Reluctant Retiree

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2

God chose the smallest and most insignificant of towns for the birthplace of His Son, our Savior. In addition, He told the prophet, Micah, these details 700 years before it happened. Then God moved Caesar Augustus to call for a census, which required Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem at just the right time for the birth of Jesus to take place in Bethlehem.

God is aware of and concerned about the smallest details of our lives. He is able to move heaven and earth to make sure everything works for our good. Furthermore, He is able to use even us to do great things for Him. No matter how lowly we might be, or feel, God knows us and loves us. He is eager for us to believe that and to return love back to Him.

I am passed the stage in life when we spend the late night hours of Christmas Eve putting together toys for the kids. I remember spreading out the instructions and trying to follow them so that the kids could enjoy their gifts the first thing in the morning. Some sets of instructions were clearer than others, but they were all designed to make the toy work properly. Of course, after the assembly was completed, I had to play with the toy for a while to make sure it worked well.

God has prepared an instruction book for life. It is called the Bible, or God’s Word. The problem is that we ignore it altogether, or at least far too often. We are eager to experience life on our own terms, so we forget about the instruction book.

Proverbs 2:6-7 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity.” When we fail to follow God’s instruction book, we miss His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. God created the world and life and gave us His Word to show us how to live. A life lived apart from God’s Word is one that is removed from wisdom and God’s protection.

I have had the joy of visiting Ireland a couple of times. I can tell you one thing about most Irish people, of which I am one. They love to tell stories. I am not sure that all the stories are true, but most are very entertaining.

I think that most people enjoy a good story told by a good storyteller. For hundreds of years, most information was passed on through storytelling, as books, paper, and written language did not exist. But even today,we love good stories. We watch television and movies to see and hear a good story. We read books to learn more good stories.

So it is not surprising that Jesus was an advocate of storytelling. When the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus in order to confirm that He was the Messiah, Jesus instructed them to tell the stories of what they had seen and heard. Matthew 11:4-6 says, “And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.'”

Every believer in Jesus Christ has a story to tell of what Jesus has done for them. Don’t be afraid to tell your story to others. After all, it is more Jesus’s story than it is yours. If you are not a believer yet, listen to the stories that others share with you. The stories are real and true. Jesus wants to do story worthy things in your life as well.

I enjoy walking on nature trails, so much so that I do it almost every day. I am not an experienced naturist and hiker, so I pretty much have to walk on clearly marked paths. If I veer too far off the path I could place myself in danger. Therefore I trust those who have gone before me and marked out the way that I should go.

II John 6 says, “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” God has appointed the path of righteousness. We find this path by following Jesus. Veering off the path leads to many dangers. God lovingly set the path before us so that we can avoid these dangers. In love we should respond with walking diligently in the path of righteousness set by God.

The weather has turned cold all of a sudden. We will probably have much colder days ahead but going from temperatures in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit to the mid-teens overnight adds to the chill in these old bones. Cold weather makes going outside less attractive and more burdensome with all the extra layers of clothes necessary.

Love that has grown cold is also less attractive and adds to life’s burdens. It often replaces passion with a sense of duty. We offer kindness because we feel we have to, not because we want to out of our hearts.

Matthew 24:12 says, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” If our love for God or for others has grown cold, we need to check ourselves. Sincere love requires pure hearts and clean hands. Otherwise it simply becomes selfish and self-centered, cold. Let’s ask God to renew our passion for Him and our compassion for others by cleansing our hearts and hands.