Reluctant Retiree

The popular belief is that knowledge and faith cannot coexist. It is felt that the more you know, the less faith you will need. This notion, however, is built upon an incorrect foundation. Knowledge must be based upon truth, not popular opinion or speculation.

The truth is that God does exist. He created all things. He sustains all things. He possesses all knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, the better that I know Him, the stronger my faith will become, because I will continually see His work in me and in the world.

II Timothy 1:12 says, “But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.” Real knowledge is truth. God is the Truth.

Every day I walk nature trails. Through these hikes I catch a glimpse of God’s divine nature. The forests and rivers have a beauty of their own, but they cannot change what they were created to be. A forest cannot become a prairie on its own and a river cannot become a great lake on its own. People are similarly restricted in their nature. We are born into a world of corruption and have that same nature within us, due to sinful desires. However, we can be changed.

II Peter 1:3-4 says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” God has made His own power available to us. Through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and faith in Him, God calls us to His own glory and excellence. He has given great and precious promises to those who believe in Him and these promises sustain us and give us hope as we learn to live godly lives in God’s power. While the power is available to all who place their trust in Jesus Christ, it is a maturing process that God uses to change our nature from corruption to divine.

Why not begin the journey to godliness today? It begins with trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Then by faith, we can ask God to do the powerful work of changing our nature, now and through the maturing process.

Most mobile phones have forward and reverse cameras. You take pictures of yourself, called selfies, or pictures of the thing you see and that interest you. Selfies have become overwhelmingly popular, as people like to take pictures of themselves in different environments and share them with others. I have only taken a selfie once. Rather I prefer to take pictures of nature as I hike and then share them with others. Can all these selfies be cultivating a self-centered and selfish mindset in us?

I Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” God wants us to have a humble mindset. We can do that by actively thinking of the needs of others with sympathy, brotherly love and a tender heart. Constantly thinking of just our own needs hardens our hearts to the concerns of others. Let’s ask God to give us humility by enhancing a compassionate heart within us. Let’s turn the camera around and focus on others for a change. After all, when the camera or our minds are facing us, they are backwards. Focusing on others moves us forward.

Every time we show kindness to another person, we are impacting that life for good and the lives of others that follow that person. Every time we get angry with another, our anger affects the people around us and that are affected by the person we get angry with. We can’t help but impact lives directly, and indirectly through our actions and words.

Genesis 46:3-4 says, “Then he said, ‘I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again.” God is speaking to Jacob, also called Israel. Jacob had stopped and offered sacrifices to God to ensure that God wanted him to go to Egypt. God told Jacob to go and gave him promises.

One of those promises was that God would make a great nation from Jacob. Jacob was saving his family from famine by obeying and going to Egypt. The family consisted of 70 people at the time, but by the time they left Egypt they numbered about 2.5 million. So God did make a great nation out of Jacob.

We impact thousands of lives during our lifetime. Our impact can be for good, like through simple kindness. Or our impact can be for darkness, like anger. In either case, our impact is not just upon our family, friends, and casual acquaintances. Our impact multiplies through our contacts with people to their contacts with people, and so on through many generations. You may think that I am exaggerating, but think of the person who is demeaned at work. They come home and shout at the kids or spouse, who then take it out on someone else. Let’s make sure our impact is for good and not for darkness.

If we are followers of Jesus Christ, this impact can be for God. Every time we pray for someone, or share our faith, or simply do a good work, we are impacting souls for many generations. Let’s go to heaven with a great nation of people impacted by our godly lives. Don’t be afraid! Just like with Jacob, God also promises to go with us.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” I Timothy 1:15-16

The apostle Paul wrote the verses quoted above. He calls himself the foremost of sinners. He had persecuted Christians, calling for their deaths. He was saved on the road to Damascus by a direct intervention of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul takes no credit for his salvation. He applies the credit to the mercy and patience of God.

We are all the same. Like Paul, none of us deserve God’s gift of salvation and redemption. Yet He has freely offered it to all people, through His great mercy and patience. Who are we to reject such a gift! Lay down your worldly wisdom and your pride and accept God’s gift of salvation and redemption. This life and eternity will be brand new for you.