Reluctant Retiree

I am in the midst of painting the basement of our new home. I must admit that it looks pretty good thus far. But no matter how much work I put into it, it will still just be a basement that will probably not get much future attention.

When I was walking this morning I saw a beautiful painting that was on a whole different level. The sun was rising and reflecting off the pond that I was circling. The bright oranges and yellows contrasted nicely with the green grass and blue water. The artist clearly knew what he was doing, demonstrating unmatched skills and creativity. Of course I believe that all this was the work of the Creator God.

I also believe that He has something even more awesome to show me. After Jesus returns, He will take me, and all believers, into the New Heaven to spend eternity in the presence of God. I don’t know all that I will see, but I can’t wait to see God face to face. The apostle Paul gives us a foretaste of this glorious moment when he writes in I Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” This majesty awaits those who believe in Jesus and trust him for salvation.

As I get older I don’t always easily remember things. This doesn’t surprise me as I am aware of the weaknesses that come with aging. I have started writing notes and placing reminders in strategic locations to help me remember important things. I also tend to rely on my spouse to help me.

God knew that His people would tend to forget the great things He did for them. That is why He commanded that they celebrate festivals of remembrance and make altars to recall His blessings. Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

Remembering what God has done for you helps keep your way pure and your hands clean. In fact, it changes your whole outlook on life and your attitudes. Psalm 9:1-2 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Thanking God for the things He has done gives us glad hearts and leads us to sing His praises.

For my morning walk, I walked along a river and through some woods. It was beautiful on this gorgeous day. I thought about how I am so fortunate to live so near to such wonder.

Then I thought about how God created the heavens and the earth with only His word. Such grandeur came out of the mind of God.

That led me to consider that although He created the sun, moon and stars, He cares about me. I have nothing to offer Him by way of gifts or anything of value to Him. Yet He loves me. I know this because He sacrificed His only Son so that I could know His salvation. The Creator of all things cares for me! What a wonder!

How close is too close? Well, that obviously depends on what we’re talking about. We like to have our loved ones as close as possible. A foul smell we prefer to be as far away as it can be. An exceptional dessert we will bring near, while an approaching car we run from.

So things we keep away the things we dislike, are offensive in some way, or present a danger. We bring desirable things near.

Of course, I have not mentioned all the things that we should put far from us, nor the things that we should draw near. James 4:7-8 gives us the ultimate advice in this area. It 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 is clear that we should stay away from evil. How do we do that? We must resist the devil in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, the promise says, he will flee from us. It is also clear that we should draw near to God. How do we do that? We must have clean hands and pure hearts. Trust in the forgiveness Jesus offers and follow Him.

When I am walking on a new trail, I have to keep a lookout for signs. A well marked trail keeps me on the right track. Otherwise I could get lost and face unexpected dangers.

Don’t you wish life was like a well marked trail? When we faced a decision, all we would have to do would be to look for the trail signs and follow them. Instead what I find is all types of distractions that want to take me away from the right path. We all face distractions like forbidden pleasure, evil desires, lies, and pride.

I have found one reliable source that helps me stay on the right path, that is God’s Word. When God gave me life, He had already designed the right ways for me to follow. He even wrote them down in the Bible, so that I could follow the signs and stay on the right path. He even promised to go with me and help me along the way. Look at these verses that describe the path that we should follow:

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Psalm 25:4-5

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Psalm 16:11

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

These are some great promises. I especially like the ones about fullness of joy and pleasures forever more. However, the promises are only true for those who stay on the right path as defined by God in His Word. I don’t know about you, but I want to be the beneficiary of these promises. So I am asking God to help me see the signs and follow Him.

We don’t get a newspaper or watch television much. I get my news updates online from a variety of sources. It is difficult to discern what is true these days. Different sources report the same event from a variety of viewpoints, seemingly always with a particular agenda. One thing I have noticed in all these sources is a reliance on celebrity viewpoints and opinions. It seems that we are expected to value celebrity opinions more than others, even more than experts on occasion.

Personally, I am not swayed one way or another by celebrity. If I want financial advice I go to someone who has demonstrated competence in this area. The same goes for medical advice. I go to a doctor, not someone who played one on TV.

So when I need spiritual advice, I don’t go to a celebrity guru or a famous speaker. I go to someone who has demonstrated competence in a life of righteousness. James 3:13-15 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.”

Be careful where you get spiritual advice. Put a higher value on good conduct than on celebrity.

We spent most of the day watching two of our grandsons play sports. Our 15 year old grandson threw the discuss and shot put in his league championship. This is his first year participating in these two disciplines. He was able to make up for his inexperience with innate ability to do pretty well. However there were struggles in the process as he learned.

Our nine year old grandson played Little League baseball today. At this age there are lots of walks, errors and strike outs. All of the boys are learning the game and the skills.

Both boys are learning the value of endurance. To get better, they have to persevere and practice. They will struggle at times but should improve with continued effort in the right direction.

We all need to learn these lessons. Life is filled with struggles and troubles. What we do with these problems will determine the kind of person we become. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

So we grow, mature and improve the hard way, by persevering through the struggle and testing. Knowing the positive end result allows us to be joyful in the process.