Reluctant Retiree

In sports and some other occupations a certain amount of arrogance is regarded as appropriate. You have to believe you are good in order to win the job or get promoted. The danger comes in transferring this self belief into other areas of life. In that way we become selfish, self-centered, uncooperative and aggressive.

Proverbs 8:13 quotes God as saying, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Why is God so opposed to pride, when it can be helpful to us in some situations? That’s because pride is the opposite of faith and trust. When someone believes in himself so much that he ignores God, he has sinned greatly in God’s eyes. God is good and strong, along with having all wisdom and knowledge. So failure to trust Him is not only unwise but sinful. In addition, self-aggrandizement excludes love for others. God is love and commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

We must trust God with our lives. Let’s ask Him to root out harmful and destructive pride and arrogance from our lives. Let’s believe that God loves us enough that He will do what is best for us.

Families come in many sizes and varieties. Some are close knit, while others suffer from strife. Some do things together frequently, while others don’t even eat meals together. Some families are quiet, while others are boisterous. Some families are supportive of each other, while others antagonize each other.

Followers of Jesus come together to form a new family, a very different household. Ephesians 2:18-20 says, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

The family of God is different than any other family that we man know. First of all, the Father is always available and stays with those who believe. He faithfully protects and provides for each member of the family. We can talk to Him at an time and He will listen and answer our requests. He understands and sympathizes with our struggles, providing help. The family residence is in Heaven where we immediately become citizens upon belief. Every member of the family is present and honored for their role in the family. We are united by faith in Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed how inhibiting old habits can be? Some things become so ingrained in our thoughts and behavior that we continue to do them, even without thinking about them. This is obviously true regarding addictions but it is also common in more ordinary things like reacting negatively to certain events and actions of others. We can become slaves to our own negative thoughts and behaviors.

In Acts 13:38-39 Paul is speaking to a group of nonbelievers about Jesus when he says, “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

The first step in obtaining freedom from bad habits and sins is to acknowledge that we have, indeed, committed these acts. Secondly, we must admit that we need help in freeing ourselves from continuing these practices. Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s way of sealing our forgiveness of sins. A price had to be paid for the sins against God that we have committed. That price is called redemption, which Jesus paid in full on our behalf. Those who believe in His redemption and forgiveness of sins are set free from their old sinful ways and thoughts. This freedom cannot be obtained by any set of religious practices or our own efforts at doing good deeds. We must simply accept what Jesus has already done for us and follow Him.

Recently I scrolled through an album of pictures of unique architectures. All of these unusual structures tell a story from the architects. They represent events or beliefs that the architects wanted to tell others about.

The Jewish people often built stone altars to remind themselves of what God had done for them. One was built near the Jordan River after God had stopped the flow of the river so that the people could cross into the Promised Land.

Peter reminds us of the value of our stories and he compares us to living stones when he wrote: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Believers in Jesus Christ are living stones created to tell the world what God has done for us. Our stories of God working in and through us reverberate through the world and make a difference in the world as a whole and in the lives of individuals. Together we are the family of Christ and are precious to Him.

We try as best we can to provide for the needs of our children. When they ask for something, we must decide if it best to provide their request. Sometimes the request is just selfish and the child would not be best served by providing what they requested.

On His way to the cross, Jesus prayed rather fervently. He asked the Father if there was some other way that He could save the world, other than His death on the cross. In His prayer, Jesus said something that we often neglect. Matthew 26:39 records Jesus’ words: “And going a little farther he fell on his face, and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'”

Jesus trusted His Heavenly Father completely. He knew that the Father was fully trustworthy, that He would do what was necessary, good, and best. So He accepted the Father’s will for His life.

Sometimes we pray and ask God for something, but God does not respond as we would like. We, also, can trust that God will do what is good, what is best for us. He may not do what we expected or wanted, but He is a good God who is always good to us. He has the wisdom and power to do the right thing.