Reluctant Retiree

We inherit a lot from our ancestors. Ethnicity and our physical appearance is passed down through our parents to each of us. We also inherit certain talents and personality traits. In addition, we learn certain behaviors and attitudes through our family culture. Whether it be inherited or learned, our character bears the mark of our ancestors.

Unfortunately, some of those distinguishing marks are not good or healthy. A dysfunctional family life will adversely affect our behaviors and attitudes in a number of ways. Bad habits and tendencies can be learned from poor examples.

Fortunately, the Bible promises that a believer in Jesus Christ is made new, old things are passed away. The Spirit of God comes to dwell inside a new believer and empowers changes of our character, attitudes, and behaviors. So that the believer begins to bear the distinguishing marks of his/her new family, the family of God.

John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The distinguishing mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ is whether he/she loves others like Jesus loves us. This love is sacrificial, abundant, long-suffering, and steadfast. I sometimes try to imagine what the world would be like if we truly shared the love of God for one another. I pray that you and I will exhibit the transforming power of God’s love.

Have you ever been driving along a long and winding road, only to think to yourself, “Am I ever going to reach my destination”? I sure have. It’s not just children that get impatient on long drives. Our destination holds the promise of fulfillment, comfort, and joy.

Life’s journey can also be a long and winding road. Oh, there are plenty of joyous moments along the way, but there are also long periods of searching and impatience. What awaits us at the end of Life’s journey? Well, that depends on decisions along the way.

In John 14:2-3 Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” These are glorious promises that Jesus gave to His disciples and His children. He promised that He is preparing a place in heaven, before the Father, for each child of God. Then, He promised that He would return and gather His people unto Himself. The children of God will live forever with Jesus in the presence of Almighty God.

What if we are not God’s children? How can we tell if we are His people? To be the people of God, we must surrender ownership of our lives to Him. We must agree that we have rejected Him and are living for ourselves, which the Bible calls sin. Then we must trust in His work of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we will then know that we are children of God.

If we choose to continue rejecting God’s salvation, then we will spend eternity apart from Him. We will be punished by the knowledge that we rejected God’s love and grace. And we will spend eternity tortured with unending evil.

Choosing which road to take affects your ultimate destination. Choose the right path to eternity and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.

As I hiked the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail today, the wildflowers were in bloom. The lavender and white flowers carpeted the fields. Adjacent to these fields were large farms. The farmers had not yet planted seeds but the vast farmlands still projected a majestic beauty.

As I thought about these farms, I considered the hard work that is involved in farming. What if the farmer decided to plant seeds in only a small corner of his fields, say for the sake of not working so hard? When harvest time comes, this farmer would have only a small crop. It is far wiser to spread seeds over the entire farm, so that the farmer can harvest a large crop, despite the hard work involved.

God has established a system of blessings that somewhat mirrors farming. Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” God’s blessing system calls us to sow blessings liberally. Anytime we show kindness to somebody or give our time and treasure to a worthy organization, we are sowing seeds of blessings. Besides benefitting the receivers, these gifts will also sow seeds of blessings for the giver. Generosity, in God’s system of blessings, rewards both the givers and receivers.

Often on my daily hikes I will stop and take pictures. Since I am often hiking over slippery surfaces, I have to take great care when handling my camera. I am always aware of the water and mud around me and try to securely hold the camera in my hands.

When walking with our smallest granddaughter, we hold her hand. We don’t want her slipping away into some unseen danger. God does the same thing for those who trust in Jesus Christ and follow Him.

John 10:27-28 describes this for us when it says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” These verses refer to the sheep of God, those who have committed their lives to Him. It is God’s sheep who hear His voice and follow Him. God gives His sheep eternal life. And He holds them securely in His hands. No one will ever have the power nor the authority to snatch God’s sheep away from Him.

These verses offer great comfort and encouragement to those of us who have trusted in Jesus. The same confidence and strength is available to you today. God is standing by you right now with His offer of salvation and eternal life. All you have to do is receive His gift by acknowledging your need for Him and trusting that He will fulfill His promises.

Social media is filled with stories and videos of people seemingly overreacting to perceived injustices. Incorrectly processed fast food orders cause people to yell, throw food and even attack the poor employees. Heaven forbid that a driver gets cut off in traffic or has their intended parking spot snatched away.

A huge gap exists between the things we want versus the things we need. A small child perceives everything as a need and cries when these needs are not met. It seems that many people have not matured in distinguishing between wants and needs.

I Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” Mastering the attitude of contentment brings us great peace in life. We must learn to distinguish between our wants and our needs. Taking control of our emotions when our wants are not satisfied and submitting our desires to God leads to godliness. Peace and godliness are far more valuable in the long run than immediate gratification of our wants.

Contentment, however, is not an easy attribute to obtain nor mature. It requires submitting ourselves and our desires to God. He may choose to give us what we desire. But He may choose to tell us to wait or He may simply say “No”. However, He will always give us what is ultimately the best for us. He is completely trustworthy and is always good to us.