Reluctant Retiree

When I went to school, teachers used blackboards to write out important information for the students. You don’t see many of these today. At the end of the day, someone would use an eraser to wipe the blackboard clean and that information would be gone forever.

Wouldn’t it be great if all the bad or embarrassing things we have ever done could be erased so simply, as if we had never done these things? Actually, that is what God offers to us through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus shed His blood to blot out our transgressions. It is as if the list of our sins was nailed to the cross with Him and His blood dripped down onto the list. Then, one by one each sin is covered by His blood, never to be seen or remembered again.

Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Like cool water to a thirsty soul on a hot day, God wants to refresh our hearts and souls. But first, we must confess our sins to God and turn away from these sins. Then God’s presence will fill us and make us brand new. That old list of our sins will be completely blotted out and remembered no more.

What is keeping you from God’s refreshing presence? Give Him your list of sins and watch Him blot it out through the blood of Jesus.

The prices of some things is negotiable. Generally we negotiate the cost of a car or house. On other things we are generally not offered the opportunity to bargain on the cost. What we pay for gas, electricity and water is established by the utility companies and monitored by government agencies. Once we make some form of purchase agreement, we owe payment to the vendor.

Relationships don’t work that way. We seem to feel that we only owe somebody something if we get something in return. We even say things like, “respect is earned,” meaning the other person must do something for us in order for us to give them respect. This attitude, however, hinders our ability to maintain and grow relationships.

God wants us to look at relationships differently. Romans 13:7 says, “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” So how is this different from our natural way of conducting relationships? God has created each of us. In fact, He has wonderfully designed each person. We have been made in His image according to the Scripture. Therefore, every person is owed respect, honor, and kindness. God commands that we love our neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves.

Let’s start paying each other what is owed. As God’s specially designed creation, we owe one another respect, honor, and kindness. In God’s eyes, these bills have come due and we are ordered to pay immediately.

Our natural inclination is to exact revenge when we are harmed. If someone cuts us off in traffic, we want to cut them off. If someone embarrasses us, we want to cook up some scheme to embarrass them. If someone takes something from us, we will find a way to take something more valuable from them. Most of the time, we make plans for revenge, but do not act on them, thankfully. But when we do act on these impulses, the damage is great and relationships are severed.

Romans 12:17-18 says, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” God commands us to never seek revenge on those who hurt us. Why? The next verse says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” God is a just God. He will punish those who do evil. If we take revenge for ourselves, we put ourselves in the place of God. Our puny efforts of vengeance cannot measure up to the plans that God has to punish evil.

Let’s leave vengeance in the mighty hand of God. Instead, let us do all we can to preserve peace, by doing good for all people.

As I write this, wildfires are consuming large portions of land in the western United States and in Europe. Dry landscapes and weather make the conditions susceptible to the spread of these fires. Unfortunately, lives are lost or forever altered as the fires move.

As I have gotten older, I have noticed that I am more content with my environment. That contentment is good in that I am not pursuing meaningless achievements and material things. But this contentment also dampens my desire to transform my life by God’s power and to contribute to the transformation of other lives.

The Bible says that God is a consuming fire. He is light and His light dismantles and destroys darkness. He created us to be light in the world and participate in His work of destroying darkness. This requires that we be passionate in our love for God and compassionate in serving the needs of people.

We must stoke the fires of passion for God and compassion for others. Romans 12:11 says, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” An important way to stoke these fires is by serving God and others. There, God’s heart is revealed and our hearts are warmed by meeting needs. On the other hand, laziness and the failure to serve will dampen the fire. Be a light in the world today. Serve God and people in the name of Jesus Christ.

We all know how to give gifts. Motivated by kindness and love we consider what the recipient wants or needs. Then we shop around for just the right one. Often we spend time wrapping the gift to be attractive. At just the right moment we present the gift, looking forward to the joy expressed by the receiver. We have no thoughts or intentions of taking the gift back. Giving is the essence of gifts.

Yet, somehow we have the mistaken idea that God does take back His gifts to us. We think that if we are not good enough, God will remove His salvation from us, along with other blessings. Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God will never take back any blessings that He has given. Most importantly, He will never revoke His salvation from anyone who has believed in Jesus Christ. Our failures do not cause God to regret His gifts to us. Sin does have consequences and we must return to God in confession, but God is rich in mercy and desires our return.