Reluctant Retiree

Generally, stubbornness is not regarded as a good quality to have. Stubborn people are usually shunned socially because people feel that they are hard to deal with. They are resistant to change and ideas. This quality inhibits growth in business and job opportunities, as well.

However, stubbornness in some areas is a good characteristic. When faced with a moral dilemma on the job or in our personal lives, it is good to stubbornly refuse to compromise our values. When it comes to providing for and protecting our families, we must resolutely do everything in our power to achieve these goals.

I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor will not be in vain.” In these verses we are given a command and a promise. The command states that we must be steadfast in following Jesus and doing His work. If we heed this command, God promises that our labor will not be in vain. All our work will then achieve the objectives that God has set for us andwewillbepleasedwiththeresults.

When I looked at the news this morning, the first thing I noticed was that Congress argued with each other late into the night. Partisan disputes seem to be the norm these days. Everyone is holding onto their personal agendas and ideologies at the expense of the common good.

James 4:1-2 says, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” As long as we allow selfish motives to reign within us, we will not be at peace with each other. Somewhere we need to find the wisdom to look past our selfishness and seek to build up and benefit others.

Again James gives us help in finding this wisdom. He says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” These verses give us the basis for evaluating whether someone is speaking with wisdom. If we speak with peace, gentleness, mercy and impartiality with a life of good conduct, then we are speaking wisdom. But if our conduct exhibits jealousy and selfishness and our words are false and boastful, then we are not speaking wisdom. Words of wisdom lead to peace. Selfish actions lead to quarrels.

I am the stereotypical male shopper. When I go into a store I go straight to the item I want, pick it up and head to the cash register. I don’t evaluate the product against others in the same category and I am not very concerned with the relative price of my choice versus others. I may have done some research before heading to the store, but probably not much. My wife is the research fanatic. If I involve her in my choice selection, I will probably pay less and get a better quality product, but it will certainly take more time.

In other aspects of life, however, we are all prone to comparing ourselves with others. Whether it be the clothes we wear or the car we drive, we are often thinking about how these things rank in comparison to what our neighbor has. In social situations, we compare who we talk with to who are friends are speaking with. We judge how successful we are by comparing our awards, salary and promotions with those of others.

Unfortunately, comparing ourselves with others is a fruitless exercise. We will always be better than some and worse off than others. Even if we do win, in our judgment, so what? In the end, these achievements are meaningless, especially when you consider eternity. Our relative successes will all turn to dust one day and will not be remembered.

II Corinthians 10:12 says, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” God is the standard by which we should evaluate ourselves. Ephesians 5:1 says that we should be “imitators of God”. He is the true and faithful standard for evaluating our lives. Becoming imitators of God will give us a life beyond comparison and ensure that we produce fruit in keeping with His grace.

There is wisdom in counting the costs before embarking on a project. We should make sure that we have the funds available, expertise needed, friendly assistance, and energy to complete the work. Failure to properly evaluate these factors and gather the resources will inevitably lead to frustration and embarrassment.

Many years ago, my wife and I bought a house. This house had an outdated and ugly kitchen. Who paints their kitchen cabinets peach color? My father in law offered to remodel the kitchen by building new cabinets. He gave me one condition, which was that I help him do all the woodworking. He was quite skilled and could easily do the work. I, on the other hand, had no woodworking knowledge or ability. As most do-it-yourself remodels go, this one seemed to go on forever. We worked on it most nights and weekends. I quickly ran out of steam, while also bruising many body parts. I had not accurately counted the costs of my involvement in the project. The project took longer because my father in law insisted that I do most of the work, in order that I learn some of the necessary skills.

At times God will call us to do some good work. We may doubt our ability, resources and knowledge to do what He asks. That’s alright because He has already counted the costs and gathered the necessary resources. II Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” If God leads us to do a good work, He will provide the resources, knowledge and power to do it in His abundant grace. He has counted the cost and provided what we need in His grace before even speaking to us. His grace will be sufficient, ready for anything, and always available.

One of my granddaughters is a very picky eater. The problem is that she has never tasted most of the foods that she rejects. She doesn’t know whether they taste good or bad to her. She cannot explain why she won’t eat these foods, but we can’t change her mind.

People do the same thing with God. They reject Him, but do they really know who He is? Have they even investigated what He has said about Himself? Have they considered the impact of their decision?

God describes Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.'” If you know God, as I do, you know Him to possess all these qualities in abundance. If you choose to reject God, be aware that you are rejecting the God of steadfast love for you, and who accepts you in His mercy and grace.