The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14,
"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."
After relieving us our assumptions about finding purpose, meaning, fulfillment, ultimate happiness in this life "under the sun", Solomon brings us his conclusion to the matter. "Fear God and keep his commandments..." With a reverence and fear of the great Judge, we are told to keep his commands. Of course, these are the very ones we find ourselves unable to keep.
What a dilemma! Not only will we not find that which we were created for in this life, that which constitutes the fulfillment of the deepest yearning of our hearts in this life, we will not find ourselves able to order our lives by the laws God gave us. Of keeping the law Paul said, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:14-20.
Solomon has stripped us of any fantasy of finding lasting fulfillment in this life and laid down the gauntlet, which keeps us at odds with the only one who can meet our needs: our Creator. Here Solomon has masterfully set the table for us. We have a heartfelt need for our Creator and we find ourselves estranged from him. God is beyond our reach.
But, God so loved the world! He sent his Son to us to make a way to what our hearts truly desire. When Jesus came to planet earth he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Here is the answer! An invitation is given us through the gospel message! Jesus Christ is the way to God. Jesus Christ is the way to the resurrection of life, eternal and abundant. Jesus Christ is the one who can bring what satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts and to rescue us from God's coming wrath for sin!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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