Reluctant Retiree

When I was a child I wanted to be a professional baseball player. But I never put in the effort to achieve my goal. I played a lot of baseball but didn’t seek the conditioning and instruction to move ahead. Later in life I found a job that I liked and was somewhat good at. I put in the effort and learned the skills to be successful.

If we want something bad enough, most of us will put in the effort to achieve our goals. We may not become the best in our field, but we will move ahead.

Our relationship with God can function similarly. How much do we really want to have a close relationship with God? Is it something for which we are willing to invest an hour once a week? We may even be willing to meet with friends once a week to discuss spiritual matters. How far are we willing to go and how much do we want out of this relationship?

As you might guess, God has something to say on this subject. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” God is not satisfied with an hour of our time here and there. He expects a full commitment of our hearts to Him. If we feel like God is not near, or that He has moved away from us, it is not He who has moved away, but rather we have wandered away from Him. He promised to never leave us, but it is still possible for us to put Him off. As with all relationships, we have to be fully committed to make it work. God expects us to be “all in” with Him.

“They can’t do that to me! I will show them!” How often have we uttered these words, or sentiments like them? How often have we allowed the anger within us to spill out, so that we exact revenge? A car dangerously cuts us off on the highway and the verbal venom comes out. A business doesn’t deliver the products or services that we expect and we threaten retaliation. These feelings come so easily.

Let me tell you a story. He was sent by his father to a place where the father had done much work and the people seemed to like him. However, when the son arrived in the land, the people viewed him with suspect. His words called for greater love and respect for the father. The son did many good things for the people but they still didn’t trust him. Eventually they became angry with the son and made false accusations against him. They took the son to court and arranged for him to be killed, although he had done no wrong. As he was dying, the son looked upon his murderers and said, “Father, forgive them.”

Of course, this is my pathetic attempt to tell the story of Jesus. The very people He came to serve, killed Him. These were the ones whom the Father had blessed and loved through the ages. Even while dying, Jesus forgave them. You and I are not innocent in this story. We are among the crowd who caused His death. For it was for our sins that He died. His blood was spent so that we may be forgiven.

The world has never seen such great mercy in anyone or at any other time. To those who are the benefactors of this mercy, giving mercy to those who may harm us is not an option. Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Rather than exacting revenge, forgive and be merciful. But first receive the mercy that God has for you through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

I am a pretty systematic and organized guy. Therefore, I make plans for my day, week, year, and beyond. I think that my plans are pretty good. But as time goes by, many, if not most of my plans don’t come to fruition. Does that mean that my plans were bad? No matter how good my plans may be I do not control the circumstances that can impact my plans. Sickness, weather, economic upheavals, family concerns, and many other things that I couldn’t predict nor control affect the execution of my plans.

God is not limited in the same way as I am. First, He has all knowledge including the knowledge of future events. Nothing can be an unforseen obstacle for Him. Secondly, He has all power. That means He has the power to make sure His plans succeed. And thirdly, He has all authority. Nothing can supercede His plans.

Therefore, His children can count on God’s promises. They are sure in the power of God’s name. For instance, we have this promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” So we can trust that God’s plans for us are to give us hope and a future. He promised and He will do it.

If you are not yet one of God’s children, I am sorry but this promise is not for you. It can be though. You can become a child of God by trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation and redemption. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior and this promise, as well as many others, will be yours.

Now that I am well over 65 years old, I have to concern myself with Medicare and additional health insurance coverage. The problem is that I don’t understand insurance information at all. So this is yet another area where I have to rely on my wife. She doesn’t enjoy looking at insurance coverage details, but she does understand it. You have to know the benefits that are covered under each policy and be able to project your health concerns over the coming year to determine the best policy for you. So every year my wife determinedly does the research and finds the best policy for us. She is very good at this despite her distaste for the process.

Psalm 103:2-5 tells us to praise God for the many benefits He gives us and then lists some of these benefits. It says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” This is quite a list of benefits. Unlike health insurance, there is no need to compare benefits because these benefits are not offered anywhere else. You can trust God that He will cover your life with every benefit you will ever need.

The only cost to receive God’s benefits is faith. We need to believe that God is and that He has provided for our salvation and redemption through the sacrifice of His own Son. We must agree that we need His salvation and offer ourselves back to Him, allowing Jesus to be both Savior and Lord. Why wait? These benefits can be yours today.

Competition in the marketplace is called the Rat Race. To get ahead, people at times ruthlessly promote their own agenda. They are willing to knock someone else down so they can further themselves. Winners sacrifice much to move ahead, receive promotions, obtain financial benefits and gain notoriety. The benefits of winning can be spectacular, but the costs can also be great. Families and relationships are set aside, personal health and well-being suffer, losses mount, and emotions become frayed.

Not everyone gets entangled in the Rat Race. Some are able to mitigate the dangers by calling on inward strength and resolve. Sure, they may not rise as fast or as far, but their rewards are certain and everlasting. For these people, families and relationships thrive, stress related health concerns decrease, their outlook is positive and hopeful, and they don’t lose the things that are really important to them.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek,for they shall inherit the earth.” So according to Jesus, gentleness and humility bring great rewards. This thought is contrary to our culture’s belief, that to get what you want you need to assert yourself and your agenda. However, Jesus says that greater benefits are obtained by considering others as more important than our agendas. Treating others with respect and care will assist us receive inner peace and joy.

Since none of us are naturally gentle and humble, we need to find a supply of these qualities elsewhere. Jesus said that He is gentle and lowly. However, He is more than a model to imitate. He wants to be the source of gentleness and humility in our lives. To receive these blessings from Jesus, we need to humble ourselves before Him by acknowledging our failures and trusting Him to change us.