Reluctant Retiree

While at the beach yesterday I was watching the birds. Sometimes it takes a lot of energy and effort for them to get off the ground and make their way somewhere. Other times they are just floating in the air. The wind currents take them up or down, forward or backwards.

I once had the opportunity to fly in a glider plane. A powered airplane towed us upward and then I released the tow rope and we glided. Some air currents even took us higher. I was completely dependent on the air currents and skill of the pilot.

Faith can be a lot like both the birds and aircraft in flight. Sometimes we exercise faith by being completely dependent on God, our pilot. He works the controls and manages the currents to take us where He wants us to go. Other times, faith is obedience to do what He wants us to do. We are still dependent on Him to accomplish His will, but the task requires us to work at it, like the birds in flight.

James 2:17-18 puts it well; “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Good works demonstrate that we are led by faith and are growing in the knowledge of God.

My wife and I went to the beach today to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I know that it doesn’t sound like a satisfactory romantic getaway for such an auspicious occasion. But, for us it was quite appropriate. We both have spent most of our lives in Southern California and love to be near the water. The sight of Lake Michigan immediately drew the tension out of us and replaced it with serenity.

The waves were small today, but they fascinated me. I was mesmerized. The waves came to shore, one by one and without fail. The lake is wide and deep, of course, so I could not see where the waves originated. Even though I am no longer on the beach, I know the waves are still coming to shore.

The Bible frequently describes God’s love as abundant, steadfast, and eternal. The waves reminded me of His love. Just as the waves kept coming, so does God’s love for me. Even though I can’t see His love at times, I know that it is always there and working on my behalf. His love is deeper and wider than I can fathom. Just as the waves give me peace, knowing that God loves me gives me a deeply satisfying peace. His love will never fail.

My wife and I recently bought a condominium. It is the first house we had in seven years, having rented an apartment during that time. As you know, there is quite a bit of back and forth during the process. First you bargain on the price. After that is agreed upon, you may negotiate on the closing date, repairs and other details. When all the parties fulfill their promises, closing day comes and you have redeemed your new home.

God’s redemption of His children is much more straight forward. Negotiations are not involved. We don’t wait for some future settlement date. Most importantly, we don’t pay any of the costs and cannot offer any additional value to the transaction. Jesus Christ paid the full price of our redemption on the cross. Titus 2:14 says, “God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Jesus offers redemption out of the pit of despair, destruction, and fear and onto the rock of His salvation, hope, and steadfast love. You can’t give Him anything to be redeemed. He already paid the full cost. All we can do is accept this wonderful gift of God’s grace.

Envy is a dangerous drug. It can never be satisfied. Once we get what we envy, we instantly want more. Like other sins, once we give ourselves to envy, we find ourselves in a downward spiral, never satisfied and always groaning for more. We want what others have and the lifestyle they exhibit.

Most of the time we don’t realize the difficulties that come with these possessions or lifestyles. It costs a lot of time, energy and money to maintain the things we desire. Trouble often follows the one who envies while trying to obtain what he thinks he wants. Many find it necessary to do evil and harm others in order to maintain their luxurious lifestyles.

Psalm 37:1-4 says, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Instead of envying what others have, trust God and He will give you what you really desire, that is peace, hope, and love.

I can be pretty sarcastic at times. It is often the way that I express humor. I am not proud of this weakness in my social skills. Sarcasm does not help me have a positive attitude and surely does not benefit others. Instead, sarcasm tends to bring both of us down.

Our words are pretty accurate barometers of our hearts. Jesus said that the words of our mouths come directly from the quality of our hearts. A bitter heart spews out complaints and grumbling. A hurt spirit brings forth angry speech. And a heart that feels unloved will speak hateful words.

So how do we turn this around, so that we have good attitudes and positive speech? If we simply try to be more positive, we will fall short. Our outward efforts alone will not change the source of our attitudes. Let’s admit that we need help to change our hearts so that our words and attitudes can change.

Psalm 33:20-22 says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” Let’s trust God’s holiness and steadfast love to change our hearts. He will make us glad because He is our help and shield.