Worshipping God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 4:24,

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

This statement was made by Jesus when a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well wanted to talk to him about where God should be worshiped.

The Quest Study Bible has an interesting observation on this verse: "True worshipers (v. 23) must worship in the power (enablement) of God's Spirit and in accordance with his truth. In John's Gospel truth is associated with Jesus the Messiah (14:6). We are to know and worship the one and only God—the God revealed in the Bible through Jesus the Messiah. True worship is a matter of the heart. It demands more than just outward motions. It is an inner submission of oneself to God (Ro 12:1)."

That observation points to the worshipper's heart. Going to a church service, participating in the liturgy, partaking in the various activities as listed in the "Order of Worship", singing the hymns someone else has chosen that appear to be appropriate for the current calendar date is not going to do it.

As pointed out in the Quest note, worship is an affair of the heart. Something akin to Psalm 29:2, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." Also Psalm 95:1-2, "Come, let us sing for joy [an expression of the heart!] to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." How about Psalm 96:8-9, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth."

Psalm 100 captures it:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations."

Worship should also be reflected in how we order our lives, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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It's All About Faith in the Son of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 3:14-15,

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

Jesus' reference to Moses lifting up a snake in the wilderness is an account found in Numbers 21:4-9, where God sent poisonous snakes among the rebellious Israelites. When they repented, the Lord had Moses make a bronze snake, lift it up on a pole and anyone who looked at it would live if they had been bitten. Those who looked to the snake would do so if they believed in what the Lord had said. The account is a type of the saving ministry of Jesus Christ.

When approached by Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin in Israel and one of Israel's esteemed teachers of the law, Jesus told him that no one could see God's kingdom unless he was born again. When Nicodemus asked Jesus how it would be possible for a man to be born a second time, he told him about the second birth, a birth from above brought about by the Holy Spirit, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:3-6.

Five times in this chapter we read of the need for faith, for believing in Jesus for this second birth to take place in a person's life. Three times in his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus spoke of the need for faith, "everyone who believes may have eternal life", verse 15, "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life", verse 16, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son", verse 18. Later, John the Baptist told his disciples, "The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful", verses 31-32 and "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." Verse 36.

Clearly, the emphasis in this chapter of John's gospel is that eternal life is available to all and that life comes only by embracing Jesus Christ in faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:1-2. Just like them, we can have eternal life by placing our faith and trust in him.

What is there to hold us back? Rejecting the Son of God is a choice of faith as well. We either believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God raised him from the dead, or we don't believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that God raised him from the dead. Faith is expressed either way.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus' Resurrection: the Ultimate Substantiation - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 2:18-19,

"The Jews then responded to him, 'What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?' Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'"

The leadership of Israel had allowed a market to develop at the temple where the various offerings to God were to be sacrificed. Those who found it inconvenient or difficult to get their sacrifices to Jerusalem would buy their animals there. The result was a degrading of the temple area, turning it into a marketplace. Jesus drove out the money changers there as well as others who sold doves, etc.

In driving the peddlers out, Jesus was actually challenging what the high priest and others sanctioned at the temple. It was a condemnation of them as Jesus expressed his outrage. His actions were a pronouncement that the leaders of Israel were guilty of not maintaining the sacrosanctity the temple deserved as the place where God was to be worshipped.

Hence, the challenge to Jesus as to his authority in doing so, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Since the leaders of Israel, the high priest and others allowed the marketplace, who did Jesus think he was to challenge them?

Jesus' response pointed to the evidence of the ages: his physical resurrection! The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides all the bonafides needed. There can never be any question of who he is and what he did on that cross in light of his resurrection. Jesus, in his person as the Son of God. Jesus as the sinless sacrifice for all mankind. Jesus satisfying the Father's acceptance of his sacrifice. All Jesus said, all Jesus did, all of it was validated and substantiated by his physical resurrection on that third day following his crucifixion.

The incontrovertible proof Jesus Christ's resurrection provides is all we need to recognize his authority and him as the Savior! It was accomplished, certain, inarguable, incontestable, indisputable and unanswerable! We need look no further for his authority and our salvation from God's judgment of us than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus Christ: Fully God and Fully Man! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 1:1-4,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."

John begins his gospel by presenting the Word, Jesus Christ, as a member of the triune God, "the Word was God." We read that the Son of God became flesh in verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Verse 14. Jesus Christ was God incarnate, God in a human body. He was fully human and fully God.

The writer of Hebrews talks about this, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." Hebrews 2:14-15. He goes on to say in verses 17-18 of that chapter, "For this reason he [Jesus Christ, the "pioneer" of our salvation] had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

God, in Jesus Christ, became a man -- this is an amazing thing! As a man he became the "merciful and faithful high priest in service to God." As such, he made atonement for the sins of all mankind by offering himself on that cross, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. We can have all our sins forgiven!

The fact that God took on a human body, he is also able to help us in our sinful weaknesses, "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18. In Hebrews 4:15 we read, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."

Because the Son of God came and lived among mankind, demonstrating who he was and his love for us, we can take confidence in what the writer Hebrews went on to say, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16.

I cannot think of a more exciting thing to celebrate! No wonder this is called the "Good News"! All he asks of us is to embrace him in faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Sick Hearts With Opportunity! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 9:3b,

"The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead."

What a perspective! Evil and madness in our hearts, and then we die. We might try to fool ourselves, but I have to think from heaven's perspective this is readily obvious. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Paul's observation, as he quotes Psalms and Isaiah, is:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
    there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one."
"Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
    ruin and misery mark their ways,
    and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Furthermore, Paul points out that all we all have been enslaved to this evil and madness. but that through Jesus Christ we can be freed from it! "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:17-18. We are told the way in John 1:12, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."

We all have evil within our hearts, a state Solomon points out in the verse above. However, the Son of God has come to free us from this condition and provide us another perspective! Not one that is limited to life under the sun as observed in Ecclesiastes, but a heavenly one. One that is marked by Psalm 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

All the Son of God asks is that we embrace him in faith! He has been proven by being raised from the dead, now it is up to us!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Purpose of Ecclesiastes - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 8:17,

"No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it."

Looking for the meaning of this life under the sun sounds futile and unproductive according to the wisest man (excepting the Son of God, of course) that has ever lived, doesn't it? An otiose pursuit!

We read in 1 Kings 3:11-12, "So God said to him [Solomon, author of Ecclesiastes], 'Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.'" God gave Solomon a wise and discerning heart, greater than any man, and greater than any man ever to be.

This, the wisest and most discerning man ever, says no one can discover the meaning of life. Not even the wise among us. The reason for this is the viewpoint used for looking for that meaning is within the realm of "under the sun." The meaning of this life resides elsewhere. It is found elsewhere, within the counsel of God. Only when we enter the court of God and seek the meaning of "life under the sun" do we get an answer. And, yes, the answer can be found there, and there alone.

It is akin to the error of pursuing truth by looking "within". That really is ignorant advice because our hearts are deceitful and whatever we look for within our hearts will be anything but truth. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9.

The point of this life is to provide an environment where a great sifting of mankind takes place. God has chosen for himself all who will embrace him in faith. In an effort to help us in this, the greatest purpose in life, God has brought frustration and emptiness into this world to help us look elsewhere, in an effort to find him and reach out to him.

Many, who fail to understand the purpose of Ecclesiastes, find the book to reveal an old man (Solomon) who has become embittered and jaded through his sinful indulgences. It is an understanding I reject entirely. We read in 2 Peter 1:20-21 that God (the Holy Spirit) inspired the authors of Scripture to write what they did. Did God become old and embittered? No, they have missed the point. Ecclesiastes was written to prepare us to look not within this life for purpose and meaning and salvation, but outward, upward.

The point of Solomon's excesses, his gold, his horses, his harem, his projects and entertainments was to establish his bonafides as one who could speak authoritatively to us, us people who think we can find happiness in life if we only had this or that. If you read closely, you find Solomon pointing out his indulgences were purposeful and part of a controlled experiment. "I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom." 2:3. "I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me." 2:9.

It is only the guy on the other side that can authoritatively tell us the grass really isn't greener there.

This is a frustrating place! Paul tells us God is the one who has made this life this way, "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21.

This is one of the many ways God draws mankind to himself-- and, we need it, "No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:44. God draws all mankind to himself, "And I [Jesus], when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32. The frustrations of this life are purposeful in helping us find Jesus Christ. They are a part of this "draw."

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Frustrations! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 6:2,

"God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead."

This is a frustration. Why would God do such a thing? Isn't it his job to keep me from frustrations? Isn't he supposed to make my life a bed of roses?

It's amazing how many people think so. People in churches, people behind pulpits! They guarantee us that if we just join up with them that God will give us an abundant life with all the challenges and frustrations of life removed.

That is not how God reveals himself to be. On the contrary, he brings those frustrations into our lives with purpose. Consider Paul's words, "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20. The creation referred to here is not pinecones or my dog. It is us, human beings. We all face frustrations (even though we may feel it is only us - it's everybody!). God's purpose for the frustrations is to help us find him, something not likely to be pursued by most people if their lives really were a bed of roses.

In fact, this book of Ecclesiastes is provided us for the very purpose of helping us face the true frustrations of life given us by God to aid in our pursuit of finding relief in him.

And those frustrations do not stop when we embrace him in faith either. He continues those frustrations in our lives for his purposes in stretching us, growing us once we become his. "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.

The discomfort about this "life under the sun" we feel when we see people unable to enjoy their wealth, possessions and honor (because it happened to "them" it could happen to us) is a part of the frustration God wants us to feel about this life, so we are not so distracted by it that we don't seek something better-- life in him.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.    

Where is my Heart? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 6:1-2,

"I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil."

The person depicted in these verses has a different life experience than one in the previous chapter, "Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God." Ecclesiastes 5:19. The one is blessed with wealth and possessions and enjoys them. The other is blessed with the same but then is prevented from enjoying them. Who knows what their lot in life will be from God?

I am reminded of Luke 12:16-20. It is a parable Jesus told of a rich man who had a bumper crop. He told himself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." However, God interrupted his plans, calling him a fool, saying, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

The pursuit of wealth in this life is tenuous at best. However, the pursuit of wealth in the next life is not. It brings a certain and guaranteed reward. Again, I am reminded of Jesus' words, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

Where is my heart today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Wealth and Possessions - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 5:13-15,

"I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. Everyone comes naked from their mother's womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands."

It is said that money and the things we possess in this life are discussed in the Bible more than prayer, faith and even salvation! I don't know if that is true or not but I have certainly heard it and read it a number of times. I'm sure you have as well.

As Solomon reports on his investigations into the emptinesses he witnessed in this life, "under the sun", he certainly discussed money, possessions and wealth. Here he points out those things can be lost and, in verse 10, those things don't provide true satisfaction anyway - and he says so because he knew we lacked his observations. Many are consumed with things like: "If only I could get that raise, I could do this or that!" "If only I could win the lottery..." The desire to see some big cash-cow come in or some new toy: the boat, the bike, the 4-wheeler.

We even have churches today that specialize in the very things Solomon found as an emptiness or vanity, the "Health and Wealth" assemblies. Their draw is that if you join up with them, you too can get rich by giving them your money. (Odd, isn't it? You give them your money and God will give you money for it, the more you give them, the richer you get! Of course when you don't get rich, it's because you lacked a certain faith when you gave them your money.)

I like Jesus' teaching on wealth and possessions, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Neither Solomon or Jesus taught it was sinful or immoral to earn money or own things but they do provide the best approach to those things. We need to grasp Solomon's point and follow our Lord's teaching to us.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Meaninglessness - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in  Ecclesiastes 4:4b,

"This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

"Meaningless", is used 35 times by Solomon (well, in the English rendered from the Hebrew) in this book (if I counted right). This occurrence in verse 4 follows his observation, "And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person's envy of another."

Solomon had a variety of observations that defined this life "under the sun" as meaningless. Observations in this chapter include oppression of some by others, verses 1-3; envy of others, (this occurrence, verse 4); the pursuit of wealth by being a workaholic, verse 6 and 8 (depicting a man all alone); and rulers that come and go and the fickle way they are seen by their subjects, verses 13-16.

Solomon had great bonafides to make his report to us. He had more wisdom, more wealth, more diversions, more pleasures than any man. He was uniquely qualified to pursue the affairs he observes as he had the means to do so and then report back to us.

We, on the other hand, are easily deceived and think if we only had this or that, we could seize true happiness in this life, in this world, "under the sun". For most of us, those are things we will never have in this life. Just think of all those people who buy those lottery tickets thinking they will find true happiness. 

I recall George Harrison of the Beatles saying in a documentary that he and his bandmates were fortunate to have made riches and massive fame at an early age. The advantage, he felt, was that it enabled them to see that "it" is not in those things, "it" being happiness and fulfillment in this life. Exactly the point of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes goes further though, and points out there is no ultimate happiness and fulfillment in this life based on what this life has to offer in and of itself. What this life has to offer is limited and our hearts yearn for something more.

Solomon took his resources and investigated for us the fallacy that having hordes of money, a harem, gold, wisdom and knowledge, servants, etc. will bring ultimate satisfaction in this life "under the sun". His experiment should prepare us to look elsewhere for that: in the next life, in the kingdom of heaven, and the One who offers it.

This is why Jesus Christ came and gave his life as a ransom for us. He paid the penalty for our sins and offers us freedom from the frustrations of this life "under the sun" (see Romans 8:20-25), satisfaction in the here and now, and ultimate satisfaction in the resurrection for eternity. All he asks is that we place our faith in him...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

The View - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 4:2-3,

"I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun."

Here is a jarring, disagreeable and discordant perspective on life, "under the sun"! Is it true? Was Solomon (the author) just having a bad day?

The last question is one I cannot entertain as I believe all the Scriptures were written by men "carried along by the Holy Spirit" and spoke from God, 2 Peter 1:20-21. This is a perspective Solomon gave as he was inspired by God to do so. So what is meant by this jolting perspective, that the dead are happier than the living, and, in an analogous figurative sense, better yet that one was never born?

The message of Ecclesiastes is not a perspective of seeing things through rose-colored glasses, but the cold and harsh view of seeing life as it really is, the context of a world that is lost and fallen from God. Sinful and estranged from him, mankind has a knack at seeing things other than they really are. People distract themselves from this gloomy truth with the various facades Solomon points out such as wealth, possessions, music, houses, vineyards and various projects, all kinds of things.

Solomon speaks of this life "under the sun" (he uses the phrase 27 times!) and from this we are hopefully prepared to look past the distractions that hide the hideous truth about living in this lost and fallen world to look for deliverance and freedom from it.

Ecclesiastes should motivate us to seek something much more grand, something that is in view in many passages of Scripture. A place where beauty reigns supreme, where true justice exists, where God's kingdom resides!

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death" or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:2-4.

As the sons of Korah wrote, 

"Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Psalm 84: 10.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Burden - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 3:10,

"I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race."

Solomon mentions this "burden" in 1:13-14 as well, "I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

As I read about the burden God has laid on the human race, I can't help but think of Romans 8:18-21, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

We all come into this world as lost and fallen people because of our sinful condition we have inherited from Adam and Eve, estranged from God and facing his judgment. Because of God's love of mankind, he determined to provide us a way to escape his judgment and join his family where we will experience "joy in your [the Lord's] presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11. This is God's plan of redemption for all mankind. 

As a part of pursuing this plan, God has brought us into this world under a burden designed to help us find him, that we be freed from the bondage and decay brought by our own sinful condition, such that we find the freedom and glory of the "children of God."

This is the basis for Jesus' invitation to us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Living this life under the burden of frustrations, troubles and trials has the effect of prompting us to seek help, a Saviour to deliver us.

We all experience this frustration, this burden, because the Lord has designed life "under the sun" in a way to help us find him, meeting us more than half the way. This is why Solomon characterizes this life as meaningless in and of itself - that realization should cause us to seek what lies beyond this life.

Paul speaks of an aspect of this burden, "For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 5:4-5.

We may not like the burden. But recognizing it is designed to help us find him, it is a welcome reality in that it is much easier to face than God's horrific judgment.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Life's Purpose - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 3:14,

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him."

As Solomon speaks of the emptiness and meaninglessness of the activities people pursue in this life, "under the sun", the question naturally arises, "Then for what purpose has God created us?" Why are we here? The answer is found within this verse.

Life here, "under the sun", has one singular purpose. That purpose is that this life is a proving ground. As we live our lives God looks for all who will embrace him in faith (expressed here as fearing him). Every other activity we engage in feeds that one purpose. We raise our families to produce candidates for God's kingdom - all who will reach out and embrace him.

Getting an education, learning a trade, getting married, having and raising children, the diversions we find for entertainment all have little meaning in this life apart from God's purpose of growing his kingdom. As those things contribute toward pursuing God's kingdom, they become purposeful and meaningful.

God has provided us a world where the context for faith can flourish. God looks for those who will reach out to him. All others get caught up in the meaninglessness Solomon speaks of, as if those things are the reason we are here.

The adage, "He who wins dies with the most toys" is the very antithesis of Solomon's point in Ecclesiastes. That is simply not the reason we are here. Whatever diversions keep us from finding our way into the kingdom of God are meaningless. They all perish with us.

Our one great and ultimate purpose in this life is to find Jesus Christ and embrace him. A great second one is found in helping others do likewise.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

Love the Lord your God! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 23:11,

"So be very careful to love the Lord your God"

At the end of Joshua's life he called together the leaders of Israel and reminded them of all the Lord had done for Israel in fulfilling his promise of bringing them into the Promised Land. He also warned them against turning away from the Lord and exhorted them to love the Lord.

We, as believers today, have also been exhorted to love the Lord. When asked what the greatest command was, Jesus answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40.

What does it mean to love the Lord? Here are some thoughts about love generally speaking:

"Love is a set of emotions and behaviors characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, and trust. Love can vary in intensity and can change over time. It is associated with a range of positive emotions, including happiness, excitement, life satisfaction, and euphoria..." from "verywell mind.com", https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-love-2795343.

"strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests; warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion; inspired by affection; to like or desire actively : take pleasure in; to feel affection or experience desire" Merriam-Webster dictionary.

I like this perspective from a Jewish website, "Chabad.org", https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1577531/jewish/What-Is-Love.htm:

"G‑d commands us (Deut. 6:5), 'And you shall love the L‑rd your G‑d.' This precept leads us to voice the age-old question, 'How can we be commanded to feel a feeling?' Either you feel it or you don't, right? An answer offered by our tradition explains that we are not being ordered to feel a feeling in the abstract sense. Rather, the command is for us to behave lovingly. In this light, 'And you shall love,' actually means, 'You shall perform acts of love.' This is the true test: action, deeds, performance. Feelings can be deceptive. Sometimes, what we perceive as love may in fact be another emotion. But actions cannot be mistaken. So, rather than ask, 'What is love?' we must ask, 'Do I perform acts of love for my beloved?' and 'Does my beloved perform acts of love for me?'"

Just a couple of thoughts on loving the Lord...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.