Reluctant Retiree

What can people do to demonstrate real power? Is it by commanding the loyalty of many people? Could it be by lifting and moving heavy burdens? How about leading an army to a great victory? Some people think that we demonstrate power by successful business activities and obtaining wealth.

The Bible says that real power is demonstrated in our weaknesses. When we humble ourselves and confess our shortcomings God is able to give us power in our inner beings. When we reject this offer and try to work things out in our own strength and abilities, His power is not available to us.

Ephesians 3:14-16 says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Real power is not seen in an outward display. Real power is known within us by the quality of our character. God promises to give us the power, through His Spirit, to be transformed into His image. In I Corinthians 12:9 God promises “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Believers trusting in the power of God’s Spirit are the most powerful people on earth, because they have God’s power available to them.

I walked through Cobus Creek County Park today. This nature preserve is centered by a small creek that also forms a pond at one point. I love to walk near bodies of water, so I usually find trails near creeks, rivers, ponds, or lakes. The views of natural bodies of water seem to restore and invigorate me. In the summer there is a lush covering provided by the forest. Nowadays the leaves have fallen and the trees are barren. While the forest has its own beauty at this time of year, it is still a little sad that the leaves are now decaying on the ground.

God gave the apostle John a vision of heaven, which John recorded in the book of Revelation. In the last chapter of Revelation, John wrote: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city, also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.”

To a lover of rivers, heaven cannot be described with more enticement. This river contains the water of life nurturing our eternal life with God. It flows from Him and never stops flowing. The river nourishes the tree of life from which we will eat forever. While God still has work for me to do on earth, I long for the day I am lifted into His presence and am seated with Him by the river of the water of life. I can’t wait to walk hand in hand with Him by the river. I pray that you will join us. All that is required is to trust in Jesus for salvation and to ask Him to be the Lord of your life.

Have you ever found yourself complaining about something and later ask yourself why you were complaining? Lately I have been doing that a lot and I don’t know why. My life is good and the things that I complain about are not important.

Complaining rarely changes anything for the better. Oh sure, occasionally a business may give us a free meal to compensate for poor service. But if we return to this restaurant, the same poor conditions will probably prevail. When we complain about a person, they rarely think about changing their behavior due solely to our statements.

We complain because we think we deserve something better than what we are receiving. But is that really true? Do we deserve better? The Bible clearly states that no one is good or righteous in their own efforts. In fact, the Bible says that our so called righteousness is like filthy rags to God, who is perfectly holy.

Today, in church, we sang: “All my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so so good.” If those words are true, and they are, what do I have to complain about? Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” So God will work everything out for good. Psalm 23 also tells me that His goodness will be with me all the days of my life. God is faithful to all His promises, including these about His goodness. I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Given God’s forever faithfulness to His promise to always be good, what do I have to complain about?

What about you? Do you have something to complain about? If you love God, He works everything out for good. If you don’t love God yet, this promise doesn’t apply to you. But it can. You can believe in Jesus and turn your life over to Him. Then these promises, and so much more, apply to you.

Thanksgiving was two days ago. Many of us ate too much. But how many of us took responsibility for the pain that followed? “The food was too good.” “I just wanted one more piece of pumpkin pie.” “Grandma made me eat more dressing.”

We all have a hard time accepting the blame for our choices and subsequent failures. I played catcher in baseball when I was growing up. I am paying for it now with lower back problems. As an adult I didn’t go to the dentist for twelve years. My teeth bear witness to my neglect. I can trace back most of my current health problems to choices I made growing up and early adulthood. Do I accept the blame or do I curse my luck? Worse yet, do I pass the blame onto someone else?

When something bad happens to us, we tend to get angry at someone else. We blame the other driver for the accident. We blame the police for the ticket we received. We rage at the business for the shoddy product when we made our choice based solely on price. We find innumerable ways to deflect the blame off ourselves and onto others. While this may make us feel better in the short run, it doesn’t help us grow and mature into effective, growing, and godly people.

Proverbs 19:3 says, “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.” How often have you heard someone say, “Why would God do this?” Or simply say, “Why me?” Shouldn’t we instead ask how we contributed to the failure or problem. Perhaps God didn’t do what we blame him for. Perhaps we are to blame. Let’s be honest with ourselves and with God. It will help us become better people. Honesty and integrity before men and God benefit these relationships.

Sometimes life can feel like an uphill climb. We start out on level ground and things are going smoothly. Then a small problem comes our way and the ground before us begins to slope gradually upward. We are able to negotiate the rise until another bigger problem comes upon us. Suddenly the ground rises to a more steep rise. With considerable effort we are able to make the steeper climb. Not much later a much bigger trouble assaults us and the climb is steep and arduous. We need rest but cannot find it in the middle of our efforts to climb to the summit of our troubles. All of a sudden several more problems pile on our backs like a backpack full of heavy stones. Now we are finding it difficult to move at all, let alone try to climb out of the troubles.

This is the type of situation that Paul described in Galatians 6:2 when he writes: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When we get to the point where we have the loaded backpack and are climbing a steep road, it is so good to have the help of good friends. Their assistance makes it possible for us to move forward and eventually summit the mountain of problems. Since this help is so beneficial to us, shouldn’t we also become burden bearers for others who need help.

Jesus set the example for us. We cannot bear the weight of our sin, so Jesus came and carried the full load up the mountain to the cross. At the cross He lifted sin away from us forever and gave us the grace of redemption and salvation. If we choose to keep sin’s burden upon our backs, Jesus will not take it away. But if we give sin’s burden over to Jesus, we are freed from it.