Reluctant Retiree

The home that we live in provides us some protection. This house keeps us warm and dry when storms surround us. We are cool in summer and warm in winter as long as we stay within the walls of our home’s protection. If we venture outside, we can expect to be battered by the winds or drenched by rain or snow during the storms.

God’s protection over His people works in a similar way. As long as we abide in Him, trusting in His presence and power, we can be assured of His protection. If we wander away from Him, seeking our own course, then He may choose to remove His protection from us.

Psalm 91:1-2 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'” Come into the fortress of God’s love. Stay with Him and He will be your refuge.

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When I am honest with myself, I admit that I make many mistakes every day. Some of those mistakes are actually sins against God, by rejecting Him and seeking to please myself. God hates sin and punishes the sinner in His justice. But I have been saved by His grace. So every day I need His mercy so that I can receive forgiveness rather than wrath.

Every day I receive many more good things from the hand of God than I deserve. God is good all the time and He is constantly working in my life for His good purpose.

So every day I see God’s goodness and mercy in my life. All I have to offer Him is thanksgiving and praise.

At times I consider myself to be a visionary. I can see things that can and should be done. Sometimes I even believe that God is telling me to do something. My problem comes in the next step, trusting God to do what I believe He has shown me. The so called vision is worthless without the faith to believe that God can and will do it. It shames me to think of the things God wanted to do through me but my faith was too weak to believe.

Hebrews 11:32-34 speaks of men of faith who believed God and God used them to do extraordinary things. “And what shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” All of these people were ordinary in every way when God called them to do something extraordinary. They accomplished these great things through faith in the One who called them. They knew that God was able to do what He said He would do. They also knew that God was good and would accomplish good through them.

What does God want you to do? Believe Him! Let faith help you know that God is able and that He is good to you! Be ready to do extraordinary things.

I have been to dozens of professional sports events and concerts over the years. They all have required that I purchase a ticket before I enter and they limit what I can bring into the venue. I have also been to events that have a dress code for entry. Even in our homes we limit entry to family, friends, and invited guests.

So why are we surprised that God limits those who can come to Him? Don’t get me wrong! He wants everyone to come to Him, but He has established the entry requirements. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Faith in God is required for anyone who wants to draw near to Him.

Why does God put this restriction on entry to His presence? God is perfectly holy and cannot enter into a relationship with sin or sinners. Faith in God and His sacrifice for our sins, cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Forgiven, cleansed, and saved, we are then welcomed in His presence. Don’t wait a moment longer! Believe in God and His offering for your sins!

We seek perfection in our lives, marriages, jobs, recreation, and most everything. But our definition of perfection is that which satisfies us. We rarely find true perfection, because, after all, we are human, and therefore imperfect beings by nature.

God’s standard for perfection is holiness and righteousness. Of course, we can’t achieve these in our own efforts. So God made a way for us. Hebrews 10:12-14 says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Christians are not perfect, but they have been made perfect, or righteous, in the Father’s sight because of the shed blood of His Son and grace given to believers. Nothing more should be added to this sacrifice by Jesus. Nothing more can be added to His offering. But daily, the believer should seek holiness in his thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. This is called sanctification. Those who have not yet trusted Jesus Christ for salvation and redemption must first ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. At that very moment, they are declared perfect, righteous, before the Father.