Reluctant Retiree

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.

Medicine comes in the form of a tablet, capsule, pill, or liquid. In these inheritantly weak forms, the medicines carry strong ingredients designed to do healing and curing within our bodies. Bullets are small and easily destroyed, but carry the power to destroy. Small seeds of grain grow into the food that transforms into energy and growth for our bodies. The point is that great power is often disguised in small or weak packages.

II Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” Our bodies are weak and decaying throughout life. God uses these weak vessels to demonstrate His power through us. Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have the Spirit of God within them. As such, we constitute the most powerful people on the planet.

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario. You have full assurance and confidence in future events, because you have the authority and power to make sure that they happen just as you wish. Your plans always succeed because you fully control the circumstances and people involved. You know what will happen in every succeeding moment because you fully know the hearts and minds of people. Nothing will surprise you or deter you from accomplishing all your desires and purposes.

OK, now back to reality. While our imaginations can take us to the above scenario, reality will not. We don’t possess that kind of power and we can’t control people and events like we would like. But imagine the kind of peace that the above abilities would bring. That is the peace that Jesus possesses. He has power over all things and knows all things, including every moment of the future and every thought of man.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus promises to give us the peace that He possesses if we will only trust Him. We can live in perfect peace because He gives that peace to His children. Let’s change our world by being instruments of the peace offered by Jesus, by walking in faith in the creator and sustainer of life.

Early every morning I go on a long hike. To make sure the conditions will be acceptable, I read the weather report before going to bed. Then just before I leave in the morning, I check the weather report once again. Today, as unfortunately is true most days, the weather report was woefully incorrect. Last night the forecast was for 60 degrees and dry. This morning the same forecast predicted 50 degrees and no precipitation. Two miles into my hike I heard thunder. Ten minutes later it started to rain fairly heavily. Fortunately, the rain only lasted about ten minutes. But it came again about an hour later as I was still walking.

The people who compile weather forecasts use sophisticated technology and their own highly educated background to make their predictions. I don’t know about these professionals in your area, but the forecasts in our area are routinely significantly in error. If professional baseball players were only this accurate, their careers would be very short.

In the Old Testament, prophets were held to a high standard, because they were claiming to speak on God’s behalf. If they were wrong on even a single prophecy, they were to be stoned. God is never wrong and His Word is always true. Today, many people assert that they are speaking God’s truth, within all religions and systems of belief. Only those who speak in agreement with God’s Word are speaking truth. There must be some independent source of truth to evaluate all information. That is God, the originator and source of all truth. Science is not always accurate as changes to their thinking happens daily. Politicians certainly are not held to a high standard of truth. Only God is the Truth and speaks the truth at all times.

I John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Not everything that we hear or read is true. We must test these words against the truth of God’s Word.