Reluctant Retiree

My wife and I have worked as volunteers for several disaster relief projects in the last few years. One sight amazes me every time that I see it, that is the damage that water does. Water is not stopped by walls, nor most anything else. Once an area is flooded, water seeps in everywhere and destroys most everything. Once water touches walls, furniture, appliances, and other belongings most of those things must be discarded.

Song of Solomon 8:7 gives an interesting picture of love when it says, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither an floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.” Love is more valuable than anything else we can receive. We all know this. We write songs about it. Great books and art have sought to demonstrate its impact upon us. We know what it feels like to be “in love”. We spend our whole lives seeking love. But do we ever find it and know what it is like to receive true love?

I know for certain that we can find love in one place, in God. And His love is perfect in every way. We can do nothing to earn it. He abundantly loves us because He is love. However, to know this love more completely, we must trust Him. This means we must give our lives to Him in response to His love for us. He has demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to die for our salvation and redemption. His love is steadfast and eternal and does not depend upon us being good. His love permeates every part of us, but unlike floodwaters, His love heals, restores, edifies, and redeems. Yes, indeed, we can find true and perfect love in the love of God.

If you drive through Indiana you will notice that the corn fields are fully planted to the extent possible. Farmers would be fools to sow seeds in only a small section of their farmland and expect it to yield a bountiful crop. They sow seeds in all their farmland in order to reap the largest yield possible.

II Corinthians 9:6 says, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” This principle is true in so many areas of life. If we expect to have friends, we must sow the seeds of friendliness. If we expect to receive kindness from others, we must sow the seeds of kindness with them. If we expect to receive help from people, we must sow the seeds of helpfulness. We must sow generously into the lives of others before we can expect to reap the fruit of our generosity.

The weather forecast was somewhat foreboding when I started my morning hike. The prediction called for 90% chance of rain and snow. Yet, I was convinced that God wanted me to take the hike. So I started out, taking an umbrella and wearing an overcoat. My heart was calm and I had a sense that the rain would hold off. Several times during the hike I thought of taking a short extended detour. But I didn’t have the same peace about adding steps to my journey today. It felt like I would be tempting God by adding steps that He had not approved. So I completed the 7 mile hike without even opening the umbrella.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” The only right course in life is to delight in God’s ways and to follow His steps. If we take any other path, we leave God’s protection and are left to blindly walk in our own limited vision.

As we get older we fall into certain rhythms of life. We wake up and get ready for work or school, knowing the way and what we will do when we get there. It can become mechanical, until life strikes and something new comes our way. The pandemic and other world events have caused many of us to question why we do what we do. Is it just fate or am I making daily decisions that impact what I do or why?

Joshua 24:14-15 says, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will sere the Lord.”

The reality is that every day we make decisions about whom we will serve. Most of us choose to selfishly serve ourselves at these decision points. Some may choose to serve the gods that are passed down from generation to generation. These gods include greed, lust, drugs, pride, anger, and others. Some mindlessly choose to serve the gods of their ancestors.

The one true God, who created all things, calls us to serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness. As for me and my house, we choose to serve Him because He is worthy of all honor and praise.

Have you ever began to read a novel and decided to look at the end of the book to see how it ends, even though you have not yet read the whole book? Sometimes we do the same thing with movies. We fast forward to see who dies and who lives, or find some other main story line. We all want to know how the story ends.

Those who love God and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer know the end of the story. We know how history ends because it is written in God’s Word. And we know the end of the story, even as we go through struggles.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God promises that He will work all things out for good, even when we are going through hard times. The hard times are admittedly not enjoyable, but as we endure these times in His grace, we find that they develop character in us and good for us in the end. As we see God work out things for good, that enables us to trust Him more in the future hard times. God is good and is always doing good. Because He is faithful we can trust Him to fulfill His promise to do good.