Reluctant Retiree

Most of the physical ailments that I have today I attribute to mistreatment I gave my body earlier. For instance, I grew up in Southern California and spent a lot of time at the beach or just outside. Unfortunately, in those days we didn’t use sunscreen very much because we didn’t understand the damage that the sun could do to our skin. So in recent years I have undergone numerous procedures to remove skin cancer. I also played catcher in baseball and softball for decades. As a result I have back and neck problems today. Then there is the poor nutrition that I have maintained most of my life and its impact upon my heart and digestive system.

Most of us can look back and see poor or uninformed decisions that we made that still impact us today. This truth is partially what the apostle Paul is warning us about in I Corinthians 3:16-17 when he wrote, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” God has given each of us a body. With our bodies God has given us responsibility to take good care of our bodies.

God has also given us each a heart, mind, soul and spirit. He expects each person to also take good care of these aspects of life as well. He designed us to reflect His glory. We can only demonstrate God’s glory by first believing in Him and His salvation. Only then will the Holy Spirit come to reside in us and give us power to show forth the glory of God. Allowing God to transform us by the power of God’s Spirit is what being God’s temple is all about. The Spirit’s transforming power is the best way to demonstrate God’s glory, taking good care of God’s temple.

If we have more than one child, we say that we love them all equally. If we are married, we commit to this love exclusively. In other circumstances, we say that we love something as a means of comparison to other things. For example, we may say that we love our car or our job, meaning that these things are preferred over other like things.

God is not so nebulous when He speaks of love. I John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world.”

If we love the admiration of people, our possessions, or our desires more than we love God, then God says that we really don’t love God at all. He wants us to love Him with full commitment and devotion of our hearts, minds, souls and strength. We must love God above all other personal desires. Everything in this world we soon pass away, but God’s love is everlasting.

When we listen to a speaker, what causes us to believe the message and act upon it? If we are motivated to believe by fancy words or theatrics, we are probably going to regret it. We should be inspired to do something because the message itself is true.

Some people think that the Christian message is complicated, and therefore hard to believe. Sometimes this thought is derived from flashy presentations of the message. Sometimes this thought comes from observations of religious practices.

The apostle Paul spoke of the Christian gospel message differently. In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul wrote, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Paul spoke of the powerful message of Christ, the gospel. Its power is not in eloquent words or presentations. Its power is not in religious acts. Its power is found in God’s redeeming work at the cross of Jesus Christ. It is His shed blood that saves the sinner, by forgiving sins. It is His sacrifice that gives eternal life and justifies the sinner.

Therein lies the Christian message. Therein is the power of the gospel. It doesn’t need flashy presentation and it doesn’t require religious works. The message is simply that Christ died to save sinners.

No matter how much we love our children, we can’t watch them all the time. We do our best to keep them from harm, but sometimes they are out of our sight. So we teach them to do the right things. We tell them about some of the dangers that might come their way. And we pray that they will make good choices and decisions.

Our Heavenly Father is not so restricted as we are. He can see and hear each of us all day, every day. He teaches us how to make right choices and to walk in the protected path of righteousness. He hears our prayers when we reach out to Him.

But there is one significant exception to God’s umbrella of care. I Peter 3:12-13 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” Both the righteous and those who do evil will suffer from time to time. That is just the truth that we all face. But the righteous person has the advantage of receiving God’s grace and strength to help in the suffering. God is always watching the righteous person and listening to their prayers, protecting them from evil. Those who do evil do not benefit in the same way from God’s protection in the same way.

It is time to evaluate the path our lives are taking. Are we walking according to God’s purposes and plans, making sure we take the righteous path? Or are we choosing to go our own way and straying from God’s desires for us? None of us wants God to turn His face against us. He strengthens and protects those who choose His way.

I have written books, tracts, skits and plays, but that is the extent of my artistic endeavors. I have never created a work of art and I have never composed a single line of music. I admire, however, those who can craft a beautiful piece of art or a wonderful line of music. God created the world in seven days.

But even more amazing to me is His creation of you and me. Read what Psalm 139:13-14 says about how He made you and me; “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our creation is compared to knitting, an extremely delicate and detailed process. Every part of you is specifically designed and constructed by God, even the parts that you may think should look a little differently. God fully intended that you look like you do and have the personality that you exhibit. Why? Because He designed you for a specific purpose. You and I are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:16 goes further and says, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” God not only formed you, but also saw all of your days before you were born. God knows you. God understands you. God saw you before you were born and He sees you today. God has a specific purpose for you. But you can only know that purpose and fulfill that purpose by trusting in the God who created you. Put your trust in God today!