Reluctant Retiree

Pregnant women are said to possess a glow. Brides display a special radiance on their wedding day. Children’s faces light up when they see the presents under the tree on Christmas morning. We all show gratitude in our countenance for special events and gifts.

Fear wipes away radiance from our faces. Instead of joy, we show concern and stress at these times. We want things to turn out well, but we fear that the worst will happen.

Psalm 34:4-5 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” When fear comes, we can seek the Lord or we can wallow in our predicament. If we choose to wallow, fear increases and we risk becoming incapacitated. If we choose to seek the Lord, He overcomes our fears and delivers us. We can experience radiant expectation of God’s effective grace. We will not be ashamed or disappointed.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” This simple strategy works all the time and in every situation. That’s because it is a promise of the God who never fails.

Have you ever tried something and it worked wonderfully, only to try the same thing again at a different time and failed miserably? Or perhaps you found a great idea taken from some successful venture and you tried the same thing and your effort went down in flames. A lot of things probably factored into the differing results, but one constant is the favor of God. If we pray asking for His wisdom and power, and depend upon Him in the undertaking, the results may not be as we had hoped, but the effort will prove to be the most fruitful.

In the book of Acts, the disciples were put on trial before the Jewish leaders. These leaders wanted to kill the disciples, when one of them stood and said, “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” This warning is true. Works performed by man can be easily opposed and overthrown. Works performed in the will and power of God can never be successfully opposed.

Before you begin something new, or even try something again, pray first and wait upon the Lord for wisdom and strength. In His power you will bear fruit.

I am old and sometimes I look squarely in the eye of my mortality. I wonder what my legacy be? What will people remember about my life and say about me when I am gone? Will they only think about my failings? Or will some good qualities come to mind? If an honest epitaph is written on my tombstone, what will it say?

Paul was in prison for his faith and near death when he wrote to his friend and disciple, Timothy. In II Timothy 4:7 Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul’s words would be a great legacy to leave to our loved ones. At the end of my life, I want to be able to say, “I have done good to all, I have accomplished what God prepared for me to do, and I have walked by faith and stood firm in my trust in God.

Goodness, righteousness, and faith are wonderful qualities to possess and live by. These qualities bring life and light to those around us. They are, however, available only through the power of God’s Spirit living in us. I cannot, and we cannot, generate these attributes simply through our meager willpower. We must depend upon God to work these characteristics into our lives. If we trust Him, He will write a glorious epitaph upon our lives.

I have felt sad since I woke up this morning. As far as I can determine, I have no reason for this feeling. I am not sick. Nothing has recently gone wrong. I am not facing a bad, or even busy, day. I don’t have a sense of impending doom. I just feel sad.

I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to feel sad occasionally. It helps me sort through my feelings and make some sense of things. Still, every day I find some place of joy.

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” God especially crafts every day for each of us. And in each day we can find something to rejoice over. It may only be the gift of good health or the beauty of the sunrise. It may come to us as fresh fallen snow to make a great snowman. Perhaps, someone has cooked your favorite meal, just how you like it. Maybe you received an unexpected act of kindness, or even better, you were the giver of the kind act. Life can be tough, but it is made better by finding the gifts God gives us in each day.

Ever since creation, people have all been guilty of the sin of self exaltation. Satan boasted that he would be like God, but God cast him out of heaven. At the Tower of Babel, people had a plan to rise into heaven, but God confused their languages and they dispersed. Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, thought that his greatness rose to the heights of heaven, but God humbled him and made him eat grass for seven years. Kings and Emperors have come and gone, even though each thought that their kingdom would rule the world forever.

If you think that these are just Bible stories, review history and look around you. People everywhere and throughout time have tried to exalt themselves above others and rule their sphere of influence. It’s not just the famous, strong, or wealthy that exalt themselves, we all do it. Examine your speech and actions over the last week. You will find that you made light of the accomplishments of others and exaggerated your own. You most likely tried to be the center of attention at times. You probably wanted to take control of a project or situation because you felt you could do a better job, while also believing you deserved the attention. These situations may seem minor in the grand scheme of things, but they are evidence of our strong desire to rule and be honored.

God calls self exaltation, or pride, sin. He alone rules over all circumstances and situations. Daniel 4:34-35 says, “for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'” We make a grave error when we give into pride and exalt ourselves. We must remember that God is exalted above every name in heaven and on earth. His kingdom remains forever. Give Him the honor due His holy name.

P.S. Those words in Daniel 4 were spoken by King Nebuchadnezzer. Unfortunately he lived like an animal and ate grass for seven years before he was able to give God these praises. We will all bow before Him and worship Him. Don’t wait until you have eaten grass to forsake pride and humble yourself before God.