Reluctant Retiree

We all have some things that we keep hidden away. It could be the ugly sweater that Aunt Mabel gave us one Christmas. Or perhaps it as an old torn t-shirt that we keep because it is so comfortable.

We also keep some of our behaviors under wraps because we don’t want others to know we do these things. Maybe we wait for moments alone to pick our noses or bite our fingernails. Those are minor offenses. Perhaps there are bigger things that we also hide. These offensive behaviors, like greed, anger, self-righteousness, lust, e,g., would embarrass us if they became known to others.

We all like to think that we walk in integrity. We say to ourselves, “I don’t cheat on my taxes or steal from others. So I am a good guy or gal.” All the while we hide these other behaviors.

Examples of integrity can be hard to find in our culture. A person may appear to be full of integrity, but then some scandal breaks, revealing their true nature. God, however, has a lot to say on the subject. He expects us to walk in integrity. He gives us promises of protection, success, and preservation if we walk uprightly. Psalm 25:21 says, “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” It is sometimes hard to walk in integrity, but God promises to help us, protect us and give us success if we do.

I learned a lesson about self confidence today. I overestimated my ability to pull my car into a parking place and wound up hitting a pole. A certain amount of confidence is needed, but we have to be careful not to let pride cloud our judgment. When pride takes over we can really make a mess of things, like I did with the car.

Another way too much self confidence can do harm is by convincing us that we can do something that we really can’t do by ourselves. Sometimes we need help.

In Luke chapter 5, Peter had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. Jesus told him to cast his nets once again. Peter said, “Master. We worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish. Many times the help that we need can only be provided by Jesus. We can work hard and still accomplish little, until we ask God for help.

This truth especially applies to interpersonal relationships, family care, service to others, character building, and spiritual fruit bearing. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Important work requires the power of the Almighty.

Our lives are very busy. So our minds have a million things to think about. We have agendas, schedules, plans to make, people to interact with, relationships to maintain and work to do. And all that is just our home life. Add to that our jobs and all we need to take care of there and our minds are really frantic.

When we can’t control all these things, we become frustrated, angry, depressed, worried, or despondent. Our minds descend into some dark places. This causes us to do things we normally wouldn’t.

We all need to take a step back and consider what is really important. We need to focus on what really matters. I Peter 1:13 tells us, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We can properly prepare our minds for all these activities by first setting our attention on the grace of Jesus. Then we will have the peace and proper attitude to address the many daily issues.

It seems that we spend our whole lives in training. We spend our early years in school learning a variety of subjects. For some, schooling extends into young adulthood as they pursue masters and doctorate degrees. Then we take a job and are in training for the specific job tasks. Since most of us don’t stay in the same job forever, we have to learn new job tasks. Even if we were to stay in the same job, new technologies require additional training.

It’s amazing that our brains can handle all that information over a life time. It’s also amazing that we receive so little training in some of the most important areas of our lives, like marriage and child rearing. We pick these things up by the examples we observe. Unfortunately, not all of these examples are good ones.

We also don’t receive character development training. We tend to pick up character traits as they are displayed by others. Again, some of these traits should not be duplicated, as they are not positive or redeeming traits. I Timothy 4:7-8 says, “On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” God calls us to godliness. He gives us a high standard and asks us to be disciplined in our lives to achieve this goal. But He also empowers us by His Spirit to develop godliness in our thoughts and habits.

This is the season of new things. Christmas brings us new toys, clothes, electronics, etc. A week later we make new year’s resolutions to become the new improved us. It is all fun and gives us great joy.

We all hope that 2021 will be much better than this year. We anticipate the end of the pandemic, a healthy economy, improved racial relations, and a positive outlook on life.

When we look to making personal changes, we can quickly become frustrated. We often don’t make the progress we had hope for. We tend to revert to old habits. How can we make sustained improvements in our character and habits. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; behold, the old things passed away; new things have come.” Jesus promises to renew us from the inside out. He changes our attitudes, beliefs, values and motives. As a result, our character and habits are changed. We are no longer enslaved to our old ways.

Think back over Christmases past. Did you receive anything you didn’t expect to receive? Many times those are the best presents. They reflect thought, care and love of the giver. Do you think it will happen again this year? Could you receive an unexpected gift that will knock your socks off? Perhaps you will be the giver of such a gift this year. I hope that you are both the giver and receiver of an great unexpected gift this year. Hold onto your socks!

The first Christmas was full of unexpected giving. The world was not expecting the arrival of a newborn king. The magi were not thinking they would find the king in a stable. You and I could not expect God to send us a Savior. And the shepherds did not forsee angels coming to them in the fields at night. Then an angel spoke to them and said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Unexpected news indeed! But news we all need to believe in order to receive the best unexpected gift of all time, salvation.

Doesn’t it seem like we need some grand mediator to bring some civility to our world? The constant bickering and accusations are obnoxious. A Hollywood star recently suggested that we need to agree on a set of values. Well, I don’t think that is going to happen soon.

Finding a mediator who could objectively look at both sides of an issue and choose the best of each side sounds like a good idea to me. The problem is that the opposing sides would ever be able to agree on selecting a mediator.

Ah, but there is a mediator who can understand both sides of every issue and come up with the best plan for resolution. He has demonstrated time and again His ability to solve the most complex issues. I Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” Not only is Jesus the only true mediator on all issues, He gave His life to bring us to God.

What motivates people to get up each day and to do the things that they do? For some it is the almighty dollar. For others it is to gain the approval of significant people in their lives. Some are motivated by academic or athletic achievement. But for some people it is simply to make it through the day and provide the necessities of life.

Of course, our motivations can change from day to day. One day we may be motivated by approval from others and another day by money or fame. However, we are each motivated by the same basic things over the course of time. These motivations define us.

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to his close associate in ministry, Timothy. In this letter, Paul defines the motivation for the work they are doing. I Timothy 1:5 says, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” A pure heart is free from selfish ambitions. A good conscience is free from evil desires. A sincere faith comes from unequivocal trust. These attributes can only be achieved through a right relationship with God.

Nature can inspire us to think of grandeur and beautiful things. Personally I draw inspiration from the seashore. The vastness of the ocean and the faithful rhythm of the waves led me to thoughts of the Creator. Perhaps dense forests and tall trees cause you to think about strength.

We can also draw inspiration from friends and family. Encouraging words can give us strength to press on or try something new. Perhaps you are inspired by the examples of great character in the lives of others. Heroic acts also inspire us. We’ve seen many heroic acts these days as we watch teachers, medical personnel and first responders work in extremely difficult situations.

We do have to be careful where we draw inspiration from, as we can be wrongly inspired. Bad characters can lead us into poor behavior. Inspiration derived from the rich or famous should be evaluated through a higher standard than outward appearances. We should have a standard by which we evaluate sources of inspiration. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you.” God’s word is the true standard for these evaluations and can, in fact, be the inspiration we need in any situation.

Each investment company and financial advisor has their own investment strategy. They all promise you financial security if you invest with them. There are certain fundamentals that they all adhere to, but they can’t quantify the risks. Those risks are beyond their control. Markets tumble and unforeseen disasters destroy the value of investments.

Jesus promised a great return on certain investments. In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for my sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” You will not be disappointed by the return you will get by giving your life to Jesus. Plus, in be end you receive eternal life.

Later, Jesus talked about another type of investment. He said, “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” So by serving others we can become great. Invest in others and receive!