Tags
faithfulness, God, priorities, religion, retirement, security
I was recently listening to a talk show on a local Christian radio station and the discussion was centering around the question of whether or not there is biblical justification for a Christian ever retiring. It is obvious, I hope, that retirement was not understood as simply stopping a certain type of work at a certain age. The concern had more to do with that after a lifetime of work the believer gets to a point where they now simply spend their resources (time, energy, money, gifts) playing–where life becomes a perpetual vacation, instead of taking all that God has so graciously given them and investing it in kingdom priorities.
That got me thinking about this idea of what I deserve. This is a term that has become very familiar in our time. We deserve a job, health care, nice cars, houses, clothes, vacations, peace and quiet, and whatever other things I can think of–and not only do I deserve it, but everyone else does too. And it probably goes without saying that after I have spent my life working hard and putting away money I deserve to relax and play and live the way I want to live, right? Here’s the question–Is that an American way of thinking or is that a biblical way of thinking?
Most students of the Scriptures would understand that the Christian life is built on the foundation of grace and that is its core. So if we realize the gospel is all about us about receiving what we do not deserve, how do we speak of “deserving” anything? May I suggest that when we are inundated with a message long enough (and our culture bombards us with this message) we will start to believe it. The gospel teaches us that since we are people that have so freely (and abundantly) received, we need to be people who freely give. Talk of what I “deserve” is absolutely foreign (or should be) in the vocabulary of those that have been “saved by grace.”
Pastor Jeff
If people truly understood what it is we do deserve, if it weren’t for God’s grace, I don’t think they would be as concerned about “getting what they deserve”. But you are right of course, when we hear it enough we start to believe it – explains one of the reasons it is so hard to make children (and some adults) understand the difference between their wants and their needs.
I’m pretty much a non-believer.
Most people living there,work as robots everyday for 12 h or so. Which gives them a short time for a decent private live.(as in getting more involved in childrens education. watching them daily as they grow.throwing ideas and so)
Of course this is something we all must do so we can have those cars,clothes,house etc
I think at least when we get a bit older we diserve free time to become more humans at least before we die.
We diserve to get to know our kids better for instance.
My opinion is that society tends to transform us into some robots who should work more then 12h a day.Don’t tell me that after 12h+ of work you can still go home and play with your kids and having good time,cus you are too tired for that.You’ll prolly eat and then crash in bed until the next day.(and you wonder why you pay a babysitter).
Everyone is capable of designing his own lifestyle.Don’t copy other lifestyle,create your own where you can work and live at the same time.
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