Reluctant Retiree

My wife and I have two different ways of attacking a job. She likes to plan and make sure everything is right and fully understand what she is going to do. She works at the task meticulously and takes her time. Her only fault is she may get sidetracked with another job. She generally has several tasks going at the same time and has difficulty finishing some of them. My approach is much different. I dig right in and work hard at the job. However I may not possess all the knowledge and tools that I need. I work fast and finish the job quickly, but my work is not always the highest quality.

Acts 20:24 says, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Whatever God wants you to do, do it well and finish this good work. You don’t want to look back and be ashamed at unfinished works or works not done well, for then you may not have accomplished all that God wanted you to do.

We are entering a rainy season. While it may be inconvenient for me, the farmers need the rain. I don’t think that I could ever be a good farmer. They are in a constant state of waiting. They must wait for the rains to feed the ground. They wait for the crops to grow. Patience is not my strong suit, but I am trying to learn and grow in the practice of waiting.

James 5:7 says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.” We must learn patience as all things will be made right when the Lord returns. Learning patience is difficult as we want control over the circumstances and fear something will go wrong while we wait. But the reality is that we cannot control the circumstances, as only God can and does. He will make all things right when Jesus returns, removing all suffering and replacing it with eternal joy and love. In the meantime, we trust in Him to work on our behalf.

On the job we are expected to do our best work with what we know. In life, it matters most what we do with what we know. We shouldn’t expect to know everything or accomplish things that are beyond our knowledge.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” God knows all things. We don’t. We are responsible for using the truths that He has revealed to us to do the good works that He gives us to do.

I am 73 years old and I cannot remember a time when we have been so divided as a nation. Rather than welcoming all people as our forefathers imagined, we seem to find ways to separate ourselves from each other. We design classifications of people based upon skin color, ethnicity, political views, word usage, ideology, and practically anything. We don’t accept opposing views as worthy of consideration and instead condemn others for thinking differently than we do.

Acts 10:34 says, “So Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.'” God shows no partiality to anyone, and welcomes everyone to come to Him. We are called to become like Him, so we also should show no partiality to anyone, accepting all. Everyone is welcome to the grace and mercy of our God, and that truth should bring us together in unity.

When we build, whether it be a building or an important project, we want to use the best building materials possible so that our building will be strong and endure. Using inferior materials leads to decreased strength and usefulness.

Acts 9:31 says, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” When we consistently walk in worship of God and abide in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be built up strong in faith and the church will grow. Worship, faith, and the Spirit’s power are the building materials that God uses to build His church and to make us strong and help us endure while growing in grace.