to people rather than animals. Google defines “keeper” as a person who manages or looks after something or someone. So a bookkeeper looks after the accounting records of a company. A shepherd looks after the sheep, making sure they are safe and fed. So how is God the “keeper” of His children?

The Bible says that He holds us in His hands and no one or nothing can remove us from His hands.

So He keeps on protecting us.

He keeps on loving us.He keeps on providing for us.

He keeps on caring for all our needs.

He keeps on guiding us into truth and in life.

He keeps on showing us mercy.

He keeps on giving us gifts of grace.

And He stays with us always.

There are many other ways that God is our keeper, beyond our imagination.

When the Bible speaks about the knowledge of God, it speaks of more than learning facts about God. Knowledge involved learning through experience and relationship with God, as well as study. Therefore, knowledge cannot come to us in a brief moment after reading or listening to experts. True knowledge additionally comes through a life time of experiences and our reactions to those experiences.

Ephesians 4:15 says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is he head, into Christ.” We must grow into the image of Jesus by studying His Word and experiencing His truth. As God takes us through life, He will demonstrate how He works and how we can become more like Jesus. It is our responsibility to learn these lessons and apply them to our lives by His Holy Spirit’s power.

All of us are people of faith, whether we want to believe it or not. We exercise faith all the time without thinking about it. We confidently sit on a chair believing in the craftsman who made it. When we drive down the highway, we trust in the other drivers to obey the laws. Almost every situation we face requires that we exercise faith. You may say that these situations are based upon knowledge rather than faith. But I say that this knowledge only serves to increase our faith that things will occur as we expect.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and  said, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”  (Luke 24:36-38, ESV) Our response to troubles reveals our faith. Knowing Jesus and His promises better will increase our faith. Observing the power and love of God increases our knowledge of Him and therby increases our faith in what we can expect from Him. Knowing His promises spoken in His Word allays our fears and doubts.

In the past couple years we learned the importance of the supply chain. When it is broken or bogged down, we either don’t get the goods that we need or we have to pay more for them. Wouldn’t it be great if whenever we needed anything, we could walk into a store and get it at a reasonable price, because we know that the supply room in the back always has an ample supply of what we want? That is not going to happen, but it would be nice.

Ephesians 2:6-7 says that God “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” The one who trusts God already has all the authority that they will ever need to have victory over every struggle, because God has raised them up to the heavenly places with Jesus. While the authority does not rest within the believer it is always available to them by simply asking Jesus, who is seated with them. And the one who trusts God has all the kindnesses they will ever need because He is kind to them according to His immeasurable grace. God is always kind and He will never exhaust His kindnesses toward believers because He possesses immeasurable riches of grace.