"....Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart....It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools....The end of a matter is better than its beginning....I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness....Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city....So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly....All this I tested by wisdom and I said, 'I am determined to be wise'-- but this was beyond me." (Ecclesiastes 7)
"....Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart." Rational people, of course, will agree with this. What most "rationals" do, however, is live life as though there were "no tomorrow."
I have been encouraging people for nearly 47 years to read through the Bible regularly. When one does, life does not catch them so much "by surprise." There will be "set backs" and questions for which we have no answers, answers, that is, which satisfy fleshly minds. I am watching Sarah's Mom slowly pass from this life. It is sad to watch, not only her passing, but the strain it puts on Sarah. Knowing Jesus, staying full of His Words, however, keeps all of this in a sobering perspective. In many ways, this does not make some of this "easier," but we, as the Amplified Bible says, "adhere to, trust in and rely on," Jesus, "the Lord [Who] is the strength of my life."
Solomon had come to a place in his life where he realized that he had fewer answers than he once thought, "So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom...." Apparently from this, we see that the "wisdom" which he and many throughout history thought was his, was not, at least in the sense that there was just so much more to life than even he realized. This is a start to humility.
A Senior Staff Psychiatrist at Harvard University many years ago said that the top two questions people come to him about is, "How do I find direction and purpose in life," and, "How do I face the reality of my own death?" He then stated that "Psychiatry is not...primarily concerned with purpose and destiny. It is here that the Christian Gospel becomes intensely relevant. Christ's death and resurrection become profoundly meaningful. He replaces fear, bitterness, and despair with hope, with faith and unspeakable comfort." People who ignore Jesus pay billions to psychiatrists attempting to face the most frightening issues of life.
The most confident thing I do in life is to read, "the Words of God," for myself and with/to others. The most anointed I "feel" when preaching is when I am reading the very, "Words of God." I affirm in me the last words of our text: "All this I tested by wisdom and I said, 'I am determined to be wise' (or whatever I determine)-- but this was beyond me."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that my mind will always be "turned" to You. Amen.
"....Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart." Rational people, of course, will agree with this. What most "rationals" do, however, is live life as though there were "no tomorrow."
I have been encouraging people for nearly 47 years to read through the Bible regularly. When one does, life does not catch them so much "by surprise." There will be "set backs" and questions for which we have no answers, answers, that is, which satisfy fleshly minds. I am watching Sarah's Mom slowly pass from this life. It is sad to watch, not only her passing, but the strain it puts on Sarah. Knowing Jesus, staying full of His Words, however, keeps all of this in a sobering perspective. In many ways, this does not make some of this "easier," but we, as the Amplified Bible says, "adhere to, trust in and rely on," Jesus, "the Lord [Who] is the strength of my life."
Solomon had come to a place in his life where he realized that he had fewer answers than he once thought, "So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom...." Apparently from this, we see that the "wisdom" which he and many throughout history thought was his, was not, at least in the sense that there was just so much more to life than even he realized. This is a start to humility.
A Senior Staff Psychiatrist at Harvard University many years ago said that the top two questions people come to him about is, "How do I find direction and purpose in life," and, "How do I face the reality of my own death?" He then stated that "Psychiatry is not...primarily concerned with purpose and destiny. It is here that the Christian Gospel becomes intensely relevant. Christ's death and resurrection become profoundly meaningful. He replaces fear, bitterness, and despair with hope, with faith and unspeakable comfort." People who ignore Jesus pay billions to psychiatrists attempting to face the most frightening issues of life.
The most confident thing I do in life is to read, "the Words of God," for myself and with/to others. The most anointed I "feel" when preaching is when I am reading the very, "Words of God." I affirm in me the last words of our text: "All this I tested by wisdom and I said, 'I am determined to be wise' (or whatever I determine)-- but this was beyond me."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that my mind will always be "turned" to You. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
