Reluctant Retiree

I do a lot of hiking on nature trails. Sometimes I wander off the trail. While leaving the trail can be exciting, it is usually more dangerous, strenuous, and time consuming. Trails are laid out for our benefit, not to limit our enjoyment of nature.

Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” Just as it is more difficult to walk uphill or off the trail, we make life more difficult when we don’t follow God’s instruction. When we leave God’s path for us, we encounter more obstacles and dangers. He leads us in paths of righteousness into the abundant life.

Shady financial deals are done behind closed doors. Drug buys are often done in secret places. Infidelity occurs in clandestine locations and times. When we do the things that we are most ashamed of, we tend to do them in secret ways and places. We don’t want others to know the bad things that we are capable of doing.

Jesus spoke these words; “And this is the judgment; the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light.” Most of us don’t think we do wicked things. After all, we haven’t killed anyone or stolen a car. But God has a different definition for evil. He says that every act of selfishness and self-centered behavior is sin. That’s because we dishonor God by doing whatever we want instead of the good that He wants us to do.

Don’t hold onto the darkness by holding onto selfishness and self-centeredness. Instead, come to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him for forgiveness. He will save you from judgment and help you walk in the light.

I have been watching some Instagram “reels” (videos) lately. Many of these influencers suggest that they know the truth about some subject, like the 10 best places to hike in Colorado. While they probably enjoyed these hikes, who are they to suggest that these are the 10 best. Some of the advice given on these reels is foolishness or just plain outrageous falsehoods.

We have become a culture that relies on opinions and feelings to determine the truth. The problem is that feelings are transitory and opinions are fallible. There remains only one reliable standard for truth, and it is God’s Word. God has all knowledge and wisdom. He is the originator of all truth. We reject His Word at our own peril.

Amos 8:11 says, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'” Rejecting God’s Word as the standard of truth leaves us susceptible to inconsistent and random cultural norms and feelings. We can only find chaos and confusion under those circumstances. Seek truth honestly by searching God’s Word.

How many things do we do on a daily basis that we are really excited about doing? Do we sincerely enjoy taking out the trash, washing dishes, bookkeeping, project reports, and driving to the jobsite? Most tasks we do simply because they are required and not because we are excited to do them.

Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” I used to think that these verses only meant that we should always give our best efforts. Now I believe that they also mean that we should invest our hearts in whatever we do, becoming truly excited to serve the Lord. When God asks us to do something, we have the privilege of serving Him by doing whatever He asks us to do. In addition, the pay is superior to anything we receive on earth. God promised to give us an eternal inheritance in heaven. What better reward can those who trust in Jesus Christ ever expect or receive!

“All things were made through him, but without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:3-5

These verses in the Gospel of John are part of a larger passage describing Jesus. It was through Jesus that all things have been created. Therefore, He alone is the giver of life. The life that He gives is light for men. This light leads us into the presence of Holy God. The darkness of the world is unable to stand before the Light of God’s presence. His Light shatters and utterly destroys the darkness that comes from the world system and evil.

Jesus is worthy of our worship and submission to Him. In Him alone is eternal life.