Reluctant Retiree

Some business Chief Executive Officers sit behind their ornate desks in the corner of the penthouse of a tall building. They remain unapproachable to the masses, even in their own companies. The Pope is visible to the masses of followers but few get access to speak with him. These people wield great power from lofty positions, but rarely are touched by their people.

Revelation 4:5 says, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.” The apostle John is describing God’s throne. His throne is the place of His unmatched power, glory, and majesty. By the blood of Jesus, however, God has made His throne very approachable to His children. In fact, God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, leads us to the throne as our high priest, advocate, and intercessor. That means that Jesus speaks to the Father on our behalf.

When we pray, we must always remember the power and majesty of the One we are speaking with. We must be sure to give Him the praise that is due to Him. God listens to the humble.

Small children readily adapt some words, like “Mama” and “mine”, into their vocabulary. Other words, like “thanks” and “please”, need to be taught to them. As we get older, we still need to learn words and phrases of kindness and generosity, rather than selfish and harsh words.

Psalm 45:1 says, “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.” If you have received blessings from the gracious God, then your mouth should always be ready to give Him praise and thanksgiving. Learn the words of grateful worship and don’t hesitate to offer them to God. It will change your attitudes and your life.

“give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

God’s economy is far different than the world’s. In the world, we want to gather all that we can for ourselves. In God’s economy, we want to give as much as we can to others. When we give of our time, treasures, and talents, God multiplies these gifts for us. God blesses us so that we can bless others. After all, He has given us every spiritual blessing.

One thing that I dislike is wasting my efforts. This sometimes happens when someone redoes the work that I had just done, even though they truly don’t produce anything of better quality. Wasted effort can also occur when I misunderstand the job instructions or the instructions themselves were wrong or subsequently changed.

Jeremiah 12:13 says, “They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

The most common cause of wasted effort is doing the wrong things. God has created us for good works. Good works only come through the power of God in following His will for us. Doing anything else is likely to tire us out and accomplish little good. Make sure you expend your energy following God’s will for you in the power of God Himself.