Reluctant Retiree

As I have stated before, I wear hearing aids. One drawback has been the difficulty of separating out ambient noise to be able to hear the person speaking to me. If I am in a crowd, it is hard to hear a person directly in front of me.

Tuning out the crowd to hear the truth can also be difficult. The crowd is often loud and demanding. Their voices can disrupt rational thinking. Discerning truth in the midst of multiple forceful voices is near impossible.

After healing the lame man, Peter and John were brought before the authorities. They had done nothing wrong but the rulers felt threatened by the disciples’ growing popularity. They gave them an ultimatum to stop preaching and healing. Acts 4:19-20 says, “But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.'”

The best way to find the truth in the midst of the noisy crowd is to single out the voice of God. Listen for His voice by reading His Word and meditating on its truth. Other voices will fade into the background and peace will enter your soul. Sometimes we must choose between pleasing people or pleasing God. Always choose to please God. He promises an abundant life, while the crowd will only lead you to confusion and frustration.

On many a street corner, we find people with signs asking for some donation. Most of the time I just pass by them without thinking much about them or their situation. I am ashamed to admit that. Sometimes I see people with needs and think, “what can I do to help such a big problem?” Or I think that I have so little to give and “can my little gift make any difference?”

Peter and John were on the way to the Temple when they came across a man who had been lame for many years. People had carried this man to the Temple for these many years and he had begged for donations every day. So the lame man asked for a donation from Peter and John. Acts 3:6 records Peter’s response, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

We all have something to give to those in need. We may not have money, but we have a gift from God to share with others. Our time, talents, and treasure, no matter how small, all make a difference. Let’s be ready to share love and compassion. Let’s say with Peter, “What I do have I give to you.”

I hiked the Eagle Slough Natural Area Trail this morning. It was beautiful and very peaceful. Not knowing what the word slough meant, I looked it up in a dictionary. The dictionary gave two meanings; 1) a swamp and 2) a situation characterized by lack of progress or activity.

I think these two definitions come together in our lives when we listen and follow the wrong advice or instruction. Wrong counsel is foolishness to the person who wants to do what is right. This foolish advice leads to a swamp of problems and troubles, obviously keeping us from making progress in our lives.

The key to forward progress is listening to and following good counsel and instruction. The Bible calls this good instruction “wisdom” and says that following words of wisdom makes good sense. The Bible also warns us against listening to the words of fools. Proverbs 16:22 says, “Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.”

Since God is the author of wisdom, we must seek out His instruction and follow His words. He alone has the words of life, love and peace. Read God’s Word to find the wisdom you need today.

Think back to something that happened in your life that you never thought was possible. Perhaps it was the love of your life appearing before you by chance. Or maybe it was a promotion on your job that seemed unapproachable. Perhaps you suddenly came to receive a large sum of money, by good fortune or wise investing. These unexpected situations may be positive, as those above, or they can be painful like a sudden poor health prognosis.

No matter how well we plan and prepare, unforseen circumstances and events occur in our lives. Then why do we expect God to act in our predetermined ways. He is infinite in His being. He created and sustains all things. He will act in accordance with His will and purpose. He will not be put in a box of our narrow thoughts of Him. Any God formed by our limited knowledge is too small to be Almighty God.

One of these benefits of a God beyond our imagination is that He can do much more than we ask or think. I Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Not only can God do more than we ask or think, He can and will do these things in and through us. Do we have the faith to believe that He will bless us and use us to this great extent?

People on both sides of the political spectrum are increasingly using intimidation as a form of argument and debate. They believe that name calling and threats are the means of persuasion and victory. This style only further intrenches their opponents and ultimately separates us further.

Jesus warned His disciples that the world system would oppose them. The disciples would face intimidation and persecution from those outside the faith. Paul admonished believers in Galatians 5:1 as follows: “For freedom Christ has set you free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

When a slave was set free, he surely did all he could to remain free and never return to slavery again. Jesus set believers free by redemption through His blood on the cross. We are free from the power of sin and from our former way of life. We are free to follow Him and do the good works that we could not do before salvation came to us. We are free to experience the abundant life Jesus promised and now we can know His love, peace, joy, mercy, and goodness.

Why would we ever want to return to our former lives and its slavery? Therefore we must stand firm against those who oppose the gospel. We can only do that by knowing what we believe and trusting in the author and perfecter of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice! Victory and freedom are ours in Jesus Christ.