Reluctant Retiree

I once had a supervisor who would call me on the phone everyday, late in the workday. Since we lived and worked in different states, I think part of the reason for the call was to make sure that I was still working. But the troubling part of the call was that every day he found something to criticize me about. He always had a harsh tone and used disturbing language.

After more than a year of these daily calls, he was given a new supervisor over himself. It didn’t take long to discover that the new supervisor was treating my supervisor the same way that he had been treating me. One day during our daily call I thanked him for not passing onto me the added pressure that he was under. And I told him that I was praying for him. He thanked me at the time, but a greater change occurred later. When he needed someone to fill a position in his office, he chose me. Our relationship had indeed changed.

Romans 12:14-18 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

I could have become angry with my supervisor and bad-mouthed him to others. I couldn’t see how that would help me or him. So when I got the chance to show a little compassion, I did it in the only way I could, by praying for him and thanking him. Returning evil for the trouble I felt was not a good option. So I humbled myself and submitted to his authority. God made a good thing happen as a result.

The world system has always put pressure on us to conform. Marketing tells us what food we should consume, what car we should drive, and what house we should buy, among many other things. Political ideologues instruct us how to follow the party line. With social media, we are now told how to speak and who our friends should be.

Following all these voices can be exhausting and frustrating. Exhausting, because so many voices can be heard with so many different judgments. Frustrating, because the voices don’t agree with each other. It would be easier if there was just one voice to follow and if that voice was both authoritative and good.

Well, God has spoken on the matter of conformity and we seem to have gotten it all wrong. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Instead of having concerns about what other people say we should do, we need to think differently. We should renew our minds in the truth of God’s Word. There we will find what is good and acceptable and perfect. Because there we will find God’s will. Let’s shut out the voices of the world and listen to God, the one true authoritative and good voice.

My wife and I witnessed first hand how a life can be consumed with traditions. We watched as Hindu neighbors and friends painstakingly followed the traditions of their faith. It required a lot of time and effort to carefully practice the traditions, which included a daily offering to the gods. I still can’t imagine the extent of personal sacrifice and diligence it took.

In our culture we tend to look down on traditions as old-fashioned nonsense. We may think that these traditions were fine for an older generation, but don’t make sense for us today. In many cases this type of assessment is true. For instance, you will not catch a cold simply by going outdoors in chilly weather. So for some traditions, it may be proper and right to reject them. The problem comes when we just reject all traditions or don’t investigate the reasons that the traditions are observed.

Paul encouraged believers to hold onto some traditions when he wrote, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”

We must hold onto the traditions that we learn from God’s Word and from godly people. These traditions are based on truth and lead us into the glory of Jesus Christ.

The loftiest title ever given to me is “The Reverend Doctor”. However, it was mistakenly given. I am not a Reverend or a Doctor. I am still not sure where these people got the idea that I held such titles. Worse yet, why would they think that I wanted to be addressed in such a manner?

Some titles we can earn through education or our professions. Royal families in various countries are given titles simply because of their genes. Other titles are given based upon achievements, like All-star, War Hero, or Teacher of the Year. These titles describe us to a certain degree, but they do not define who we are.

God gives His children various titles. We have not earned these honors, but God gives them to us by His grace to describe who we are by faith. I Peter 2:9-10 lists some of these God-given honors; “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

We are given these royal titles because we are now born to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has adopted us as his children and made us joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ. All these honors belong to those who have trusted Jesus for salvation.

While I was growing up, my mother always went a little overboard with Christmas gifts. We didn’t have a lot of money, but she gave us the things we wanted, and more, for gifts. The rest of the year, we had to make do with what we had. I remember getting a new pair of jeans for school every year. But that pair of jeans had to last the full year. I was like most boys playing outside in a rough and tumble manner most of the time. As a result, my jeans got holes in them all the time. She just ironed on a patch and sent me on my way. To be honest, it was a little embarrassing wearing the patched jeans to school, but it didn’t slow me down in playing and making more holes. Despite this minor embarrassment, we were provided all the things we needed. We had a secure environment with food and clothing.

God knows what we need as well. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Through His grace He will freely give us all we need. His gifts, as well as His grace, do not run out. However, we must be willing to receive His grace by placing our faith in Him. It all starts with trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation. As the verse says, God did not spare His Son but gave Him up on the cross to die that we may live. Just like any gift, it must be accepted to be owned. Won’t you please accept His gift of grace and salvation today?