Reluctant Retiree

In ancient times a royal message or decree was marked by the seal of royalty. Wax was applied to the message and then the king would press his ring into the wax. The seal would ensure that the message was not tampered with and reflected the king’s true words and intentions.

We do something similar today with wills and other legal documents. The signing of the legal document is witnessed by observers, who also sign the document. Often a Notary Public then affixes their stamp and signature to the document, verifying the authenticity of the signers. The document then is held in safekeeping until needed. In the case of a will, at the death of the will owner, the will determines how property will be distributed.

Every believer in Jesus Christ also has an inheritance promised to them. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

God has prepared an inheritance for us. He has done all the work to make a place for us with Him for eternity. He has readied the blessings of heaven in anticipation of our arrival. He has placed His unbreakable seal of the Holy Spirit upon us so that nothing can change His royal decree and our possession of the inheritance.

So the question remains, will you be there to take possession of the inheritance of the saints? Only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation and redemption will be invited.

We all know people who want to make good changes in their lives but keep going back to the same environment. Perhaps you know of an alcoholic that wants to quit drinking but spends time in bars and clubs. Or you may know a drug addict who wants to quit but spends his time mostly with friends who are also addicts. These situations are extremes but we can all fall into the trap of doing bad things, simply because we hang out with the wrong people and go back to old ways of doing things. You have probably heard the saying, “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

The Bible says something similar in Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

In these verses there is a downward progression into evil. We start by simply accommodating the counsel of those who do wrong. Then we find ourselves in their places doing the evil that they do. Finally we find ourselves comfortable with the evil, consistently amongst wrongdoers.

The way to victory over this downward spiral is spending time in God’s Word. Read it. Study it. Meditate upon it. If we do these things our minds will be cleansed. We will bear good fruit and we, ourselves, will find that we are dwelling in God’s favor and goodness.

I am not a history buff, but I do enjoy going to historical sites and remembering the events that took place there. Generally these places are marked with a museum of some sort or at least some kind of memorial plaque. A lot of information can be obtained on the events that have impacted lives, even those of today.

The marking of historical places is not a recent phenomenon, as you may well know. Even in early Biblical times, the Israelites often set up altars or memorials on the sites of God’s miraculous intervention in their lives. Sometimes the memorials were set up at the Lord’s command, but other times they set up memorials as spontaneous acts of thanksgiving and worship.

One such memorial was set up where God stopped the waters of the Jordan River from flowing, so that the Israelites could pass over to the Promised Land. Joshua 4:7 speaks of God’s command at this time; God said, “then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

We are familiar with memorial stones, especially on a day like today, Memorial Day. These stones mark the graves of so many who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Please be sure to honor them as you remember their valor.

But also take advantage of this holiday to remember the many great and awesome things that God has done for you and given to you.

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.