Reluctant Retiree

Some people walk around with a sour expression and can put people in a bad mood without even saying a word. Other people can light up a roomful of people just by walking into the room. You can’t decipher the attitude of other people by their countenance, but once they open their mouth and speak, their attitudes infect those around them. For instance, the constant complainer can bring people down quickly.

What kind of impact does your presence have upon people? What kind of impact do you want to have upon those you come in contact with? Have you thought about this before?

Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” What a different world we would have if we personally inspired love and good deeds! I want to live in such a world, so it must begin with me. I can’t do this naturally or on my own, however. I need help. So I am asking God’s Spirit to change my heart in such a way that I will inspire love and good deeds. By His grace, it will be possible.

Why not join me in a movement to change our world by the power of God in stirring up love and good deeds? Let’s ask God to start with changing our hearts to love one another and do kindness for one another.

As I walked this morning, at one particular point I looked up. I saw what seemed like a single ray of light directed at a tree. The light created an awesome display of the green leaves and red blooms on the tree. Outside the ray were the dark semblances of the tree’s form with dimmed views of its colors. The light and the color brightened my spirit. As I moved on I saw similar views on other trees. When I riched the pond the sun was viewable in its entirety. That alone was a glorious sight, but the Sun was also reflected on the pond’s surface. I stood still and soaked in the beauty before me.

Ephesians 5:8 says, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true).” Before becoming believers in Jesus Christ, we are all walking in darkness. But when we trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, His light begins to shine in us and through us. This light produces the fruit of all things good and right and true. We become transformed into the light of Christ likeness.

Just as the Sun’s light produces good fruit for us to eat, light from the Son of God will produce good fruit in and through us. But this light is only available to us as we walk in trust in our God.

I have made some bad decisions in my lifetime. I’ve come across things that I wanted and immediately acted on my desire. In these cases I haven’t done research into the knowledge available to me and I haven’t stopped to consider the impact of my decisions. So, predictably, I have suffered the consequences. And sometimes, others have been harmed in the process, which I deeply regret.

The Bible warns us about rushing to fulfill our desires. Proverbs 19:2 says, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” In our rush to acquire our wants, we can even get away from where we really want to go. Haste often leads us down the path of error and sin. In our hurry, we neglect God’s truth and His promises. Then we are sure to find troubles.

When considering something you want, try seeking knowledge before acting. Think about the impact of your decision. But most importantly look for God’s wisdom before acting on your desire. You can save yourself a lot of trouble, as can I by doing the same.

I’ve noticed that my excitement about most things decreases over time. I buy a new car and am really excited about it, but in a short time the new car commands less of my interest. I start a new work project fervently, but weeks or months later the project just seems to drag on and pull my joy down with it.

We can’t let this happen with the important things in life. We don’t want our marriages to fall apart because we haven’t stirred up passion. We don’t want relationships to fade because we haven’t put in the effort to remain close and involved. We shouldn’t let our interest in our jobs wane so that our performance is negatively impacted.

And we can’t let the passion fires of faith die down due to neglect on our part. Paul wrote in Romans 12:11; “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” If we feel far from God, it’s not He that moved away. Stir up your zeal for God by reading His Word and meditating upon His promises. Talk to God often, letting Him into your heart and concerns. Find a way to serve Him and be inspired by how He uses you. If your spiritual embers are dying out, add fuel to the fire.

By the way, if you have never had any spiritual passion, you can find it by doing these same things. Investigate God’s promises by reading the Bible, get to know God a bit more by talking to Him in prayer, and find a worthy project where you can meet needs. See if you can obtain a passion for God in these ways. Your life will be changed forever.

The internet gives us access to more problem solving solutions than ever before. We can meet with a doctor online and get help for our physical ailments. We can obtain advice and counsel for a variety of problems through effective internet searches. And yet, we still have to come close to receive help for some problems.

If you needed surgery, you wouldn’t just drive near to a hospital and expect the doctors inside to be able to operate on you. If you receive advice on a car problem that you are unable to fix, you don’t just drive by a mechanic to have your problem fixed.

People of Jesus’s day had health problems that even the physicians could not heal. Desperate for healing they came to Jesus. Mark 3:10 says, “for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.”

The people recognized that they had a problem which they couldn’t fix themselves. So they came to the One who could heal them and He did. Why do we hold onto our problems so tightly? We even try to hide our problems from others. We can find peace and comfort by coming to Jesus and turning our problems over to Him. He is good and His love is everlasting. Draw close to Jesus today and let Him know your concerns. His “consolations will cheer your soul.”