Reluctant Retiree

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.

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.