Reluctant Retiree

Some surroundings or circumstances can make me instantly confused. When there is a lot of movement or noise around me, I lose focus and have trouble concentrating. It is like I am shaken out of stable thinking and enter into random thoughts.

Acts 2:25-26 says, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. When we trust in Jesus, He places us on solid ground, the rock of our salvation. Because we are held in His hands, we are secure and cannot be shaken. He gives us a glad heart and hope for each day and into eternity. Our future is established in His righteousness.

Do you have a number of started, but incomplete jobs around your house or apartment? At any one time you can walk around our place and see papers spread about, tools next to started projects, and post-it notes with to do lists. We have good intentions but can be distracted at times.

Job 23:13-14 says, “But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.” God desires to do many good things for you and through you. Since He is unchanging and cannot be turned away, He will complete His work in and through you. He never gets distracted from the work He wants to do.

In times past, when a proclamation or document was sent by a king, it was sealed by wax and the king imprinted his signet ring onto the wax. This seal guaranteed the authenticity of the document and carried the full authority of the king. We use seals today in a similar fashion on property deeds, automobile titles, notarized documents and certified mail.

Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The believer who trusts in Jesus Christ is sealed by the Holy Spirit in God. This seal makes us secure in God forever, establishes God’s ownership of our lives, and authorizes us to carry His Word and His name into the world as His representatives. This seal can never be broken because it bears the authority of God.

I don’t know about you, but I feel that my words have frequently been misinterpreted. We have language apps and programs that take the words said in one language and translates those words into the language spoken by the listener. Why can’t we develop software that will take my words and correctly translate these words into the understanding of the listener, even when we speak the same language. This software would decrease misunderstandings and thereby diminish hostilities.

Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit stands before the Father on our behalf and makes our requests. The Holy Spirit does that by reaching down deep into our hearts and souls to determine what we need and matches those needs to the Father’s will. He translates our deepest groanings to the Father.

One of the saddest things of growing old is the loss of heartfelt memories. But it is also sad to get increasingly busy with life, so that we forget the important things. We are so focused on doing things that sometimes we leave behind previously held values for the sake of expediency. Thereby,we become different people than we intended to be.

Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.” Faith in God is to be held tightly and taken seriously. It impacts every part of life and eternity. Don’t let the things you know are true fade from your thoughts. We shouldn’t become so busy that it changes who we are and what we believe. We must remember the truths that God has spoken and that we have believed.