Reluctant Retiree

“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.

Have you ever thought of a great thing to do, but busyness or fear kept you from trying to do it? I sure have. In fact I am great at coming up with fantastic ideas. But I am terrible at the follow through.

Acts 2:14 says, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.'” Peter, who had recently denied knowing Jesus and cowered in fear, was suddenly standing before a crowd of thousands proclaiming Jesus. The church of Jesus Christ was born through his message, as thousands believed in Jesus that day.

God has put a movement inside of you. So trust Him, be brave, stand with like minded friends and change the world around you. Don’t miss out on all that God has planned for you.

We are currently working on a disaster relief project. Our first assignment is to paint a porch. So we spent the day putting a brown covering over bare wood. Paint does a great job of covering a bad look, but it doesn’t hide poor structural damage. That requires qualified engineers and construction managers.

In the same way, we can try to cover ourselves with fine clothes, jewelry, nice cars, and money. But that covering cannot hide our faults, insecurities, and bad behavior. We need to consult the penultimate heart engineer and rehabilitation expert, God Himself.

Psalm 5:12 says, “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as a shield.” When we trust God to do the internal transformation that we need in our lives, He does the rehabilitation we need by covering us with blessings and His favor.