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Ecclesiastes 7

16 Oct


7 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
    And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
    After all, everyone dies—
    so the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for sadness has a refining influence on us.
4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
    while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
    than to be praised by a fool.
6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
    like thorns crackling in a fire.
    This also is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
    and bribes corrupt the heart.

8 Finishing is better than starting.
    Patience is better than pride.

9 Control your temper,
    for anger labels you a fool.

10 Don’t long for “the good old days.”
    This is not wise.

11 Wisdom is even better when you have money.
    Both are a benefit as you go through life.
12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
    but only wisdom can save your life.

13 Accept the way God does things,
    for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
    but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
    Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

15 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. 16 So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? 17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? 18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.

19 One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

21 Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. 22 For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

23 I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. 24 Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. 25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

26 I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

27 “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. 28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! 29 But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

Ecclesiastes 7

Dear God, this was a tough read this morning. A couple of things were really good, but some of it I receive with skepticism.

Here’s what I liked. Verse 13:

13 Accept the way God does things,
    for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

This has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I have had times in my life when I was really disappointed in you. I thought I had done my part, but you didn’t do yours. But then I got to a point where I just submitted to a life that isn’t mine anyway. I do my best in each moment. And sometimes I fail. Sometimes I make mistakes. Sometimes I am sinful. But you know my heart. You know my efforts and my intentions. So why is the path so crooked. Well, the truth is that crooked paths strengthen me. They strengthen us all. They also can force us in a direction we didn’t think we wanted to go. We wanted to go straight ahead and keep pressing on, but perhaps you have something for us to accomplish by turning right and then left. Perhaps even backtracking a little. Instead of trying to straighten the path, it is best to just worshipfully walk it in faith.

The first half of verse 28 reminds me of the U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” 28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Frankly, I always struggled even with the U2 song. I think perhaps the song makes the same mistake Solomon makes here. He is looking for this peace that comes from feeling significant. He is making his own life and what he does with it an idol.

Father, idols are not worthy of our worship. Not even the idol of my own life. And I really believe it–that my life can be an idol to myself. I watched a video at Rotary on Monday of a woman in our club who went to visit a place in Tanzania where our club has been part of putting water catchment systems and bathrooms in schools. The children in the video were absolutely precious. They had so little. But as I looked at them and wanted to pity them I couldn’t help but think about our children here and the rampant anxiety and mental health issues they are currently facing. Who’s to say that those children in Tanzania are worse off than our children in the grand scheme of things? When you look at them, are they really less fortunate, or are they, perhaps, more fortunate? I don’t know. But I know that I want to worship you today. I want to consider my life worth nothing to me. I want to be part of your plan to bring your kingdom and your will into this current earth. Show me how to do that.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 16, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 6

15 Oct

6 There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. 2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.

3 A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. 4 His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, 5 and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 6 He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?

7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. 8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?

Ecclesiastes 6

Dear God, “one thing [he] lacks.” That’s what came to mind when I started to pray about this passage. Solomon (or the person writing in his voice) is missing something so key. He’s missing the part about loving others and following you. It reminded me of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

This guy was trying so hard without giving all of himself. I think the same can be said of Solomon. He wanted so badly to have everything. He didn’t want to sacrifice anything for the good of someone else. Even the idea that he would work to accumulate things and then someone else could inherit and enjoy them appalled him. It’s a very self-centered view of the world. If Solomon had come to Jesus like this young ruler did and asked, “What must I do to be happy?” I think Jesus would have had a similar answer for him. Solomon pursued money, possessions, women, and land. He was a harsh king. His son was even more harsh than he was (1 Kings 12:1-15). Solomon lost his love for you and for others through his pursuit of self.

Of course, now it’s time to turn the lens and focus it on myself. Am I pursuing myself? In the things at work that are causing me stress, am I stressed because I am not sure how to accomplish the things you want me to accomplish, or am I stressed because the things that are a struggle might reflect poorly on me? Am I there for others and do I want things to be good for others, or do I want them to be good so I can have a good, easy time? Of course, there is some of both, but I confess to you right now that a good bit of my ego is in there too.

Father, as things come up today, make my focus all about worshiping you and loving others. When I problem comes up, help me to put you first and foremost. Help me to put your will for others first and foremost. Help me to love as you love. Help me to pray, serve, persuade, and suffer for others. It’s all about you. It’s all about how you will use me to love others. My joy will come through those two things.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 15, 2024 in Ecclesiastes, Mark

 

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Ecclesiastes 5

14 Oct

5 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.

8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Ecclesiastes 5

Dear God, before I get into all of the money stuff from this passage, I want to go back to verse 7: 7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. There have certainly been times when I’ve been guilty of all talk and no action. And there have been other times when I’ve been all action and no prayer. In fact, the latter is probably my bigger sin. I do a lot of things through what I think is my own wisdom and strength. And sometimes you bless it and my ego thinks I did it and not you. But in these moments I’m reminded of who it really is doing it, and I am humbled and repentant. I am sorry. As I return to work today after a vacation, help me to be the man you need me to be today for my coworkers, for our constituents, and for our community. Give me wisdom. And with my new Parents of the Bible project, please guide me into something that will bring you glory and bless your Kingdom coming to earth and your will being done here and now.

Now, as for the accumulation of wealth and the perils therein, I will say that, as a fundraiser, I am grateful for those who have accumulated enough wealth to share with others. And there are some who have accumulated a lot and are willing to share it at a level that really funds most of our work. It’s the 80/20 rule where 80% of our money comes from 20% of the people, although ours is probably more like 80/10. And I am grateful for the wealth those people accumulated and not only for their willingness to share it with our work as we help people, but I know nearly all of them share generously with other causes as well.

But I should look at myself here as well. What are my motivations behind my savings? As we’ve spent money on redecorating our house lately, I confess that the giving that we have done has hurt a little more. I’ve stopped to wonder if I have enough to give, and that hasn’t happened in a long time. I’ve felt hesitation where I didn’t used to feel hesitation. But I also want to follow your Holy Spirit in any given moment. I want to share with others. I want to help.

Father, first, thank you. There is so, so much to thank you for. When my wife and I prayed together this morning, the first thing I found myself doing was thanking you. And I do. I acknowledge your goodness. I acknowledge your faithfulness. I am sorry I don’t always live up to deserving you, but you choose to love me anyway. Thank you. Second, help me to do what you are calling me to do today. Make me a person of action that first submits to you and your authority, and then looks to you to guide me. Love others through me. Love those I don’t even like through me. And guide me, please. Third, help me to spend and share my money wisely. Guide me in what I should and should not do. I submit everything to you, my Lord and my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 14, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 4

13 Oct

4 Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.

4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
    leading them to ruin.”

6 And yet,

“Better to have one handful with quietness
    than two handfuls with hard work
    and chasing the wind.”

7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4

Dear God, there are three main topics in this chapter.

Human suffering: This is the one that is hard for so many of us. “How can a loving God allow such things to happen?” That’s the question a lot of unbelievers (and believers) ask. I think about the women who are trapped in sex trafficking, or any human trafficking. I think of children in abusive situations. Or the women. I think of the people who are sick with diseases that painful such as ALS. Horrible. What about those who are in war zones? Those who are born and live in dangerous neighborhoods? Now, there is some of this that is our responsibility to remedy. It’s my responsibility. The trick is, how? What can I do? If I gave $10,000 to a charity that works in this area, would it free one person from slavery? We give money to a local domestic violence shelter. To a food pantry. To all kinds of nonprofits. But the suffering is still out there. I don’t have any great answers for this except to say that sin is in the world and we, your creations, are capable of terrible atrocities against each other. I’m sorry for any role I have played or inadvertently continue to play in human trafficking. For example, I have heard that a lot of chocolate comes from cocoa beans harvested in Africa with slave labor. When I buy my favorite candy bar, am I contributing to their victimhood? Some buy drugs that fuel drug cartels. Some watch porn that is filmed with trafficking victims. There are all kinds of ways in which we can be complicit and even encouraging of these great sins.

Alone: There’s a line from Ted Lasso (spoiler alert) in which he says there is something worse that being sad. There is being alone and being sad. I am fortunate that I am not alone. You have given me a wife who I truly enjoy and love. You have given me a few close male friends. And you have given me good coworkers. I am the opposite of alone. But some are not. Help me to be sensitive to those who are alone, and show me how to minister to them.

Wise vs. Foolish: When I think about decision making and the best ways to do it, I think of two things. First, is the friend who tried hiking the Appalachian Trail alone. He injured himself three days in, but he told me later that after two days he found his decision making was compromised because he didn’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. The other is an exercise we did in a team building day at work when the leader gave us a problem to solve individually. Then he put us in small groups to solve the problem. Then he brought the whole group together to solve the problem. The small group and then the whole group came up with answers that were better than the individual. In this way, this is a continuation of the concept of alone. And some people can be surrounded by people and still be alone. Insecurity can drive it. Arrogance. Hubris. And maybe the insecurity drives the arrogance and hubris. Either way, I am always better when I take input from others.

Father, remind me to be willing to let go of the foolish. Help me to embrace the people you have put around me. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. And show me how to 1.) alleviate the suffering around me and 2.) not contribute to any suffering.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 13, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 3

12 Oct

3 For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. 15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

16 I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! 17 I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”

18 I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. 19 For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! 20 Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. 21 For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.

Ecclesiastes 3

Dear God, let’s face it, most everyone over 40 knows the beginning of this song from The Byrds classic, “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

I could spend a lot of time talking about the different seasons in life, but I am actually drawn to two other parts of this chapter. First, verse 11: 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. I think my Mothers of the Bible and Fathers of the Bible series taught me that I will never be able to see what you are doing in the grand scope of things. My life is too short and my mind is too small. Naomi could never have seen that her path in life would lead to the lineage of Jesus (through Ruth and Boaz, to Obed, to Jesse, to David, to, ultimately, Jesus.) Hagar couldn’t have seen her suffering would lead to her freedom from slavery until much later in life. I can’t even figure out how taking a trip this week impacts the rest of my life. Almost nothing is known to me. And that’s okay. It’s just hard to learn to accept.

Then there is the part in verses 18-20: 18 I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. 19 For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! 20 Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. I mentioned this the other day after I read the whole book at once and then prayed about my takeaways. Solomon (or the person writing from his perspective) has such a Solomon-centric, humancentric view of the world at this point, that he sees the only path as being self indulgence. Verses 12 and 13: 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. Verse 22a: 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life.

Whenever I think of the quiet sufferer who didn’t “live their best life now” (see Joel Osteen’s heresy) I think of the poor widow who put a couple of coins into the offering at the Temple. Jesus saw it and gathered his disciples around him to point it out and use it as a teachable moment. But there is no evidence that she ever knew he saw her. There is no evidence she ever had any more money when she died than she did that day. And there is no evidence that she ever knew that her act of worship and duty to you would be preserved as an example to billions of people over the millennia. So Solomon, I know you didn’t have her as an example yet when you wrote this, but she is my example. My life is not about me.

Father, we are on an interesting journey through Ecclesiastes. It’s a little like Job where you have a lot of people talking and saying the wrong things, including Job. Taken out of context, this could be a dangerous book. But for me the message of peace is found in 3:11: 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I trust you with eternity. I trust you with my life. I trust you with my wife’s and children’s lives. My wife and I prayed for a cousin who is getting married today. I trust you with their lives as well. Be God. Don’t let one thing slip from your notice. And use every struggle to refine all of us into your children.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 12, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 2

11 Oct

2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2

Dear God, as I read this chapter this morning I thought of a friend of my dad’s. I might have his philosophy incorrect, so I don’t want to use his name. Or my dad might have misinterpreted his philosophy to me. Either way, when I read this this morning, I thought of my perception of his philosophy which is, “Make your money and accumulate your wealth in the first half of your life and then use the second half of your life doing something or multiple things that are significant for God.” He even wrote a best selling book that showed people how to use the second half of their lives effectively. I think it was mainly designed for men and women who already found themselves in a midlife crisis, and it wasn’t written for the 20-year-old who was setting out on their career.

My dad and I were talking about this book recently, and he recounted this philosophy to me again. I told him that I disagreed with it. And now, reading this passage in Ecclesiastes, I kind of know why. Even this search for significance in the second half of life is chasing the wind. It is grasping for the things Solomon is grasping for in this passage. The money and wealth sought in the first half of life are just replaced with significance and joy.

There are two great commands Jesus gave us: love you and love others. Then he gave us this amazing sermon in Matthew 5-7 that basically outlines the standard we should strive for as we live out our salvation. Part of that living out of our salvation is to reframe my life. My life is not about my significance! The sooner I come to peace with that and accept it, ironically, the happier I will be.

My wife and I were talking yesterday about how, other than the constant sorrow that is in our lives through broken relationships, we are in a very good place. We have no complaints. Basically, life is good right now. Even as she was saying the words, I wanted to look over my shoulder for another shoe that could drop. Maybe one of us will have a health issue. Maybe I’ll have an unforeseen problem at work. We could have a health issue with another family member. Really, the possibilities are endless. And I don’t want those things. I like it easy. But I hope that should calamity or headwinds come, I won’t complain to you.

Father, I’ve been disappointed with you before. But you used that disappointment to teach me these lessons. And I know I still have more to learn, and sometimes the only way I can learn them is through struggling. So I am absolutely not inviting those struggles, but I pray that when you have something for me to learn, you will give me a teachable heart that will take the lesson and worship you for the rest of my days.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:18, 8:15, 9:7

10 Oct


And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:13


Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

Ecclesiastes 5:18


So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15


So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!

Ecclesiastes 9:7

Dear God, I read Ecclesiastes in one sitting yesterday, and this phrase kept popping up. As Solomon (again, I’m going to just assume Solomon although it could be someone speaking with his voice) considered life and its meaning, it seemed that he couldn’t get away from the idea of just finding happiness in indulgence because our lives are so small you might as well have some fun while you’re here.

There is something to be said for taking time for a little enjoyment. As I type these words, I am on the balcony of a rented condominium overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The ocean is roaring in my ears as the beginning of the sunrise are starting to show over the tankers anchored on the horizon. My wife and I went out and had a great dinner last night. We have indulged this week, and the time to relax has been good. It’s been a luxury. I’ve needed it. She’s needed it too. So yes, I do believe there is a place for this.

I think the important thing to remember is that the work “under the sun” is not a burden. It’s a “get to” and not a “have to.” Now there is some work that is just flat out hard. Harvesting crops. Roofing houses. But even this work can be mixed with worshipping you and submitted to you as our lives are submitted to you. Otherwise, if we carry this vision through life (the short lives we live) that our work is a burden then we will have spend so much of our lives thinking we deserve better. And no matter how much “better” we end up achieving, there will always be a happiness we never achieve.

Father, it reminds me of a VeggieTales my wife and I still joke about called Madame Blueberry. In it, our main character is in search of a happy heart. It feels like that is what Solomon is in search of in Ecclesiastes. He is trying to unwrap the mystery of the happy heart. For Junior Asparagus in Madame Blueberry, happy hearts are found in gratitude. And I think that can be true. But I think it starts even a step back from that and getting over my rights to the life, relationships, and situations I think I am entitled to. To quote Paul once again from Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me. If only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus have given to me. The task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” If I can truly get to that level and then do what Paul and James tell me to do in giving thanks in all things then I will find a heart that exudes love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Help me to get there.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 10, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 1

09 Oct

1 These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

15 What is wrong cannot be made right.
    What is missing cannot be recovered.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.

18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.
    To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 1

Dear God, I’m actually going to sit down and read all of Ecclesiates (it’s been a while and I don’t remember that much about the arc of the book) before I just drop into studying it because I think I need the context of chapters 2-12 before I can get a feel for where Solomon (I’m just going to assume this is Solomon and not someone writing in his voice) is coming from in chapter 1. I say this because, for a wise person, he seems awfully naive in this chapter. He comes across as too immature. There must be more to the message he has for us than, “I’ve seen the future and all I can say is, ‘Turn back.'”

When I started reading this passage this morning, my first thought was to think he has it all wrong. He starts with a basis for his argument that is faulty. The basis is that life is about us. Our lives our about us. My life is about me. He is right that the world is just on a cycle and it keeps repeating itself with our lives just being an infinitely small part of that cycle. I can see it in the lives of the dogs I’ve owned in my life. I don’t think I can name every dog our family owned as a child, but I can break down the 54 years I’ve been on earth into eras of my pets. My childhood until 18 is one era with many dogs coming and going, but I’ll call this the “Weezer” era because there was one dog we had from the time I was five until after I left for college. Then, seven years later, my wife and I got our first dog, Darlin’. That era lasted 14 years until she aged out and towards the end of her life we got sisters from the pound, Polo and Clover. That era lasted 15 years, and now we are in the era of Evvie. Our hope is that this era will last us into our late 60s.

These dogs had meaningful roles to play in our lives. They loved us, and they gave us something to love. They didn’t really do much around the house. They didn’t earn their keep. We didn’t make any money off of them. In fact, they have all been a resource drain. They have taken time, money, and even some heartache. They angered us when they destroyed something or peed in the house. They delighted us when they played or cuddled up next to us. The sisters, Polo and Clover, fought with each other, and all of them tried to figure out how to get along with other dogs we encountered, and sometimes they failed at that too. But because a dog’s lifespan is much shorter than mine, I can see the fleetingness of life in them. I see the energy of a puppy, the learning and hunger for knowledge of an adolescent, and ultimately the fatigue of the elderly. Their memory’s live in my heart, but even those memories will die with me one day.

Is my life much different? Does it matter to me if it isn’t? I have a feeling that is the question Solomon is going to wrestle with here, and I’m here for it. If it’s not something along these lines, and the whole book is just moaning that he is not more important then I will be really disappointed.

Father, I know you have things to teach me. I know you’ve only given me one short life to live here on this earth. Help me to use it well. Help me to glorify you in all that I do. Help me to die to myself willingly, pick up my cross and follow you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 9, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Galatians 1:13-24

08 Oct

13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

Galatians 1:13-24

Dear God, what strikes me about this passage this morning is the end in verses 23 and 24. It intimates the struggle of Christians in Syria and Cilicia of the time. They were being persecuted for their beliefs. They knew there were people they shouldn’t trust. They were pressed but not crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8). They were worshiping you. They were figuring out their faith. And then they heard about this miracle. One of the people they would have been told to fear in the past was now not only safe to be around, but was also being persecuted himself.

I think this gave these people two things. First, it showed them how powerful you are. They God they were worshiping was amazing. Second, it taught them that if someone who had worked so hard to destroy belief in Jesus had so thoroughly had his mind changed, then it must be real. Paul had an incredible testimony to share.

Frankly, everything you do really is amazing. I finally finished the A.J. Jacobs’s book, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. It took me a while, but I really feel like I savored it. It was interesting to see where he came to at the end of it. I look forward to listening to some of his talks about the book on YouTube now that I’ve finished it. By the end, a Jewish man who considered himself agnostic before the project ended the project still agnostic, but maybe a little less so. Here’s what he said about his belief in you at the end of his year:

“Do I believe in a traditional biblical God? Well, not in the sense that the ancient Israelites believed in Him. I could never make the full leap to accepting a God who rolls up His sleeves and fiddles with our lives like a novelist does his characters. I’m still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I’m not a reverent agnostic. Which isn’t an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there’s a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. it’s possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn’t take away from its power or importance.”

Father, I don’t know where I’m really going with this prayer this morning except to say that I really appreciate the journey you have us all on. I can appreciate my own journey. It is a mixture of success and sorrow. I do know that the closer I get to you the more I have love in my heart for others and the less I judge. I also realize there is less and less I feel like I know for sure. You are so much bigger than me. Life is so much bigger than me. My job today is to simply love you and then love others. You’ll figure out the rest.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2024 in Galatians

 

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“The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed

07 Oct

“The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
Then the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
In tenement halls”
And whispered in the sound of silence

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Paul Simon

Dear God, this is a song my family had on an 8-track tape when I was a kid. I don’t know how many times I heard it, but never heard it. Hearing without listening? Paul Simon wrote it, but frankly, his and Art Garfunkel‘s delivery didn’t do it justice compared to what Disturbed did with it here. The Simon and Garfunkel version was almost too lovely. And maybe there is some poetry in the loveliness portraying such emptiness, but I am not that perceptive. I need something to bang me over the head for me to ay attention. Disturbed did that here.

And I am sure I am missing some interpretation of this song. I just read through the lyrics slowly, and I had some thoughts on what it could mean or what Simon might have been referring to. For me it’s about loneliness. There is a lot of loneliness in this song. The winger is lonely. the people are lonely. And this was written over 50 years ago. I think research shows that, as a society, we have only gotten lonelier and more isolated. The singer was right in the second to last stanza: “Fool, you do not know. Silence like a cancer grows.”

Community is so important. I was with a man Saturday who was talking about his wife’s enjoyment of the graveyard shift at work because she is an introvert. He is a retired pastor, and she probably developed a great need for personal space after having felt like living in a fishbowl for so many years. But I wonder over the last 15-20 years if the percentage of people who self-identify as an extrovert has dropped as we sink further and further into our silos.

So, what am I doing to make sure I am in community? Am I isolated? Am I known? Do I know others, for their sake and for mine? It’s important. We need each other. Even the Bible recognizes this as it tells the story in Genesis 2:18 that you decided it wasn’t good that Adam was alone. And animals weren’t enough. He needed another person. As a mate, he needed a complementary person who would fill the gaps in him. But he ultimately needed others as well. He needed to be a dad. I’m sure he eventually had friends. And it was probably friends that helped him and Even through the tragedy with Cain and Abel. I’m going down a rabbit hole here, but you get my point. You know we need each other, but I think our insecurity and tendency to worship ourselves and make our need for certainty our idol tends to drive us away from others who will rub up against us, wear off our rough edges, and help us to live out the two great commandments that are for our benefit: to love you and love others.

Father, I am not only in community for myself. I’m in community for the others in that community as well. Make me a good member of that community. Help me to be vulnerable. Help me to speak when I talk. Help me to listen when I hear. Use those around me to form me, and use me in the lives of others as you see fit. That includes my wife, my children, my family, and others around me. Don’t let anything be wasted, Holy Spirit. Give me ears to hear and listen. Give me eyes to see and perceive. Give me a voice that is considered and directed by you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 7, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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