Reluctant Retiree

I have been blessed by visiting over 50 countries around the world. I have enjoyed the beauty of these lands and each unique culture. While traveling, I have noticed the various temples and places of worship. Some are very ornate and others are quite simple. Worshippers bring their offerings and gifts. These places of worship are revered sites and the priests and others take good care of them.

For those of us who trust in Jesus, the location of our worship is not as important as our hearts. Oh, we take care of the buildings, but our hearts are enthralled with the presence of our God, no matter where we are. God gave us physical life at our conception, but He has given us eternal life at our conversion, the new birth.

It is understood that the believer in Jesus will seek to honor Him by following Him in the growing transformation of our lives into Christ likeness. But we are also called to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, our bodies. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” When we first trusted in Jesus for salvation and redemption, the Holy Spirit took up residence within us, making us a temple of the true God. As such, we are called to honor God with our bodies. This includes simple things such as eating healthy and exercising. It also requires us to glorify God in all that we do. The proper use of God’s temple is important.

When I was working, I did the prudent thing and invested in IRAs and 401Ks. As everyone else, I was hoping that these investments and their returns would provide for our future. We are retired now and living off of these investments. However, with declining health and volatile markets, those investments do not provide the security that we hoped for.

We all leave a legacy on those we have impacted in life. The legacy may be one of truth, strength, and hope. Or we may leave a legacy of hurt, anger, and disappointment. Our legacy depends on how we lived and what we taught those impacted by our lives.

III John 3-4 says, “For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” I also have no greater joy than to know that my children and grandchildren are walking in the truth. We can make no greater investment than the investment of time, love and truth that we offer to our families. If we provide a godly example of a life lived for God and teach them the truth of God’s Word, then we have made the most beneficial and significant investment we can make.

When I was young, I had the habit of sucking on the two middle fingers of my left hand. I admit that it looked odd and very immature. I tried everything to get rid of this habit but continually failed. Then one day I received real motivation. My dad said that he would take me to doubleheader baseball games at the brand new Dodger Stadium. I wanted to go so bad that I didn’t need to use mind games or restraint to keep from sucking my fingers. It was a done deal and we went to the games.

Most of us have had bad habits that we have struggled to quit. We work on them through a series of successes and failures. It can be real difficult to give them up. Temptations provide additional struggles for us. We know that something is wrong but we give in and do it anyway.

But there is good news for us in our struggles against temptation. I John 5:4-5 says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Jesus overcame evil as He lived on earth, so that we can overcome temptation by faith in Him. When a person trusts in Jesus for salvation and redemption, the Holy Spirit comes to live within that person, giving them power to overcome temptation just as Jesus did. No act of the will or personal discipline can give us consistent victory over temptation. Only by trusting in God’s power working in us can we experience long-term victory.

I live in a condominium with my wife, but this home does not define who I am. I live in a nice part of town, but the affluence or lack of it in of my neighborhood does not define who I am. I am a senior citizen, but age does not define who I am. I am a white middle class American, but my ethnicity, economic status, and heritage do not define who I am. Others may try to evaluate me by these life characteristics, but their assessments do not accurately define who I am.

Rather I am who I believe I am and how that affects how I live. I John 4:14-16 says, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” I believe that I am defined by the love of God freely given to me and living in me. Sometimes I fail to love, but I am learning to love by His power in me. The Christian life begins with confession and is made strong through love.

We all like to hear the words, “I love you”, coming from a loved one. But if those words are not backed up by acts of love, they seem hollow and leave an empty feeling within us. Spontaneous, sincere, and selfless deeds that demonstrate heart felt love encourage the most downcast soul, warm the coldest spirit, and lift the lowliest heart to new heights.

The apostle John gave us this admonition in I John 3:18, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” Words of love are nice, but acts of love come from deep within the heart of the giver and go deep into the heart of the receiver. Words quickly fade from our memories but actions last forever. Spread a little love today by doing some selfless act of kindness for a loved one.