PREVENT A WASTED LIFE

Last week in this space I wrote that I am appalled by “the amount of money spent in America to persuade people my age to start wasting the rest of their lives.” My premise was that retirement was never meant by God to be the dissipation of the last couple of decades of our lives focused chiefly on the pursuit of our own pleasures.

As the retirement gurus tell you, how well you retire is generally determined by how well you prepare for retirement. Of course, what most of them mean by that expression is that the amount of money you have to spend in your post-working years is based on how wisely you earn and invest money during your working career. The assumption behind this is that how well you live depends on how much you have.

Jesus looked at life rather differently. He said, “Be alert and watch out for greed. Life does not consist of what you possess, even if you have an abundance” (Luke 12:15). Jesus then told a parable about a rich man, who foolishly supposed that his worldly wealth would guarantee a happy retirement, only to discover that God was bringing him up for judgment on the basis of whether he used his riches for himself or for the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:16 - 20).

Jesus clearly wants us to focus on the “why” of life, rather than the “how much:” for what purpose are we alive? If we are living for ourselves, then we will think of retirement just like we think of the rest of life: a time to maximize our resources for the service of our own wants and the fulfillment of our own desires.

Holy Scripture presents a radical and eternal alternative to such self-absorbed existence. One verse sums it up: “Let the thief engage in thievery no more. Instead, let him labor earnestly, doing something good with his hands, so that he may have something to give away to those in need” (Ephesians 4:27).

Did you notice the point? God’s Word tells His people not only to work hard instead of stealing, but tells us also why we ought to work hard: so that we may have plenty to give away. In other words, don’t steal to get, and don’t work to get. Work to give.

With this more biblical understanding of life, let’s take a tip from the retirement gurus. However, let’s apply it to the fact that we were, each of us, created to display the glory of God. The conclusion is this: how well we display the glory of God in our retirement days depends on how well we prepare to display His glory every day.

Are you preparing to display the glory of God by the way you live? Any other purpose for living leads only to a wasted life. By all means, let us work to prevent such a waste.

Living For His Glory Until the End

As a pastor, I occasionally get to talk with people who are nearing the end of their lives. These folks need to discuss certain things, to review the truth of the gospel, and remember that though God is holy and they are sinful, Jesus’ perfect life and death are sufficient to save all who trust in Him. They also need to take stock of their lives and have someone with whom to process their joys and regrets.

In all my discussions with folks as they approach the end of their lives, I’ve never heard anyone say, “I wish I had spent less time with my family and more time at work.” Never. Not once. Not anybody. Indeed, most people – men especially – generally wish they had spent less time at work and more time with their families; less time pursuing their personal hobbies and more time pursuing a deeper relationship with their kids; more time in worship and prayer, and less time in front of the TV; less time doing nothing at all and more time doing something for God.

We who are not yet nearing the end of our lives would do well to learn from the regrets of those who are, so that we don’t suffer the same pangs during our last days. God’s Word records one of the prayers of Moses, who asked God, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). In other words, “Lord, remind us of our impending mortality, so that we may adjust our daily lives accordingly. Teach us to live with the end of our lives in view.”

I am currently in my mid-fifties. Something that appalls me is the amount of money spent in America to persuade people my age to start wasting the rest of their lives. They call it “retirement,” and the mantra of the retirement gurus is this: “You’ve earned it, so now enjoy it. Consume ten, fifteen, twenty years in play, lying around doing pretty much nothing. Never mind that the world around you is going to hell. Forget the fact that these days you so avidly devote to leisure are a time of your life God calls you to redeem in the service of the gospel. Go ahead: fish, putter, play bridge, and collect sea shells.”

How sad to think of such self-absorbed recreation as the final chapter in a life that shall soon end with you standing before Jesus, as He holds out His nail-scarred hand and asks, “How did all that pointless self-indulgence put My glory on display?”

In an effort to live contrary to the culture, I have begun to plan a retirement aimed at diminishing the regret I might otherwise experience at the close of my days. I do not want to shuffle off this globe wistfully wishing I had done things differently!

I believe that, deep in your heart, you want to use your life well! Spend it, then, until the end, upon what eternally matters, for the glory of God!

Because Kids Matter to Jesus

Last Sunday morning at the church I am blessed to pastor, our Children’s Minister Mona Bowey presented to the congregation some fascinating statistics about children and young people in the United States. She had gleaned most of this information from a book by George Barna called, “Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions.” Let me share with you a little of what Mona shared with us.

Only about one in three adolescents believe that the Holy Bible is accurate in all that it teaches. By contrast, about seven out of ten pre-teens think that Satan is not real, but merely symbolic.

Among children age 8 to 12, 80% think the way to get to heaven is by being good enough. Seven out of ten in this age group believe that the same thing happens to all people when they die, no matter what they believe.

Most preteens say that they would like to have an adult role model, but only 44% of them say they have one.

Children ages 8 to 13 average 48 hours per week of “mass media intake,” which means watching TV, listening to music, watching movies or engaging in on-line entertainment. Yes, that’s right: 48 hours per week!

Only one out of ten Christian families with children ever spend time praying or reading the Bible together outside of Sunday worship.

One additional bit of information from the book may explain some of the above statistics. According to Barna, “Only three out of ten born again parents included the salvation of their child(ren) in the list of critical parental emphases.” Translation: most parents who claim to be born again don’t believe it is their responsibility to lead their children to Jesus. Astonishing!

So let me get personal and ask you parents and grandparents a couple of questions. First, do you trust Christ exclusively for your salvation and seek to follow Him in your daily life? Second, if you answered yes to the first question, are you striving to lead your children or grandchildren to trust Christ exclusively for their salvation and seek to follow Him in their daily lives?

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, just over one in four residents in the Sterling community (where I am a pastor) is age 18 or under. That’s about twice the number of area residents age 65 and over. Do the ministries and budgets of the churches in our community reflect this reality? If not, why not?

Jesus wanted the children to come to Him. He knew the facts that statistics bear out today: the older people get, the less likely they are to turn their lives over to Him and submit to His Lordship. Therefore, kids matter to Jesus; and because kids matter to Jesus, they must matter to us.

But that can’t just be a slogan, a catch-phrase. The Lord is looking for application and action, not just words and rhetoric. The truth is that if kids really matter to us, we’ll do everything we can to lead them to Jesus.