Reluctant Retiree

When our kids were young, we had a family puppet ministry. It was called Heavenly Hands and we performed for Sunday Schools, camps, mission trips, and our neighborhood. We learned the craft in formal training and watching the masters, like the Muppets, perform. I wrote most of the scripts and we were aided by somewhat of a fearless approach. We would try all sorts of complicated skits, skills and maneuvers.

Heavenly Hands was, by no means, professional quality, but we did get the message across that we were trying to convey. It is amazing how people get consumed by the puppets and forget that they are not real people. One or more people manipulate the puppet’s torso, mouth and hands, while also giving the puppet a voice. The actions and voice are intended to communicate the message of the performers.

One of the reasons that Jesus came to earth was to reveal the Heavenly Father’s nature and kingdom message. Jesus did that through His holy character and words. In Luke 10:22 Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Conduct an honest examination of the words and life of Jesus. He will reveal the Father to you so that you can know Him.

I greatly admire the work of talented music composers and artists. I have no idea how they take an idea and create beautiful music or artwork. They start with a simple notion and weave together complicated pieces of music and art. Do they see the end product in their minds as they start, or do they put it together piece by piece?

Twice I have planned to stay in a job until I died. I never planned to retire, but here I am retired and not working at either of those jobs. I made plans for the future, but very little of my plans have come to fruition. Am I just a poor planner or is something else at work here?

Proverbs 27:1 says, “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.” If we are honest, we will admit that we don’t know what the next day, or even the next hour, holds for us. So much that happens is beyond our control. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”It is good to plan ahead, but we always need to understand that our next steps are ultimately subjecttoGod’s authority. The good news is that He is good to us and loves us, so we can trust Him.

So what should we do when looking to the future? Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Go ahead! Make plans! But submit to God’s wondrous plans that will likely change your plans.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes seven years ago, I told the doctor that I was not willing to change my diet. I thought she was going to tell me that I had to eat tasteless food that I had spent a lifetime avoiding. She listened patiently to my rant and just made a couple small suggestions.

When I visited her three months later, she asked me how I was doing. I had made a couple small changes to my diet and reported those. Then she gave me the great news that my blood sugar levels had decreased sharply and I had lost weight. I had only made small changes, but had experienced significant benefits.

Of course, that encouraged me to make more dietary changes. The changes came from within my own heart, not as a result of doctor’s orders. Later, I even added exercise to my sugar level regimen. Again, a doctor had not even suggested it, but God had begun to give me a level of self-control that I didn’t have before. After a few years I was even taken off the minimal drug dose, as diet and exercise had its desired effect in reducing my blood sugar levels.

In this case, a little bit of God given self-control control led to great benefits. My blood sugar is stabilized and I have lost over a hundred pounds. Of course, there have been times when I relapsed into old habits. My self-centered nature has occasionally caused me to lose control and eat things I shouldn’t. The lack of self-control in these times leads to weight gain, nervousness, anxiety and a host of other problems. Then I have to rebuild self-control.

My point is that self-control leads to small victories and, if repeated, to major benefits. A lack of self-control leads to problems and difficulties. Proverbs 25:28 puts it this way; “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.” We need to ask God to build self-control into our lives so that we can live in the benefit side of this equation.

The Olympics just ended. We celebrated the victories of the gold medalists. We celebrated the achievements of the other medalists as well. What about the athletes who didn’t medal? Most never made it onto the television broadcast. Most return home to the acclaim and admiration of friends and relatives, but are virtually ignored by the rest of us. Their dedication and achievements do not make the headlines.

The world offers only limited and fading honor to most of us. We work hard and do our best but generally do not earn the gold medal. If success and fame are our sole objectives, most of us are disappointed and, maybe, feel defeated.

We can obtain ultimate victory and overcome even the honors that the world offers. I John 5:4 says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.” Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ overcome the world. The victory is for everyone who is born of God. Don’t settle for what the world has to offer and its fading victories. Obtain the ultimate victory by trusting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

I have served on two juries in my life. It is a sacred responsibility for citizens of this country. Still, it is an overwhelming task to sit in judgment of someone. You listen intently and scrutinize the evidence. At the end of the trial you render a judgment on the defendant’s guilt or innocence. If the verdict is guilty, the defendant’s life is drastically changed.

The Bible makes it clear that we will all be judged one day. We will appear before God’s throne. No evidence will be presented because already knows the truth about us. We have all sinned and rejected the truth. We all deserve to be judged guilty by our holy God. Some of us, however, will hear God render a not guilty verdict. That’s because Jesus will step in and declare that He has bought our redemption through His own blood.

The not guilty verdict only comes for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. These forgiven people have confessed their sins to God and trusted in God’s own sacrifice of His Son to save them. Hebrews 9:26-28 says, “But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

This last judgment of all people is guaranteed. A guilty verdict leads directly to eternal separation from God and eternal torment. A not guilty verdict leads to the eternal presence of God and heavenly rewards. Consider this day whether to accept by grace the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins.