Reluctant Retiree

When I go out to eat, I usually order water to drink. But for some reason, when I get home I feel like I need something else to drink. Water just does not satisfy my thirst. In the same way, some foods do not satisfy my hunger, at least for long. If I eat eggs for breakfast, I am hungry again within the hour. I think that most of the time possessions do not satisfy us for long. We experience the exuberance of the new purchase, but that joy soon fades and we soon want more.

Jesus promised to provide everything we need. But He also promised to satisfy our souls’ deepest yearnings. Our souls seek peace, joy, love, meaning, significance, and hope. Without these things we keep on searching and struggling.

John 6:35 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'” Our souls crave love like our bodies hunger for food. Our hearts long for peace like our bodies thirst for water. Jesus promised to satisfy these longings and cravings. But note, we must first come to Him acknowledging our needs and believing in His provision.

Come to Jesus today! Don’t wait! Acknowledge your desire for inner peace, love and hope. He will accept your confession and satisfy these desires.

We understand the concept of ownership from a very young age. A young child freely exclaims “Mine” when another child begins to play with his toy. We proudly declare that we bought and own a new car, although in many cases the title is still held by someone else. We make the same ownership declaration when we buy a house, when the bank technically owns the house until we have paid off the loan. The bank gives us certain rights of use and the ability to make decisions about what we do with the property.

Somehow we forget the technicalities of ownership when it comes to our relationship with God. He created each of us in a design that He calls “fearfully and wonderfully” made. As our designer and creator He possesses all the rights of ownership. He has given us the ability to make certain choices on how we use our body, mind, and soul. We can choose to ignore His rights of ownership over us, but the consequences are disastrous. Or we can remember that we belong to Him and honor Him with our words and deeds.

Psalm 100:3 reminds us, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” God offers to care for His people, like a good shepherd takes care of his sheep. But to benefit from God’s tender care, we have to remain with the flock in His presence. Running off and pretending not to belong to the Good Shepherd only brings suffering and death.

If we don’t know the way, we consult GPS. If we don’t know the meaning, we read a dictionary or thesaurus. If we don’t know the reason, we read a book or talk to the source. If we don’t know how, we go to the instructions. If we don’t understand, we look for wise counsel.

If we don’t know God, however, we are without excuses. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19 ESV) God has made Himself known to the whole world through creation. Furthermore, we have perceived or understood His eternal power and divine nature through our observations of creation.

Psalm 98:2-3 says, “The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness.” God has even given us knowledge of His plan of salvation. All nations know of God’s righteousness. He has declared His steadfast love and faithfulness to all.

Again, we are without excuse if we say that we do not know God. He is the way to the life we desire. He is the very meaning of life. He is the reason for our joy. He gives us understanding of truth. If you do not know God, read the book (Bible), talk with someone who does know God, and go directly to the source and talk to Him yourself. Or you can even email me at walkin4jesus@yahoo.com . Getting to know God is the most important thing you can do.

We have all seen illusionists levitate their assistants. The assistant lays on a table and is put into a mystical trance while the illusionist moves his or her hands. The assistant moves skyward until the illusionist seems to stop the progress upward. Then the illusionist takes a hoop and moves it around the assistant’s body to confirm that the body is indeed floating in the air. The assistant is then lowered back to the table and restored to consciousness. Great trick!

God doesn’t use tricks. He deals in reality. So when He raised His own Son, Jesus Christ, from the grave, He used His own power and did not deceive anyone. Jesus was dead, as confirmed by the soldiers and many witnesses. But three days later He rose from the grave, appeared to hundreds of witnesses, later ascended to heaven and remains alive and seated on His throne today.

But greater still is the grace of God toward everyone who believes in Him. Ephesians 2:4-6 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

You see, we all are sinners and therefore dead in our sins. However, God is full of mercy because of His great love for us. He has offered each of us new life if we will simply trust God with our lives. Salvation can be ours by faith through His infinite grace. This new life begins with faith and continues into eternity. Those of us who have believed will be seated with Jesus in the heavenly places. I sincerely hope that you will accept God’s offer of salvation and new life in Jesus Christ. I hope to see you in the heavenly places.

Have you ever been in a conversation when you are thinking, “I really don’t care about what they are saying”? I sure have. I try to keep listening politely, but my heart wants to go somewhere else, anywhere else. I know that attitude is unkind and selfish, and I want to do better.

What does God think when we bring all our problems to Him? Does He grumble to Himself, “Here he comes again with his self-centered requests”? Does He tune us out when we keep repeating the same confessions repeatedly? Does His anger burn when we forget to thank Him for His answers to our prayers?

Psalm 94:19 says, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” This tells me that God listens when I bring my cares to Him. He doesn’t reject me for ungratefulness, repeated requests, or even selfishness. He is patient with me and cares about me. God is rich in mercy. Not only does He listen, but He is eager to provide comfort to me. Another name for God in the Bible is Wonderful Counselor. He has all wisdom to provide us with true healing.

Why not tell God what you care about? He stands ready to give you comfort. He will bring you cheer that reaches down to the deepest part of your soul.