Reluctant Retiree

When I am listening to someone speak, sometimes my mind wanders and I don’t understand what they are saying. I may miss out on something important that they have to say. To gain wisdom and understanding, in personal matters and in life, we must earnestly seek wisdom and try to understand its truths as they apply to our lives.

Proverbs 2:1-2 says, “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making you ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.” The way to wisdom is through God’s Word. In it God gives us instructions for life and truths to understand. We do ourselves great harm if we ignore these instructions and try to get by on our own meager understanding. Diligently seek God’s wisdom and understand His truths.

Where we look governs what happens next. We all know these warnings; “look before you leap”, “look both ways before crossing the street”, “look before you step forward”, and “look forward and not behind”. Looking entails knowing what dangers lie ahead and trusting that you are ready to move.

Psalm 34:4-5 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Look to the Lord and you will never be disappointed. Looking, in this context, means to seek the Lord diligently and trust Him to act on your behalf. He will not necessarily make the things you fear go away, but He will surely give you the ability to move ahead and through the fears to His blessings.

We have all been harmed by empty words spoken to us. Politicians frequently make promises that they cannot or will not keep. Salespeople speak freely about the wonderful features of their product or service, knowing full well that they are overstating the benefits. Family members and friends promise undying love but leave at the first sign of trouble. Empty words are spoken in order to make the speaker feel better about themselves.

Ephesians 5:6 says, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Even in our spiritual lives, people will use empty words to deceive us. They speak in this way in order to justify their evil works. Everything that we hear and read must be tested against the truth of God’s Word. Only in this way can we be sure that we are not led astray from the truth. All wisdom comes from God, not the ideas of foolish people.

At one time or another, we have all felt the sting of betrayal. Perhaps it was as simple as a trusted friend speaking our secret to others. Maybe it is as difficult as a loved one walking away from our relationship. Or worse yet, it could be someone who was close to us actually standing against us at a vulnerable time in our lives. Regardless of the circumstances, betrayal is hard to understand and to come to grips with.

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

For those who are in Christ Jesus, our God is the God who stays. When everyone else walks away from us or even comes against us, God stays with us and advocates for us. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He will always be faithful to us. This brings comfort to my weary soul and life to my spirit, as it should to yours also.

To be “faithful” we must remain loyal and steadfast, true to the facts. One thing that our world could use right now is a heavy dose of faithfulness. We leave marriages at the slightest inconvenience, children are abandoned on a routine basis, we switch jobs to seek a better life, and we fail to pay our bills putting the blame on others.

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must seek to remain loyal to our calling from God and to the truth of His Word. We should seek to maintain a heart steadfastly committed to God and to His ways. Let us stand out in our culture as beacons of faithfulness spreading to light of God to an unfaithful generation.