Contributor:
Terry Whitson
My dad retired after working 34 years for Mason Dixon Truck Lines, logging several million miles on the road. After that, he and my mom moved to the mountains of North Carolina and where he farmed and they served Jesus together. There was no wondering what to do after retirement for them. They hit the ground running. They renovated the old farmhouse, got involved in a local church, began helping their neighbors in numerous ways, and were servants.
Secret to a Full Life—after retirement Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). For some, after retirement, their thoughts are all about themselves. They want to travel; they want to find the best vacation spots; they want to buy a summer home; and so on. Although there is nothing wrong with trips, vacations, and a summer home, none of these will bring “fulfillment.” Only in giving your life away can you find true fulfillment.
Jesus said, “I was hungry and you fed Me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was sick and visited Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” The righteous asked Him, “When did we do all these things?” He replied, “Inasmuch as you did it to one the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
The secret to a fulfilled life, whether you’re retired or not is to lay your life down and serve others. The way to a miserable life is to simply…please yourself. Pleasing yourself is how you lose your life!
Aspire to Good Works Roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 today, and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold everyday for the next 12 years according to Pew Research. Retirement for the believer should spell “Great Opportunity”— Great opportunity to serve the Master and His Kingdom with Good works!
No, you are not saved by good works, but because you are saved, you do good works! For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). You were created for good works just like Jesus, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil as recorded in Acts 10.
This is your calling—to do good works! Caring for the poor is a good work; providing for widows and orphans is a good work; and mowing the grass for a sick neighbor is a good work. We are to live and walk in good works.
I have a good friend who is a retired executive from Eastman Chemical Company. He goes to an elementary school and helps students in a reading program. I have another friend who is a retired doctor who ministers in a men’s mission. I have a 93 year-old uncle who is still driving and checks on shut-ins in his community. I have a number of retired friends and retired relatives who support my wife and I in ministry. These are just a few examples of good works. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Look for the opportunities. They are everywhere!!
The Living is in the Giving Unfortunately many have lived to retire, but haven’t found the joy of giving. Jesus said, More blessed is it to give than to receive. There is great joy and fulfillment in giving of your time, talents, wisdom, and your money. I watched across the years as my parents served others and gave of their love, time, talents, money, and knowledge. These were two lives that had purpose, joy, fulfillment, and longevity.
Today’s culture is focused on self-gratification and pleasure. 1 Timothy 5:6 (Amplified) speaks of women who live for pleasure, Whereas she who lives in pleasure and self-gratification [giving herself up to luxury and self-indulgence] is dead even while she [still] lives. This is not only true of women but also of men. Those who live for pleasure are dead (empty) while still alive. We as believers are to be “zealous for good deeds” and “careful to engage in good works” (Titus 2:14, 3:8).
I like to tell believers that living is in the giving. When we engage in good works we enter rich living, purposeful living, and divine living. Paul instructed his disciple Timothy, Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (I Tim.6:17-19)
Are you retired? Make eternal investments Lay hold on eternal life. Engage in good works. This is what you were created for. Store up for yourselves and invest in riches that endure forever. Give of your time; give away your wisdom; give away your knowledge; and give away your talents and money. Find a need and fill it, and you will be storing up treasures in heaven. After my dad’s retirement, he went on to live another 36 years, engaged in good works. His life was full, rich, and blessed!!
You must be logged in to post a comment.