I Don't Know

"But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.  Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.  It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil...."  (Ecclesiastes 9:1, ESV)

I read this Book every quarter because it is a part of THE BOOK.

People struggle with The Book of Ecclesiastes.  It does not give the "spirituals" any satisfactory answers.  If we believe, however, that this Book is also a part of the, "God-Breathed," Words, then there is something in this Book which is designed to, "reprove, rebuke, exhort, comfort, strengthen," all Biblical concepts.

There is a "Word" here for all the religious attempts to make life one consistent, non variable, full of, "Everything's okay, saith the Lord," experience.  Too many evangelicals and charismatics are here.  They just cannot stand life's contradictions, the observance that life just doesn't seem fair.  They wrestle with life's unexplainables, and some sadly quit on our Lord Jesus because of the happenings in life, the same occurrences which, "the preacher," observed.  Regrettably, they come to the conclusion of life found in verse 3, "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all."

Verse 12 tells us, "For man does not know his time."  Verse 17 says, "The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools."  Okay, I don't claim today to have any more "insight" for you.  Perhaps a quiet, "Selah," is all.  What I do have and depend upon, cling to, trust in, and rely upon is that, "Jesus Christ is Lord", of the unexplainable, life's unanswerables, and that powerful Truth, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."  Here are some words of a song I found today:

       "Oh God of power, living Word

       The One who made the stars 

       Who with Your glory filled the earth

       From dust made beating hearts

       You loved us when we fell away

       Poured mercy on our souls

       And promised grace would come to save

       To loose death's iron hold

        

       "Oh God, Who surely guides our steps

       Through tempests and through trials

       Our Shepherd King, Your way is best

       Though tears now veil our eyes

       Your steadfast love, our perfect hope

       Our eyes are fixed on grace

       We have no doubt You'll lead us home

       To finally see Your Face."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I surrender anew to You today.  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

Jesus Is Saving You A "Room"

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."  (John 14:2)

Or, as the NIV says, "If it were not so, would I have told you...?"  Of course not.  Jesus is, "the Truth," and can only speak Truth. 

Jesus tells humanity, "If it were not so, I would have told you".  What Jesus is affirming is that He only speaks Truth, because He is Truth, and, "The Words I speak to you they are spirit and they are life."  The humanists say, "It is not so.  Besides, How do we really know these words are Jesus' Words?"  I ask them, How do you know the words of Plato, Aquinas, Thomas Jefferson, which you may read, are their words?  You are only reading words which someone has told you are their words.  The world lives "by faith" also.  It's just a perverted "faith." 

The life which I am now living, the life by which I pray to live in the rest of this sojourn is the life of which Paul speaks in Galatians 2:20 (Berean Literal Bible), "I live through faith from the Son of God...."  Why is our "faith" the, "faith from the Son of God?"  Faith "from" me and you would not be faith.  We have nothing upon which to base any faith other than the very, "God-Breathed," Words.  Faith is not a feeling.  Faith is not a mental conviction. 

The Bible tells us that faith is a, "gift," literally, "present," from the Living Triune God, "....and this not of yourselves."  I say with Paul, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable, unspeakable, gift too wonderful for words."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I so thank You for Your gift of, "faith from the Son of God."  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