Reluctant Retiree

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!

What gifts are you expecting this Christmas? Are you expecting some glorious new tech item like a phone, tablet, or computer? Are your desires more basic like clothes or kitchen supplies? Perhaps you have even loftier dreams like a new car or diamonds.

If you receive these gifts, will they bring lasting satisfaction? Depending on your needs and the gifts durability, these gifts may satisfy for a significant period of time. However, no gift can satisfy forever.

That is because only heavenly gifts can satisfy our deepest needs and desires. We want more than outward satisfaction. We want our heartfelt needs met. God has already provided for those needs. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” If you have asked Jesus to be Lord of your life, God gives you every spiritual blessing.

I am certainly not a perfectionist. If you’ve read any of these blogs you already know that. Perfectionism is sometimes a good trait to have, and other times it is not. It is good to want to do your best work. Employers appreciate that. However, it is not good to demand other people be perfect. Nobody is perfect and expecting them to be perfect will soon cause the relationship to deteriorate.

The desire to become the best people we can be is admirable. We should all seek to improve ourselves. This ambition, however, can frustrate us when we don’t make the progress we desire. If we will let Him, God will take this project of self-improvement upon Himself. He is a much better contractor for this job than we can ever be. Philippians 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Give your self-improvement job to the Master Contractor, Jesus. He promises the best results.

The international distress signal is SOS. A cry for help is understood to mean that someone is in distress and we should find a way to help.

Our bodies often find a way of letting us know that we are in distress. These signals could be as simple as pain, irritability, nausea, or headaches. The signals may be more serious like depression, suicidal thoughts, or addiction. Whatever the signal, we need to take action to alleviate the distress.

Often we need help to relieve the distress. We can look for this relief in good or bad places. The bad places, like drugs or alcohol, don’t work and delay progress. The good place to look for help is God. He is available, reliable and able to provide help. Psalm 107:6 says, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.” Whatever our problems may be, God can and will help if we call Him.

I know that Thanksgiving Day is long gone and that we are all thinking about Christmas now. But this blog is not about the holiday, but rather it is about the act of giving thanks.

Our culture doesn’t think much about giving thanks. We are more into complaining. It is socially acceptable to complain about politicians, the government, our marriages, our relationships, the weather, store clerks, customer service and almost any other subject. There are even websites and apps that allow you to register any complaint. They proudly boast that they care about your complaints. Mind you, they do not do anything about your complaint. They just let you post it.

On the other hand, I have not heard of such a site that asks you to post thanksgiving. Why is that? Why are we so willing to post complaints and not thanksgiving. We surely have something to be thankful for. We overlook many of the things we can be thankful for like reasonable health, food to eat, sunshine, a friendly hello from someone, good customer service occasionally, shelter, a smile, friends and family. I understand that some people are dealing with bad circumstances and have fewer things to be grateful for, but we all have something we can give thanks for. Studies have shown that grateful people are happier, healthier and more successful. So it is worth trying to be grateful.

Of course, the Bible tells us many things we can be grateful for. Not the least of which is found in Psalm 107:1, which says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” God loves his people with a love that lasts for eternity and never changes. I think that I will thank him for that. How about you?

There are several commercial building projects going up around us. A Popeye’s Chicken is going up around the corner and a solar farm is under construction down the street. It is interesting to watch these projects progress. You notice that different people with different skills contribute their abilities and knowledge. The timing of each person’s contribution is critical. Coming too early or too late hampers progress.

God expects us to do good works. He gives us talents, abilities and wisdom to contribute to these good works. He gives us these gifts through His grace. Often we are contributing as a part of a group, but sometimes God calls us to do good things without others.

One of my favorite verses is II Corinthians 9:8, which says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” God promises to pour out his grace in abundance, so that we always have sufficient power to do these good works.

John Newton was engaged in slave trading while rebelling against the faith of his mother. By his own admission he was consumed with all forms of wickedness. Yet, God called to him in mercy and grace and Newton surrendered to God. Newton then wrote the iconic hymn, “Amazing Grace”. This song speaks of a wretched man saved by God’s grace and has been sung by church congregations and recorded by Christian and secular artists for decades.

Saul was a man driven by his religion. So much so that he pursued and arrested Christians. These Christians were then put to death for their faith. Then, on the road to Damascus, God stopped Saul in blinding light and spoke to Saul. God, in His grace, called Saul to be His voice and witness to the Gentiles. Now called Paul, because he had been transformed by God’s grace, he went on to write much of the New Testament and witness to most of the known world at the time.

I did not grow up in the church. My family did not speak of any God, lovingly or otherwise. During my first year of college I heard several fellow students talking about their relationship with Jesus. I had never heard of such a thing. Through a series of events and searchings, I came to know this personal and loving God. By His grace He called me into His family and offered me forgiveness of my sins. Since then He has used me to tell the story of what He has done for me in several countries and in books.

Like Newton and Paul, I don’t deserve the forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life I have been given by Jesus. It has all come through His grace and mercy. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The same grace is offered to you. What will you do with this gift?

During the pandemic we have changed our habits. Besides social distancing, wearing a mask and washing our hands, we’ve changed how often we go out and where we choose to go. We must really need to go any place we choose to enter. The benefits must outweigh the risks of entering their doors.

God gives us a special invitation to enter into His presence. Psalm 100:4-5 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” He offers us His goodness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness. But we must approach Him with thanksgiving and praise.

We’ve all heard the expressions “good things come in threes” or ” bad things come in threes”. I am not sure if these expressions are true but they are pretty much universally accepted. Whether it be deaths within a family or births, three of these events seem to happen within a short period of time. I don’t know if we are just sensitive to these occurrences or are actively looking for them.

The apostle Paul tells us about three gifts God gives us in Colossians 1:3-5. “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel.” Faith, hope and love are the greatest gifts you can receive this Christmas. They are also the greatest gifts that you can give. Ask God to give them to you so that you can pass them onto others.