Reluctant Retiree

I know nothing about precious gems. I have never held one in my hands, let alone owned one. I would not be able to identify a real diamond as opposed to a fake one.

The Bible gives us lots of ways to identify a true believer in Jesus Christ. Lots of people claim to be followers of Jesus, but something doesn’t add up when we look at them. We are told that true believers will do good works and bear fruit.

Paul gives us more clues as to identification of real Christians. I Timothy 1:5 says, “The purpose of my instruction is that all Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.” So we can know a true disciple by his/her love. Jesus said the same thing in John 13:34-35; “So I am giving you a new commandment: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Secondly, the true believer will have a clear conscience, because he/she has been acting out of love for others and for Jesus. Thirdly, the true believer will have a sincere faith. When faced with troubles or decisions, the true believer will act through trusting in God.

The attributes of pure love, clear conscience, and sincere faith help us to identify true believers among those around us. But they can also be the basis of testing our faith. Do we measure up, or is there something that we should confess and ask God to correct in us? And these attributes form the foundation for our teaching of others.

Have you ever listened to someone speaking to you while you’re wondering, “What are they talking about?” That is happening to me more and more frequently these days. To my knowledge, it all started when we returned from living in Nepal for eight years. While we were gone so many things developed in American culture that we just never knew about. People would talk to us referencing these developments but we were clueless about them. Now, because of my advanced age and hearing difficulties, it seems that I am even further out of touch with our culture,and therefore, understand even less of what people are saying. I do my best to understand and be empathetic.

God has never had the problem I described above. I Chronicles 28:9 says, “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.” God is able to search our hearts and minds. We cannot hide our thoughts, ideas, desires, plans, wishes, or attractions from Him. Not only does He know our inner workings, but He understands them all.

God gives us every blessing that we ever need, but He only requires two things from us, our whole heart and a willing mind. We cannot withhold a part of our heart, because that is not sincere love. We cannot keep a stubborn and rebellious mind because that is not true commitment. God hates a divided heart and a rebellious mind. But a fully committed mind and a heart of sincere love He will never turn away.

My wife claims to have been taught to be frugal by her mother. It is a good and admirable attribute to possess. I will admit, however, that sometimes frugality irks me. You see, frugality is applied even when it causes inconvenience or more effort. We have to squeeze the last little bit out of the toothpaste tube before using a new tube. This is not a big deal, but sometimes I feel like it is not worth the effort.

Although it is not a term that I would apply to God, He is “frugal” when it comes to the experiences in our lives. By that I mean that He doesn’t waste anything that we experience. Whether big or little, or pleasant or unpleasant, God uses everything we go through to prepare us for a greater work in the future. We should view every circumstance, even suffering, as God’s training grounds for the future. He has given us these experiences to prepare our character and give us wisdom that we will need to fulfill His purposes for our lives.

So, in the good times and the hard times, let us rejoice and be thankful that God cares enough about us to teach us and train us for greater works. Let us be faithful to learn and grow from these experiences.

I always wanted to invent something that would benefit mankind. The problem is that I am just too lazy to do the work necessary for inventions. Also I wouldn’t like all the trial and error, mostly error, that good inventions require. Occasionally I had an idea for a new device, but never followed through. Being an avid baseball fan, I wanted to invent seats with cushions that would endure bad weather, because wood seats are uncomfortable after a short period of time. I never got to doing anything about my idea and now most stadiums have these types of seats.

Making plans is a good idea, but more important is the follow through. That notion seems obvious and uncontradictable. However, there is something even more important than planning and following through, that is what we are planning to do. Proverbs 14:22 says, “Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.”

If we make selfish plans to do wrong, then we can’t stay on the right path. We can’t find God, happiness, and fulfillment under those circumstances. But if our plans are to do good, then we will assuredly meet up with God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. In order to stay on the right track in life, our hearts and our plans must be set on doing good.

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the story of a wealthy landowner. The landowner was going away on a journey. Before leaving, he called his stewards to himself. To one steward he entrusted a large amount of money. To another he entrusted a moderate amount of money. But to a third steward he entrusted a small amount of money. When the landowner returned from his journey, he once again called the stewards to himself. The first two stewards declared that they each had doubled the amount of money given to them by investing wisely. But the third steward could only give back to the landowner what he was given because he had not invested the money, but had only kept it safe. The landowner commended the first two stewards and rewarded them with additional blessings. The third steward was scolded for not being trustworthy.

I Corinthians 4:1-2 says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” God grants us many great blessings. We are stewards of these blessings, meaning that we must carefully manage the blessings in accordance with His desires. Like the stewards in the Matthew 25 story, we are expected to invest our blessings so that they grow and multiply. Therefore when we receive from the Lord, we must share with others. If we receive material blessings, we must be generous with others. If we receive wisdom, we must teach others. If we receive mercy, we must be merciful. If we receive kindness, we must pay it forward to others. In this way the Father is glorified and His blessings are multiplied.