Reluctant Retiree

I was just sitting in our living room and saw the landscaping team mowing the lawns of our complex. While I am not always thankful for little things, I was moved to thanksgiving this time. I am thankful that the complex hires a team to care for the landscape. I am thankful that I don’t have to do it. I am thankful that they do a good job and the property looks good.

While you may think that thanksgiving for such mundane things is silly, developing a thankful heart really changes our attitudes about things. Complaining puts us in a negative frame of mind, but thankfulness brightens our outlook.

Thanksgiving, along with praise to God, does much more than change our attitudes. Psalm 69:30-33 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.”

Thankfulness puts us in the proper humble position before God. Thanksgiving and praise please God more than any good thing that we can do. In addition, thanksgiving and praise encourages us and other believers. What small things are happening around you right now for which you can give God thanks?

Everywhere we look these days we find division amongst people. The political scene is fraught with deep disagreements. School Boards and parents are increasingly at odds. Our communities are torn apart by differing racial, social and economic viewpoints. Opinions on all sides of the disagreements are shouted down and quickly, but with uninformed prejudices.

In Luke 11:17 Jesus raised the warning flag when He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste,and a divided household falls.” Division ultimately leads to failure and destruction. But how can we overcome our divisions, while respecting the opinions of others?

The only long-term solution to our deep divisions is found in Philippians 2:1-4; “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness and empty conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Humility is the solution to our divisions. Our thoughts and opinions matter, but humility also considers the opinions of others. Humility respects the thoughts of others and finds ways to speak opinions without condemning others. Humility is not selfish or self-centered, so it looks out for the interests of others.

But note, we cannot generate humility from within. This humility comes from encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, working with God’s Spirit, and true affection and sympathy. We need God’s help to be truly humble and overcome division. Let’s begin today by submitting ourselves to the love of God.

There seems to be a darkness sweeping over our land and the world. Negative thoughts are taking many people captive and they are losing hope. Some people are enslaved to these thoughts and are lashing out in violence. We hear their stories daily in reports of mass shootings, suicides, wars, and demonstrations.

Jesus attributed this darkness to one source, the devil. Jesus described the devil in John 8:44 when He said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Whether or not you believe in the devil, you have to admit that our world is covered in darkness. We must distinguish the truth from lies. One telltale mark of lies is the intent to deceive. Lies are intended to tear down rather than build up. Any thought within you or words spoken to you which aim to discourage you and take away hope are lies. We must immediately discard them.

If we seek God and search His Word, we will discover the truth that God is our everlasting hope. He offers us salvation and eternal love. His kindness and forgiveness is freely given to all who believe on His name. In Him we find truth and assurance.

We know how to give good gifts to others. Furthermore, we understand how to give gifts that meet needs in others. If we are able, we don’t withhold some good gift that is needed by someone else, especially our children.

The daily news is full of stories of people in need. In addition, we often meet people with specific needs that we have the means to provide for. Yet we pass by these people, thinking someone else will help them.

A lawyer once asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” But trying to justify himself asked, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then told the story of the Good Samaritan. A man was traveling when he was beaten and robbed, eventually left on the road as though dead. A religious man and an official passed by the man without providing help. Then a certain man, whom the society looked down upon, came upon the man and tended to his needs. Jesus asked, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The lawyer responded, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone who is in need. Mercy is often needed but rarely given. We harshly judge others and condemn them. God, on the other hand, is rich in mercy. His mercy is infinite. He offers His mercy freely, even to us who have previously rejected Him. God is eager to give His mercy to us. He delights in forgiving us and showing compassion toward those of us in desperate need of mercy. All we have to do is acknowledge our needs and receive these gifts, trusting in God’s mercy. It is time to love God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds.

I know that I am not the only person to get lost while driving to my destination. Sometimes it is a matter of having misunderstood the directions. But most of the time, it is because I failed to follow the directions, even when the GPS voice is telling me where to go. Even though I have plenty of signs and instructions I can get lost.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes do the same thing when making life choices. God’s Word gives me the directions, but I either misunderstand the instructions or simply ignore them. Just like driving the car and not following the directions, not understanding and following God’s instructions leads to disastrous consequences.

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Going our own way and trusting in ourselves is equivalent to rejecting God’s directions. To get on the righteous path, we need to forsake our thoughts and trust in God’s directions. He does not move away from us but we move away from Him by going our own way. If we forsake our self-centered ways, God promises to give us compassion and abundant pardon.

Why not find your way home to forgiveness by leaving your old ways behind and seeking to follow God’s ways? Don’t ignore the signs and warnings that God is giving you.