Let's get on with life!

Solomon’s cynicism makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.  An old man, disappointed with life in spite of vast accomplishments, he muses about the unfairness of it all.  “Wicked men find admiration, righteous ones are forgotten.  How does that make any sense?” he complains.  This passage spoke to me today. "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6, NIV)

In short, the Teacher says, “Let’s get on with it. Endless analysis will stop progress. Nobody can anticipate all the problems that could arise.”  We are quick to claim that some success resulted from our great foresight and equally likely to pass failure off to another.  Life is an interconnected web, no one’s success or failure belonging exclusively to him. Who I am, what I have done, has been influenced by people known and unknown in numbers beyond counting.  And, then there is the work of the Spirit of God, His influence always there, but not always discerned.

So, is life just one big roll of the dice? That is how some read Ecclesiastes. They see only Solomon’s bitter railing about the  unfairness of it all.  A more careful reading reveals his insistence on doing what is right, on remaining true to the highest and best, on choosing to enjoy the blessings of God today; rather than living in what may prove to be a vain hope for tomorrow.  Though he cannot always understand why things are happening as they are or what God is doing in the moment, Solomon reminds us that God is just and will hold us all accountable for the way we live. So, keeping one eye on eternity’s evaluation, we live in this moment doing what He directs.  As Christians we know that our life comes from the Spirit and we are reminded "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)

Here’s the word from the Word.  It’s a practical call to get on with life, right here, right now- for God’s glory. "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment." (Ecclesiastes 11:9, NIV)  "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV)  "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NIV)

Marching to the drumbeat of despair?

Despair lays like a fog on America. Even the young, those who are generally most hopeful for the future, are skeptics when it comes for hoping for a better tomorrow.  There are ‘wars and rumors of war,’ grimly taking life and spreading destruction. Governments around the globe are corrupt and ineffective in equal measures. Economic growth is stalled with no one suggesting that it will be improving anytime soon.  The church too often appears to be taken up with survival, fixed on irrelevance, so much so that only about 25% of Americans say that ‘church’ is an important part of their lives.  The cynical chant of old Solomon is often heard in various forms these days: “Meaningless. Meaningless. Everything is meaningless!” 

Yet, hope remains!  Christ Jesus gives us reason to live, for the present with the promise of heaven to come. We need not adopt an attitude of apathy (“whatever!”) to cope. We must not slide into a life focused on grasping momentary pleasures to mask the darkness of tomorrow.  God is the strength of our life and in Him we our hope is secure. We can accept this present darkness, dealing with the challenges with honest assessment, without giving up to despair. Habakkuk preached to the people of God in a time of great sorrow, with a grim future; yet he was hopeful.  He sang, "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains." (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NLT)

Please, let’s not play the part of fools that sing bravely while ignoring the perils or problems, that refuse to deal with life’s challenges as they quote mindless slogans! No matter how loud you shout, “Praise the Lord!” it means nothing unless your faith is secured in Him.  Hiding from life in religious activities is no solution.  God’s people mediate His grace and goodness to their world by rolling up their sleeves and going to work.  They follow the Spirit’s lead into the battle, often bloodied, but not beaten.

Has the drumbeat of despair become the cadence to which you’re marching? Stop. Look up. Listen. Offer sincere worship. Find hope!

Here’s the word from the Word. Own it, won’t you?  "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, NIV)

The fat, forgetful ones

"I’m starving,” I announced to my wife when dinnertime rolled around.  It is almost profane that I should say that because I have no idea what starvation is.  My waistline gives mute testimony to the abundance of our table!  By contrast, my friend whose face has taken on new angles in recent weeks is starving, though voluntarily.  He is following one of those radical diets that produces amazing results. “Are you hungry?” I asked him.  With a wry smile, he admitted that sticking with the plan requires real determination. “A steak never sounded so good,” he said. I am so well-fed that I have become a fussy eater. He is so hungry that even the most basic food looks like a feast.

So, what’s your spiritual appetite like these days? Do you desire times of worship, love the Presence of God?

Moses called on the people of the Lord to consider their choices.  “Walk with the Lord in obedience,” he said, “and He will bless you. But, be aware of a potential problem that can grow out of those very same blessings.”   What? There is such a thing as too much?  In a sense, that is true. "He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun (a name for Israel, the people of God) grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior."  (Deuteronomy 32:13-15, NIV)

God’s favor is a great gift.  His Word and wisdom will lead us to a place of prosperity and contentment.  The risk is that we will slip into self-satisfaction! Worship will hold little attraction for us. Prayer will become a form if we allow our hearts to cool towards Him.  Sated by empty things, we can lose our desire for the Bread of Heaven. We may become Jeshurun;  a fat, forgetful Christian.  An immature response to Moses’ caution is to fear our blessings or to impose some kind of misery on ourselves.  When God blesses, the right response is to receive those gifts with gratitude and to share them with others.  Instead of hoarding and growing fat, we give and allow God to replenish our store.  The discipline of generosity protects us from the curse of spiritual obesity.

Jesus told a story about blessings. It is often misunderstood as a condemnation of having good things. As you read His words, look deeper than that. “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21, NIV)  “I will build bigger barns… I’ll say to myself  you have plenty … I’ll take life easy.”  It was not this man’s blessings that earned him Jesus’ condemnation. It was his attitude of entitlement and selfishness!

Has your life in the Spirit led you to a place of blessings? Has God allowed you to have more than enough?  Wisely accept the wisdom that warns of becoming fat and forgetful, but do not fear.  Instead, with gratefulness that recognizes the source of those blessings, give yourself generously to God’s work.  You will then experience a life that is both rich and God-aware! 

Here’s a word from the Word. "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. " (2 Corinthians 9:8-11, The Message)

So, when do I realize success?

"Dad, you;'ll never believe my dream about our family’s future. God showed me you will bow down to me!" Joseph's teenage enthusiasm to outpaced his wisdom.  His boasts earned him the contempt of his elder brothers who just sold him to slavetraders headed for Egypt. "Take that, dreamer boy. Now let's see what happens to your grand dreams!" In Egypt, Joseph's faith and wisdom grew. God’s promises remained true and soon he became the manager of a rich man's household. A short time later, when he spurned the advanced of Potiphra’s wife, she accused him of attempted rape, and he spent years in prison. But God... was using each turn, each 'tragedy' to bring about new possibilities! A story no one but God could have written, led Joseph to become Prime Minister of Egypt and there, in the plan of God, he provided a safe home for his family in time of famine.

As we turn the pages of Genesis, it’s easy to miss the suffering, the long years of waiting for God's promises. God was preparing Joseph for His purposes.  We get the ‘fly by’ view. Joseph lived it, day by day. Here is the powerful principle to remember:  his success did not begin the moment he took a seat next to Pharaoh! He was successful when he trusted God while being taken into slavery, when he refused the advances of his master's wife, when he chose to be a model prisoner, when endured darkness, hoping for the light to break through.

God has a plan for you! Are you bold enough in faith to step up and let Him lead where He desires in ways that allow His possibilities to emerge?  The Bible says "...we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son." (Romans 8:28-29, The Message) I am not a fatalist! The Bible promises us that God is preparing us for His purpose. And, the Word teaches us that we have a responsibility to exercise faith every day.  The challenge to us is this:  “... do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36, NLT) So, "... let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." (Hebrews 12:1, NLT)

Along the road of life are countless wrecks, people who started boldly with God, who believed Him and purposed to serve Him passionately. Then, they met difficulties and encountered situations that they felt 'just could not be part of God's plan.'

How could God use a business failure?

What possible good could come from the loss of a dear friend?

Why does He let me struggle with this chronic health problem?

How could such a hard choice, demanding so much personal sacrifice really be the Spirit’s leading?

Faith does not wipe away the problems of life. Faith gives us a perspective that allows us to trust God in spite of those problems, hoping for Him to use each experience to create in us a greater faith, a deeper obedience so that we will successfully serve Him.

Are you in a season of reward? I rejoice with you! Praise God.

Are you in a season of testing? I stand with you, asking the Lord to strengthen you.

Remember this, success is not just found in the outcome. Success is also the process. It is easy to see the success of the second half of Joseph's life, when he was exercising power, riding in the royal chariot, and living the palace. But Joseph was living a successful life long before that, in Potiphar's house, in prison - in the steady faith that caused him to make the right decisions, instead of the convenient choice.

Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it today and then live successfully!

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun." (Psalm 37:3-6, NLT)

Smile on me, Father

Smile on me, Father

What does it mean to say, “I am blessed by God”? Many use “rich” and “blessed” interchangeably as if the only way God blesses us is to increase our wealth. Others determine that ‘blessings’ must include perfect health, or increased influence, or an untroubled life. A shallow reading of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, might lead to those conclusions.  The New Testament does not exclude the possibility of health, wealth, or comfort in the Christian life but Jesus invites us to a ‘blessedness’ that goes deeper than pleasant circumstances.  All of the Bible brings us this truth:  we enjoy the most blessed life when we are utterly dependent on God, resting fully in Him.

Joseph became one of the most blessed men in the Bible, but only after living through one catastrophe after another. In each one, he chose to faithfully trust God and emerged with greater blessing.

Abraham is a man who enjoyed God’s favor but only as he followed the lead of the Spirit.

Job is a symbol of suffering, but his story concludes with blessings as he remained faithful to the Lord even in the depths of darkness.

Jesus’ path descended to the Cross and then the grave, before emerging from the Tomb and ending at the exalted place at the Father’s right hand.

The paradox of the blessed life is one that many Christians cannot accept.  The richest blessings come when we give ourselves away. Jesus tells us that we must ‘take up our cross,’ a stunning and stark call to death, before we can find true life.  In Matthew 5, He says that blessings emerge from mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst, and being ‘poor in spirit.’  He goes on to say that mercy, not asserting ourselves;  purity, not gratifying our sensual desires; and making peace are paths to God’s favor.  Mourning allows us to know God’s comfort! Meekness opens us to an inheritance only God can give. Hunger lets the Spirit prepare a meal that makes our soul fat. Purity allows us to live near God’s heart. Are there greater blessings than these?

Read again the ‘if-then’ passage of Deuteronomy, chapters 28 to 30. There Moses calls the people of the Lord to "revere this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God—" (Deuteronomy 28:58, NIV) and in the starkest terms shows that faith leads to blessings.  It is both right and proper to pray, “smile on me, Father.”  We are the children in whom He delights. But like any good father, He understands that to indulge us is only to destroy us. So, He leads us through discipline, inviting us to greater faith. There we find the blessing.

Here’s a word from the Word. Be blessed! "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel." (Psalm 89:15-18, NIV)