Reluctant Retiree

Merchants have made it easy for us to buy their products or services. We can use a credit or debit card by inserting it into a machine, swiping it through the machine, or simply tapping the card or phone on the machine. Of course, we can also pay cash or purchase the items online by using a card or payment service.

It has become so easy that we barely have to move in order to buy almost anything. Ah, but sooner or later we have to put up real money to cover the purchase. Real hard earned money must be deposited in our account or paid to the card.

What if we had to pay a price for our lives? How much is our life worth? Would we be able to pay in monthly installments? Or would it all come due at one time, perhaps when we turn 21? Who would we even pay? God declares that a cost must be paid for my life. He created each of us, but in our sin we have neglected to pay Him. Of course, we could not repay Him for our lives. There is no amount of money, good works, or even thanksgiving sufficient to repay God.

The good news is that God repaid our debt for us, by sacrificing His own Son. The mercy of God in the shed blood of His Son redeems us. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

God gives us a couple important messages in these verses. First, God paid a precious price to redeem you and me, the sacrifice of His own Son. Of course,we can accept or deny this payment on our behalf. Rejecting God’s payment also rejects His redemption. Secondly, those of us who accept God’s gift of salvation also receive His power through the Holy Spirit living within us. Therefore we have the opportunity and responsibility to glorify Him with our lives. Please accept the redemption freely offered by God and begin to live in a way that honors Him.

How many times per day are you the recipient of encouraging words? Personally, I cannot recall the last time someone gave me an encouraging word. Why do we hear so little encouragement? The opposite seems to be true. I hear a lot of criticism, not just directed toward me, but seemingly toward almost everyone. We have become a culture that likes to find fault.

Encouragement has to power to bless and heal. It can soften our hearts, while protecting us from words that harm. That’s why the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Notice that the writer says that we should encourage one another every day. We need this encouragement so that our hearts will not be hardened toward good and righteousness. If we are consistently criticized we can become attracted to deceitful means of protecting ourselves, further damaging our hearts. Thoughtful positive words of encouragement build strength in the recipient and inner joy and peace in the giver.

Find a way to encourage someone today. After you have succeeded in that, do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and every day thereafter. You will be blessed by the positive impact you will have upon those around you and you will be astonished by the impact this will have upon your attitudes.

Have you ever put your efforts into something you truly desired, only to find that this achievement was disappointing? Maybe you eagerly sought the perfect job, only to realize that this work was not fulfilling. Perhaps you sought a relationship with a specific person, only to discover that they were not the kind of person that you thought they were. Maybe you believed in some plan to make a lot of money quickly, only to suffer a significant financial setback. Or worse yet, you made the quick cash and then realized that this success did not satisfy your soul.

The world system makes many promises that it cannot fulfill. Riches, fame and personal satisfaction do not come without exacting a high cost at our expense. I Timothy 6:17 says, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” Placing our hopes on riches, fame, and worldly success will only serve to disappoint and frustrate us, as these things are temporary and ultimately not fulfilling. Only placing our trust in God’s provision will endure and satisfy our souls. Starting today, redirect your energies toward trusting God to show you what direction you should go.

When children are young, good parents teach their children to say “Thank you!” Saying “Thanks” for gifts and kindnesses received is considered a customary and polite response. Children should be taught this behavior as a matter of respect and gratitude. It is a taught behavior because it does not come naturally to us. Giving thanks requires that we first humble ourselves and acknowledge that we were given a gift. We naturally rebel against anything that requires that we put aside pride and self-centeredness.

So too, we naturally reject the idea of giving thanks to God for both the supernatural and routine gifts we receive from His hands. When was the last time that you thanked God for a sunny day, good health, a smile from a stranger, a kindness from a friend, rain to produce good crops, or any other of the good gifts that God has given you?

Psalm 50:23 says, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” When we remember to thank God for His gifts, He receives glory. It becomes a glimpse of His salvation to us. Take some time today to thank God for His gifts to you. It will change your attitudes and mindset.

When I look in a mirror, I am surprised by my appearance. Somehow I am older, more bald, frailer, and not nearly as good looking as I think that I am during the day. When I am interacting with people, I view myself a certain way and think that I am communicating certain things. However, the picture I have of myself is not always what is actually communicated. If my actions contradict my words, we call that hypocrisy.

Jesus confronted the great hypocrisy of His day. The Jewish leaders had burdened the people with a great many traditions and moral laws in the name of their religion. These laws did not usually draw people closer to God, but actually drove people away from God. Even worse was the fact that these same so called spiritual leaders did not keep the traditions and laws that they professed.

Jesus rebuked the leaders when He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

We all fail sometimes, but consistent failure in some area is a danger to ourselves and to those who we may influence. We all should look in a spiritual mirror, God’s Word, daily and evaluate whether we are living up to the words we speak and whether our actions conform to the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word is the mirror that reveals the truth about our hearts. It is only by the power of God’s Spirit that we can hope to eradicate hypocrisy from our lives and begin to live in truth.