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Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 5
It is also very important to realize that Solomon is speaking here of human knowledge and wisdom. So far, he has not mentioned God at all and he has excluded God for a reason. There are many people living today who do not believe in God. They give no acknowledgement of Him and if they do agree there is something beyond the grave, to them, it’s all ethereal and very impersonal. This alone is proof that human knowledge leading to any sort of wisdom can still fall woefully short of actual truth. There are brilliant scientists who achieved wonderful things, yet who also tell us that there is no God. Their knowledge and wisdom is severely limited. However, to them, they would say they see further than the average person. In certain things, yes. In spiritual areas, no. Theirs is secular knowledge leading to secular wisdom. In the end, this can really do nothing for us when compared with eternity. Secular knowledge and wisdom has no eternal value. Even though Solomon does not come out and say this, this is exactly what he is implying. We must read between the lines of his statements.
Continue Reading January 27, 2016 at 8:34 AM Leave a comment
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 4
Are you one of those people who is actually satisfied with life, with what God has given you, or do you constantly yearn for more? If you’re struggling financially, I can certainly understand why you would want a better job to provide for yourself or your family. Do you think God is aware of your need? I’m sure He is and maybe He’s waiting for you to simply accept what you have and let Him guide you to that next phase as He sees fit. Maybe there are things you can get rid of in your life now, which will free up some of your money so that things are not as tight.
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 3
Solomon almost seems desperate to make us aware of this fact. Again, he has set out to prove his thesis that all is vanity. He is, in these three verses, helping us understand that the basic needs do not change from one generation to another. While the way things are done might change, the fact that they continue to be done proves his statement that life is completely cyclical in nature. What should this tell us about life in general and the way people should react to it or enjoy it?
Continue Reading January 26, 2016 at 11:12 AM Leave a comment
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 2
It seems that people (represented by “the eye”) ignore this “monotony” by constantly striving for something more. Solomon is starting to point out how unsettled people are in general. He seems to think that we are unsettled because we are unable or unwilling to reconcile ourselves with the ebb and flow of life that God has given us. We are never happy with what God has given us to enjoy. That is seen with Adam and Eve who, though living in a perfect environment, still longed for the “grass” on the other side of the fence. Imagine if Adam and Eve had simply been content with their “lot in life.” Imagine how different things would be for us today, now.
Continue Reading January 26, 2016 at 8:26 AM Leave a comment
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 1
After his brief introduction with verse 1, Solomon gets right to the heart of the matter and does so with vehemence. He wants people (including you and me) to understand that his overarching view of life is that all is futile. While this might make people think that Solomon is completely depressed or at least bereft of any positive view of life, as we continue through the book we realize that this is only true in one sense. It seems clear that Solomon has chosen his open words very carefully. He seeks your attention and craves your indulgence. This is a man who is desperate to teach the truths he has learned. Are you willing to listen?
Tranformation of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15 tells us about a son who was so selfish that he came to a point of demanding his “inheritance” from his father so that he could deliberately live a life of sin apart from his father. Think about this for a moment or two. The young man had no right to make any demands of his father. Certainly, he had no right to claim any inheritance from his father while his father was still alive. Yet, this is what this young man did. We might say, “The nerve!” How could he disrespect his father in such a way? Before we even answer that question, let’s take a look at the son himself.
Continue Reading January 20, 2016 at 8:09 AM Leave a comment
Israelites Went In and Out of Fellowship Constantly
Much like the Prodigal Son who deliberately chose to leave his father’s presence to live a life of sin (Luke 15) and had to deal with the consequences of his actions, Christians today make decisions all the time that directly impact whether or not we are and/or remain in fellowship with God. Just as Achan chose to disobey God and take what God warned he should not have taken (to enrich himself), the consequences of his actions resulted in death for Achan, his family, and animals. I don’t take this to mean that Achan lost salvation (if he actually had it). But it is clear that God was much quicker to judge those who fell out of fellowship with Him during the Old Testament times than He does during these times.
Continue Reading January 16, 2016 at 8:35 AM Leave a comment
Knowing God in 1 John, Part 7
The Prodigal Son lived away from home for many days. He squandered his inheritance with wild living and wild so-called friends. He endeavored to enjoy sin and did not care how it reflected on him, his father, or his upbringing. He was totally interested in doing his own thing. As we know, he eventually came back to his father and his father was waiting for him with open arms. The father was so glad his wayward son had returned. The son had learned some very valuable lessons, chief of which is that his father had always loved him, was always ready to forgive, and always wanted to be in fellowship with his son.
Knowing God in 1 John, Part 6
John is specifically referring to our relationship or our fellowship with God in Christ in this verse. He is talking to people who have salvation and is explaining to them the extremely important principle of walking as Jesus walked. It is not enough to say you are a Christian. Having salvation is clearly very important and something God desires for each and every person (2 Peter 3:9). However, having salvation is really only our starting point. Much of the New Testament epistles are dedicated to encouraging believers to press on, to learn to walk as Jesus walked and to live a life that pleases God. In doing so, we will experience great fellowship with God and enjoy more of His Presence and power in and through our lives.
Continue Reading January 15, 2016 at 12:03 PM Leave a comment
What Does John Mean by Knowing God in 1 John, Part 5
Christians who live like the people who are lost in this dark world have no fellowship with God at all, though they have salvation (if they are true Christians). Let’s remember that John is writing to actual believers, true Christians. He is not questioning their salvation. He is providing them guidelines to understand how to enter into fellowship with God in Christ. The Christian whose life is virtually no different from those around him/her who are lost, might have salvation, but has no fellowship with God at all. John is very clear about this.
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