Reluctant Retiree

How many times have you heard the expression, “I am telling it like it is”? That is a bold statement affirming that the person has all the information available and an unbiased assessment of the facts. Very likely, the person is really only giving their opinion and it is based upon limited information. It is also very likely that the person is not speaking for the benefit of his audience, but rather to puff up his/her own pride.

Ephesians 4:15 says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” We all know that we must be honest, speaking the truth. But do we also speak out of love, benefiting our listeners rather than out of selfishness to benefit ourselves. Speaking the truth also involves speaking out of a heart of love. Truth without love doesn’t benefit others.

In some things it is acceptable to seek the middle range. For instance, we like the weather to be neither hot nor cold. Introverts, like me, like some interaction with others, but too much interaction really drains us.

While it is acceptable to seek the middle in some areas, most of us are not satisfied with the mediocre in most aspects of life. We want our families to enjoy the best and be healthy and wise. We want to progress in our jobs beyond just satisfactory performance and conditions. We want our favorite sports teams to win the championships.

In Revelation 3:15-16 God speaks to the church in Laodicea and says, “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” God is not looking for lukewarm believers, who simply believe, go to church, and pray for what they need. God is looking for the person who will trust Him completely with their life and serve Him diligently. He wants to find the one who will give everything to Him in utter abandonment. Are you ready to say, “Yes, Lord! Let it be me!” and give yourself over to a radical faith in God Almighty?

If you go to a bookstore or library you can find hundreds of biographical books. The life stories of athletes, politicians, leaders, celebrities, and even despicable people are available for purchase or loan. Some of these stories inspire greatness and others make us groan with sadness.

Ephesians 1:15-16 says, “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”

Every moment of every day we are writing the story of our lives through our decisions and actions. We constantly make the choice of doing good and writing a worthy story or choosing to do wrong and writing a groan inducing story. Paul heard the story of the faith and love of the people in the church in Ephesus. He was inspired by their story and gave thanks for them. Make sure your life story is worthy to be told by the faith and love that you choose to give. This kind of story will be told through eternity.

Right now I am suffering with tooth pain. It is amazing how this affects the whole body. Because of the pain, other parts of the body are affected. My jaw has tightened up and now those muscles are sore. The same is true of my shoulder and back muscles. One part of the body affects others with its hurting and with its health.

I Corinthians 12:12-13 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” As members of one body, the body of Christ, what we do affects the other members of the body. If we are hurting, the other members also suffer and come to serve the hurting. We are all blessed by God with certain gifts or abilities. If we don’t share those gifts with others, we all miss out on the blessings.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you receive certain benefits from the body of Christ, but you also have a responsibility to that body. You receive the compassion of the other parts of the body, along with the shared blessings of others. You should also share your blessings with others and build up the body of Christ.

I hike almost everyday on the nature trails of this area. Most of them are relatively flat as I live in Indiana. Most days I can complete my 7-8 mile hikes with few problems. But some days it just feels like I cannot go on any longer. It is easy to feel weak during some of these hikes.

Habakkuk 3:19 says, “God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Hiking is one thing, but life hands us many more difficult situations. Some of them we think that we can easily handle them in our own strength. But sometimes the situation is just too hard or we have become too tired to deal with it. That is when the Lord eagerly desires that we trust in Him. He is much larger than any giant task that we can come up against. He wants us to face our giant in His strength. Even though we may not be fleet footed in the area we face, He can make us as agile as a deer and as strong as an ox. Even though the task before us may feel like a mountain, He will lift us up to reach the summit and pass over it.

The next time you face a mountainous task or problem, trust in God’s strength instead of trying to climb on your own. God may remove the mountain, but He may choose to reveal His strength in you as you climb to the summit.