Reluctant Retiree

Several years ago a friend and I traveled to a hill village in Nepal. To get to the village, we took a bus a couple hours up the hill until the road became unpassable for the bus. Then we got in the back of a construction truck along with 20 other people. We took the truck as far as it could go, then hiked for a couple hours. We were in the village a couple days helping some friends.

Then it began to rain and we decided we had to leave. So my friend and I began to walk down the hillside with several villagers. That’s when the rain became a downpour. It was coming down in sheets. Of course, that made it impossible for even the construction truck to travel on the muddy path. So we had to walk all the way down to where we caught the bus to go up the hill. It took us five to six hours.

The thick mud is what made it difficult. One time I jumped down a small ledge onto the road and sunk into the mud up to my knees. Another time I was walking on the road and suddenly slipped off the hillside. Fortunately, it was a hillside terraced for the growing of rice. I fell about six feet but landed on my feet. Eventually we made it down the hill and home.

I tell this story to say that I can relate to the psalmist who wrote Psalm 40:1-3. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. “

Sometimes we can get stuck in miry clay of emotions or wrong thinking. Stresses and pressures come and we can’t find our way out. At those times we need to call upon God. He alone can pull us out of these pits. Then He will place us firmly on the solid ground of His love and grace.

The television show, American Idol, sought to find and promote the next big musical star. A number of other shows attempt to do the same thing. Other reality shows seek the ultimate survivor, amazing racer, or ninja. If that’s not enough promotional hype, there are the reality shows covering the lives of famous or wannabe famous people. Beyond that, of course, is the shameless self promotional social media stars.

You would think that an advanced culture, like our own, would move past setting up idols for worship. Idol worship is the stuff of ancient cultures. Or is it? Not only are we a culture who worship and adore our celebrities, but we have other idols as well. Just look around and you find people with their heads bowed to their cellphone. How much time do we give to these devices and what sacrifices do we make for them? Just this morning, I was taking my morning walk around the neighborhood shopping center, when I stopped to consider our idol of materialism. Within hours hundreds, if not thousands, of people would enter this temple of materialism to sacrifice their money at the altar.

In Acts chapter 17, Paul is alone in the city of Athens. He takes a walk and notices a great number of idols. Verse 16 says, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Not only does idol worship disturb a first century apostle, it should disturb us. God hates idol worship because it causes us to go after evil, anything that doesn’t honor the true God. My heart is stirred when I see people succumb to evil. I don’t get mad at them. Instead I feel bad for them. God has such great things in store for them, if they will only turn to Him.

An old hydroelectric power station sits on the river near our apartment. It is small, but still working and producing power for the local market. A little further away is a brand new solar power farm. Thousands of solar panels have been installed on reclaimed farmland to provide far more power.

People are mobile power supplies. Depending on age and physique we can supply a certain amount of power for work or play. Based on education and heredity we also can supply brain power to projects and thoughts. Our individual makeup and experience contribute to emotional strength to endure hardships and enjoy relationships. Those are just a few of the power supplies we possess.

Do we also possess power in the spiritual realm? Some people claim that they possess psychic powers, although most of these claims have been proven false. Others claim that there is power in some incantations or religious actions. These generally lead people into delusions or cause great frustration.

The God of the Bible demonstrates power on a whole different level. He created the heavens and the earth. He parted the sea and delivered his people from slavery. He raised his own Son from the grave. He gives salvation, redemption, hope and new life to those who believe in Him.

This same power is available to us. Paul prayed for the Ephesians church that they would understand, “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” God’s power hasn’t dimished over the years. He is still the creating, delivering, new life giving, and resurrecting God. And for us who believe, that power is ours through the Holy Spirit.

Mercy is not a gift that is easily found these days. Rather than showing a little mercy, we all want our pound of flesh. We stand ready to judge others for differing opinions and the slightest mistake. Infractions are met with demands ranging from apologies to loss of a job or reparations. Politicians are quick to judge opponents and issue scathing attacks.

When we were kids, we were quick to announce the misdeeds of our siblings. Our parents may have done us a disservice by demanding that our offending sibling apologize, but not instructing us, victims, to show mercy.

God has much to offer us on the topic of mercy. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. In everything that God does, He is merciful. The verse just before the one above says, “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” Mercy and grace are an integral part of God’s character.

What does that mean for us? God is ready to grant mercy to His children, He does have a requirement for those who receive His mercy. Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ” God expects us to show mercy to those who may hurt us, because we have received bountiful mercy. If we can show this kind of mercy, the world will be changed.

Several years ago, when we lived in Albuquerque, a rich man hid a million dollars somewhere in New Mexico. I guess he published some clues. A large number of people went in search of the treasure. Some spent years trying to find it. If you know anything about New Mexico, you know that it covers a lot of barren land. It was a difficult task, but recently someone found the treasure. I hope he found it worth the effort.

Some people shop the same way. They comb the ads and search the malls for a treasure. They spend a lot of time, money and effort to find just the right thing.

I suppose there are circumstances that make each of these searches worthwhile. However, my guess is that both searches do not satisfy, at least for a long time. God says that there is a search that will satisfy our deepest desires and the satisfaction will last forever. Psalm 34:10 says, “The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. ” God promises to give us every good thing, if we will only seek Him. Psalm 23:1 confirms this promise when it says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” As our Good Shepherd, God takes care of His sheep by providing for every need.

A woman makes the mistake of walking down the toy aisle in the department store. Her three small children begin to ask for their favorite toys. The woman, in a hurry, politely tells the children that they can’t buy toys right now. But the children persist and begin to make a very public scene. The mother finally relents and buys the toys. The children are happy, but not for long. At the checkout register, they spot candy. The cycle begins again, with the children demanding, the mother denying their requests, the children persisting, and the mother finally relenting. What have the children learned? Is it right to give your children everything they want?

As we grow up, we grow out of this practice of demanding whatever we want. Or do we? What about the husband who demands that his wife give him everything he wants? When she won’t or can’t, he goes out to find someone who will. What about the ambitious employee who is not getting all he/she wants from an employer? He/she may change jobs frequently or start stealing from the employer.

But you say, “I am not like that! ” Maybe you or I don’t go to those extremes, but I think we show the same attitudes in smaller ways. Perhaps we simply give a cold shoulder to the one who denies us what we want. Maybe we react with anger like all the “Karens” outed on social media these days.

How do we react if God says no to our request? King David had this happen. David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet when David wanted to build a temple for God, God said no. God had blessed David mightily up to this point, making him king and giving him victory over his opponents. But God denied this request. Everything went downhill for David after that. David went back to war. He sinned with Bethsheba and killed her husband. Their child died. David’s son rebelled against his father.

How do we react when God says no? Do we accept the negative answer and move forward in the knowledge that God knows best? Or do we rebel and do what we want anyway. Rebellion has terrible consequences. God is good and is able to give the very best to us. We need to trust Him, even when He says no to our request.

Have you ever watched a relative’s or a friend’s life descend out of control? Maybe your own life has done that. They seem normal and reasonably happy, but then changes occur that cause you to worry about them. They begin to withdraw. When they do speak, their words are quite negative. They start to hangout with a different crowd, one that doesn’t bring many positive influences.

Alcohol and drug addictions can certainly be the causes of these types of behaviors. We should certainly be aware of these dangerous activities. But the Bible describes another type of behavioral descent. Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” Notice the downward progression. First, this person simply walks by where evil lurks and talks to him. But then, this person is found standing with sinners. Finally, he begins to take up residence in evil places, where sin dwells.

We can’t let evil put its hooks in us, like this passage describes. Even the smallest flirtation with sin can lead us into this descent. So what is the remedy? Verse 2 goes on to describe the blessed man; “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” So instead of walking, standing and sitting where sin dwells, we must stay where God’s Word directs us.

If we stay in God’s Word, verse 3 gives us a promise; “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” By staying in God’s Word we will bear fruit and prosper.

I hear that there is a big game coming up on Sunday. Two great teams with two great quarterbacks will determine the world champion. It will be a glorious event with several million, if not billions, of eyes focused on the game.

What could possibly top that? How about the battle at the end of time! The ruler of this world, Satan, will face off against Almighty God. Spoiler Alert! God wins and establishes His Kingdom on the New Earth, Heaven.

You will really want to be on the winning side of that ultimate battle. You can be, you know. All it takes is aligning yourself with Almighty God, by believing in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. After all God says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. God promises even more to His worshippers in Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” That is not just a promise for the end times, but also for every day.

Imagine a courtroom where you are the defendant. The state is the plaintiff accusing you, not of one crime , but many. Day after day the evidence of your crimes is presented. You begin to sweat because the evidence is compelling, and you know that you did indeed commit the crimes. Finally the evidentiary part of the trial is complete and the judge is ready to hand down the verdict and sentence, if you are found guilty. What would you be thinking and feeling at this time?

Thank God that I have never faced this situation personally. I have been a juror a couple times, but that is as close as I have been to this scenario. I pray that you and I will never have to face this kind of moment in our lives.

The Bible does tell us that we will face judgment at the end of time, however. We will appear before God and give an account for all we have done. God’s judgment is much more fearsome than the courtroom scene described above. If we have rejected the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins by dying on the cross, we will be sentenced to life apart from God, otherwise known as hell. For those of us who have accepted the free gift of salvation, we will spend eternity in the gracious loving presence of God. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ” In Jesus we are declared not guilty because He has removed our sins from us. Today, if you have heard His voice, do not harden your heart. Make the right choice and accept the free gift of salvation.

I love watching ventriloquists perform. They are so good that I am convinced that the puppet is actually speaking. It is amazing how the ventriloquist can change voices so quickly and give the puppet personality at the same time.

Perhaps I am enamored with these performances because I have such difficulty speaking to others. I don’t have a speech defect. It’s just that my brain seems to get locked up and I don’t know how to say what I want to say. I often wind up saying things more dramatically than I intend. It makes me not want to speak at all.

Does any of this ever happen to you? Fortunately it doesn’t happen to me when I am talking to God. Even though I am talking to Almighty God when I pray, the Bible says that I can come to Him with confidence through the shed blood of Jesus. Furthermore, I have the promise of Roman’s 8:26, which says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit knows my heart and can speak to the Father for me, no matter bow awkward my words seem to be.