Reluctant Retiree

Have you ever broken a promise? I honestly can’t remember if I have. That is probably because broken promises hurt the promise recipient and generally only mildly affect the promise giver. So I may have really hurt someone without intending to and without consequences to me.

There seems to be a pandemic of broken promises in our world. Politicians on both sides of the aisle regularly break campaign promises, so much so that we don’t even expect them to fulfill promises anymore. Husbands and wives break sacred vows and rush to divorce. Adults abuse children, breaking their promise to love and protect. Business leaders break promises to shareholders, employees and customers. Where does it all end?

God has made hundreds of promises to us recorded in the Bible. Some of the promises apply only to those of faith in Jesus. But many promises apply to nonbelievers as well. We can hold God accountable to His promises because He recorded them in scripture for us. But first we have to search His Word to find the promises. Then we can have faith that He will fulfill each one. Psalm 146:6 says, “He is the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He is the one who keeps every promise forever.”

God has never failed to keep a single promise and He never will. Test and see if this is true. Search the Bible for promises and then wait to see if He is faithful.

When I was young, a boy could get a job as a paper boy. The paper boy had to get up early every day, go get his allotment of newspapers, fold them, put a rubber band around them, and ride his bike around the neighborhood delivering the newspapers. Once a month he had to go door to door and collect payment for the papers. It was a lot of work for relatively small pay.

In those days people looked forward to the morning newspapers and diligently read it over with their morning coffee. This was true, even though the newspaper rarely brought good news. Today, newspapers have fallen out of favor with many people who prefer to receive their news instantly whenever and wherever they please. Hence the news comes on their phones, tablets and computers, and sometimes on the television. Regardless of the means of communication, people are longing for good news. Human interest and feel good news are always welcome.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is called the good news. Believers in Jesus feel like they have the best news to share with others. Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” The good news of Jesus Christ brings salvation, peace, joy and praise. What better news could there be?

Every once in a while my wife will say something that I do not understand at all. Most of the time this happens after we have been quiet for a while. Then she will speak about a subject that we haven’t discussed, at least not recently. You see before she has spoken, she has been thinking about this subject. I haven’t, but she thinks that I was in on the discussion in her mind. I hear her words, but don’t understand her meaning. Her thoughts were not my thoughts.

Sometimes we don’t understand what God is saying to us either. We hear the words but don’t comprehend the meaning. We can be assured that God has considered all the aspects and consequences of what He is saying to us. Nothing will surprise Him. The thing is we don’t have to understand the ramifications of what He tells us, we just have to trust and obey. You see, He knows all things and we don’t. Our minds and understanding are limited.

God puts it this way in Isaiah 55:8-9; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We may not always understand God’s thoughts. In fact, we may even disagree with Him. It is our responsibility to listen, trust and obey. If we just follow Him, everything will work out for our good. If we don’t follow Him, we will encounter difficulties and troubles.

During my 71 years of life I have often been in a position where I had to depend on the kindness of others. When I was in the hospital I relied on the expertise and compassion of medical professionals for health and basic needs. Whenever we came home from overseas, we depended on the hospitality of friends for housing and transportation. When we were young and struggling financially, we needed the support of family and friends, not so much materially but with wisdom and counsel.

So given this long history of receiving kindness from others, why is my heart so cold toward the needs of others at times? Sometimes I don’t see the needs, even though they may be obvious to others. Other times I see the need but am not moved to help.

Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Hospitality is sharing what we have with those in need. So I have the command to be compassionate. I also have an example to follow. Isaiah 54:8 says, “but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.” God has poured out His love, grace and mercy upon me. How can I withhold compassion from others?

Join me in making this week a time of focusing on compassion. In the power of the Holy Spirit, be aware of needs around you and find a way to help, even in some small way.

When I am having difficulty going to sleep I often try to think of something that makes me happy. It might be my kids or grandchildren. It could be something good that happened that day. Or maybe I will think about a past joyous event.

Joyful thoughts can ease the stress that is keeping me awake. I can temporarily put off the anxious thoughts and focus on something pleasant, putting me in a calm place and facilitating sleep.

Does God have thoughts that bring Him joy? We know that He was pleased with creation because He said, “It is good!” Does anything else give Him joy? Believe it or not, you and I bring Him joy. He created us too and as His creation, God has pleasant thoughts about us. He says that we were wonderfully made down to the smallest feature of our bodies and to the most outrageous facet of our personalities. In fact, He can’t stop thinking about us. Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!”

God thinks about us so much that He stays by our bed all night, eager for us to awaken and walk with Him. So let’s not disappoint God, but, let’s be just as eager to awaken to a new day and walk with God.