Reluctant Retiree

Exodus 22:27 says, “And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” In this verse, God declares that He hears the cries of the poor and weak.

In my despair I know that you hear my cries
In my futility I know you understand my weakness
In my confusion I know that you have the answer
In my pain you bring healing
In my sadness you give hope and joy
Out of my failure you bear fruit

God understands our weaknesses and hurts. He wants us to cry out to Him. He will answer our cries.

Today, a passionate shout for liberty can be heard across our country and in many parts of the world. People have felt confined within mandates, lockdowns and other restrictions for too long. Rightly or wrongly, they are raising their voices for the rollback of restrictions.

But do laws necessarily restrict our liberties? Sometimes, yes they do. But other times they grant us liberty by giving us the freedom to do good. Laws may take away some freedom, but bondage often is concealed in the heart. We can become enslaved to habits and consuming thoughts. Fears and worries keep us from peace and the freedom to do what we long to do.

James 1:25 says, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” God’s Word is given to us to protect us from doing wrong things and give us liberty to do right things. His Word frees us from the internal battle and shows us the way to freedom from fears, worries, anger, lust, selfishness, and greed. By His Word and His Spirit we can live in love, hope and faith.

Experience the liberty that you really long for, the inner freedom to know God and His righteousness. Turn from your inner bandage and allow Him to break those chains. True liberty awaits!

Today I walked for several miles along the St.Joseph River. The sun was shining and the air was crisp, as I took in the beauty of the river and its snow covered banks. As rivers go, the St. Joseph River is not long or wide, but it is a vital source of water for the crops grown near its shore, and for the people in its neighborhoods. The river also doesn’t fail to provide scenic views.

Psalm 65 gives us a word picture of God using a river metaphor. It says, “You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.” It is God who brings the rains which feed the soil and extinguishes our thirst. It is God who blesses the crops to bring growth to feed us. God provides for our needs, often abundantly. But better than this is the fact that God gives of Himself abundantly. He freely gives love, peace, joy, mercy, grace, power, hope, kindness, forgiveness, goodness, and help to those who trust Him.

Why not turn to God today, admitting your need and turning from your self-centered ways? He eagerly waits for you. He is ready to give of Himself to you. His river is full of His riches for you.

On occasion, my wife and I have joined a disaster response team. We come in immediately after a tornado, hurricane and flood to help homeowners clear out debris and remove damaged property. Sometimes we come back later to help rebuild inside homes. Our hearts break with the losses that so many suffer. We try to comfort and encourage each one along the way.

We try to be as helpful as we possibly can be. However, we don’t have the construction skills necessary in many cases. So we cart off damaged items, remove soaked drywall, pull up floors, and console homeowners. During reconstruction, we paint, put together cabinets, install floorboards, and do other minor projects. I don’t possess all the talents necessary, but I am there to help.

From the daily grind of life to the physical, emotional, and social struggles of life, we could all use a bit of help from time to time. Friends and family often offer to assist us, but even they do not always possess the ability or resources to provide the help we need. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” God is a reliable and able source of help for any troubles that we may have. He made heaven and earth, so He can certainly make a way for us to pass through our problems. But it all begins with faith and His mercy. We need to acknowledge that we need Him and trust Him to bring the help we request. The help may not always come in the form we expect, but it will come in the way that we most need it.

Most of us start each day thinking about what we have to do that day. These kinds of thoughts rarely inspire us. They tend to drag us down into frustration and maybe despair.

What if we started the day with a new thought? What if we think about what good we can do each day? I am not talking about the good things that we always do, like taking care of our families or excelling at our job. I am talking about talking about good works that may be unexpected or require some extra effort. Perhaps we can do some random act of kindness or meet some need that we know about. Wouldn’t that change our perspective on the day?

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God created us to do good works. He has even orchestrated circumstances and our abilities to prepare us to do these good works. While this verse is primarily speaking to His children by faith, I believe that it speaks to all of us. What joy we will discover if we seek out the good works that God has prepared for us to do, trust Him to use us in these works, and do them by His strength. Do something different today. Start thinking about what good you can do for someone else.