Reluctant Retiree

As my wife were walking along the Mill Race Canal Trail this afternoon, we stopped and watched as a very tall tree was cut down. Although it was interesting to see, it also brought a sense of sadness to me. The tree was majestic and provided beauty and shade along the canal. I suppose that the men were just doing their job and clearing the land for a new home. I wonder if the future occupants of this home will consider the natural beauty that was lost in the construction of their home.

A very special tree is featured in the Bible, from Genesis, the first book of the Bible, to Revelation, the last book. This tree is called the “tree of life.” In Genesis, this tree of life is mentioned in connection with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve sinned by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, despite God’s command not to eat of that tree. Sin and death entered into our world by their disobedience. As a result, God removed them from the paradise of Eden so that they could not eat of the tree of life.

Therefore, we all are also separated from the tree of life. That is until the end of time. Then, those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, will be given bright clean robes of righteousness, so that we can have the right to the tree of life. We will also be granted access to the Heavenly City and the presence of God. Those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will not enter the Heavenly City and will remain away from the presence of God in eternal torment. Revelation 22:14-15 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Believe me, you do not want to be on the outside in that day. God loves you and wants you to be with Him. Only self-sufficient pride can keep you away. Why not surrender to His love today?

A farmer doesn’t sow seeds only in a corner of his land and expect to reap a crop equal to one where seeds are planted in all the field. Farmers also don’t sow a few seeds and expect a large harvest. In order to maximize the farmer’s harvest, the farmer must plant a large amount of seeds over all the fields.

Why don’t we understand that this same principle applies to blessings? Sometimes we can’t understand why we are not receiving the blessings we desire. We want to be loved but we are not loving others. We want to have friends but are not friendly. We want to be forgiven, but we withhold forgiveness from those who have hurt us. We want help with our projects but rarely volunteer to help others.

II Corinthians 9:6 says, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” This verse is speaking specifically about giving money, but it also applies to giving love, kindness, forgiveness, joy, peace, our time and our talents. If we want to receive these blessings, we must first be givers of the blessings. Let’s constantly be looking for ways to bless others and see if the blessings are not returned to us in some way.

I used to work the sound board at church. As such I had a role in adjusting the volume and tone of the vocalists to enhance the harmony of their voices. The vocalists had to hear the other singers and instruments and adjust their singing to accomplish the harmony that they desired. If one singer wanted the spotlight or to be heard above the others, harmony suffered.

We all want to live in harmony with other people, but it is often hard to do so. Egos flare and people want the spotlight. Feelings are hurt and the offended withdraw. People are selfish and ignore others. Why can’t we overcome these problems and live in harmony with each other?

Romans 15:2-7 says, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

The secret to living in harmony with those around us is to seek to build others up, rather than acting in selfishness. Admittedly, that is hard to do because we are naturally pretty selfish. That is why the writer asks God to provide endurance and encouragement as they seek this harmony. But he also reminds the readers that Jesus Christ gave His life for them. He is more than a model of harmony, He also provides the endurance and encouragement for us to live in harmony with others. Wouldn’t the world be a better place to live in if we all sought harmony with others, even at the expense of our selfish desires? Let’s ask God to make us instruments of harmony!

We don’t use the word “redeemed” very often these days. Years ago it was used to to describe the process by which we earned money in exchange for returned glass bottles. Now that’s called recycling. But the word redeemed was used in the horrifying process of slavery.

A slave could have been redeemed for cash and set free. The dictionary definition of redeem is 1) compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something, and 2) gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment.

The Bible explains that Jesus is our Redeemer. We have all sinned, our bad aspects for which He paid the price for us on the cross. So believers become His possession through His redemption.

Some people consider faith in the redemption by Jesus death on the cross to be restrictive and constraining. But the opposite is true, faith in Jesus brings true freedom. Galatians 4:4-7 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, then an heir through God.” This redemption sets us free from our old slavery to sin. It sets us free from condemnation. It gives us freedom to come boldly to God with our requests.

We can live in this freedom or we can remain dead in our slavery to sin. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Shows featuring Hollywood celebrities engaging in athletic competitions were on television years ago. We enjoyed watching our favorite stars participating in events that they were never trained to do. Some celebrities were hyper competitive and took the games seriously, while others just had fun and enjoyed the interaction. The final event was often a winner-take-all tug of war. Two teams would pull against each other. Usually the team with the best anchor person would win. The anchor would dig in and was immovable. Eventually the other team would tire out and were easily pulled across the line.

Life can be like a tug of war. We want to do what is right, but get pulled in another direction. We used to picture the devil on one shoulder luring us to do evil and an angel on our other shoulder encouraging us to be strong and do the right thing.

We don’t use this imagery often nowadays but the reality of this tug of war still stands. A constant battle between good and evil exists and influences us to one side or the other. James 4:7-8 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

It’s time to choose sides. This time team captains do not do the choosing, you do. Will you choose to believe the lies of Satan? Or will you resist his lies and draw near to God? If so, then trust God to cleanse and purify you. Submit to His love and salvation. It is an eternal choice well worth taking. God will be the anchor for your soul.