Author: admin

There is no human solution to God’s judgment. When God chooses to discipline us, there is no escape, alleviation, or remedy. Our only response is to cry out to God in repentance.

When God allowed the Midianites to invade Israel, God’s people fled. They built caves and dens and sought to avoid their enemies. They knew there was no way they could withstand them. As Gideon would prove later, when God was on their side, no enemy could resist them. When God forsook them, any enemy could destroy them.

Tragically, some Christians live in defeat and failure for most of their lives. They expend their efforts attempting to avoid the consequences of their sin rather than turning resolutely away from their transgressions. More energy is spent enduring their punishment than is expended returning to God.

Are you presently facing the consequences of your sin? Is it not time to deal with the root cause and to be finally set free?

God has a response for every sin we commit. He is often patient in His reaction, but He will inevitably take action. Typically God allows us every opportunity to come to our senses and to return to Him. But at a certain point, God raises His voice! There comes a moment when God refuses to accept our empty promises or insincere platitudes, and He brings judgment to bear upon us.

At times God can directly punish us by sending any number of calamities upon us. But just as devastating can be when God simply removes His hand of blessing and protection from us so we experience what it is like to live apart from His providential care.

We take God’s presence for granted, until it is removed. Then we see clearly what a difference He makes in our life for good. The Israelites had enjoyed God’s favor until they assumed they would always have it. Once it was removed, however, enemies began to swarm across their borders.

God allowed Midianites to oppress His people for seven years. The number seven represents completeness. God punished His people thoroughly for their sin. What would it look like for God to punish you or your church or your nation its full and complete measure? Could you bear it? Don’t ever take God’s blessing in your life for granted! Neither should you treat God’s judgment lightly.

When the Israelites sinned, they did so “in the sight of the Lord.” Of course, there is no other place we can sin. Everything we do is in plain sight of heaven. God sees everything.

From the dawn of mankind, people have been convinced that their sinful actions were somehow concealed from their Maker. We tend to treat God as if He were merely another person. We act as if we can hide our actions from Him, just as we can covertly sin without others knowing what we are doing (at least for a time). But God is not like other people. He is God. He not only knows what we do, He is also aware of what we say and think. There is no fooling God. All of the evidence of our sin lies before Him.

There is no point in arguing our innocence before God. It is futile to claim that God is being unfair to us or overly harsh. Rather, God shows remarkable restraint in meting out punishment to us, considering He has irrefutable evidence of our apostasy ever before Him.

Before you continue about your day, consider the fact that whatever you do today will be fully in the sight of God. Live accordingly.

Sadly, there is always another “then” with the people of God. Despite all that God does for them, inevitably they choose to turn their backs on Him to pursue their own sinful ways. Throughout history, God’s people have followed an identical pattern. They always eventually departed from Him. God then brought judgment upon them. In response, the people finally cried out in repentance for their sin. In response God delivered them and blessed them once more. But invariably there was always another “then.” And the cycle repeated itself.

Imagine how far you would be in your Christian life today if there were no more “thens” in your life. Suppose you had not been distracted or sidetracked from God’s will, but had, instead, remained relentlessly loyal to God. Just imagine.

But we, like the Israelites of old, have a troubling tendency of being disloyal to our God, despite His steadfast love toward us. Fiercely guard your heart. Strive to prevent any more departures, even momentarily, from your Lord.

At last we come to the end of the book of Ecclesiastes! Much wisdom has been shared. Many questions have been raised. Critical issues have been discussed. But, like any good writer or speaker, the author concludes by summarizing his points. Twelve chapters of Scripture are reduced to two simple commands: Fear God and keep His commandments.

At times we look for sophisticated answers to our complex questions. We assume our life’s problems are too difficult for simple solutions. But the fact is, often the most difficult problems demand the most straightforward solution.

Wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord. Unless you humble yourself before God, you will never access divine wisdom. But, true wisdom is not found in knowing, but in doing. There have been brilliant people who knew reams of information, but behaved like fools nonetheless. Their knowledge did not affect their actions.

Don’t make your Christian life more complicated than it actually is! Fear God, and obey Him. Always keep the truth before you that one day you will give a full and complete accounting for everything you have done, said or thought. Keeping that awareness before you ought to help you to live your life, wisely.

One of the most powerful instruments you have at your disposal, are your words. They have the power to crush, and they have the power to heal. They can inspire and they can demoralize. One person with well-chosen words can change the course of a nation.

Wise people cultivate their words. They build an extensive vocabulary. They learn to release their words in grammatically correct sentences. They develop a sense of timing in how and when and how long they speak. They learn to read their audience so they know its capacity to receive the words being spoken. They read books and expose themselves to the words of great communicators. Astute leaders refuse to remain stagnant in their speech but instead, are regularly evaluating their words in order to become more effective in their use.

Are you someone who is known for powerful, encouraging, healing words? If not, you could be. The use of words is a skill that can be cultivated and developed. But it takes work. You must be intentional. But if you will undertake the critical task of learning to use your words for God’s service, you can have the joy of seeing your words being used by God to forever change people’s lives.

Ecclesiastes is known for this statement. It is a sobering, cynical, somewhat discouraged assessment of life. It comes from someone who had indulged himself in all that the world had to offer. He had seen it all, and heard it all. Yet he came away disillusioned. He discovered that those things the world craved and pursued left you disappointed once you obtained them. They were vanity.

Our own experience affirms much of this. We too may have fervently pursued a job, a spouse, a house, a position, recognition, or wealth, only to discover that it did not bring the contentment we assumed it would. Much of what you may have treasured in your youth, now seems like cheap trinkets from your mature perspective. The reality is that much of what we invest our lives in is but a shadow of what life is meant to be. Fools spend their days chasing shadows.

But not all of life is vanity. There are golden nuggets hidden within the vain landscape that surrounds us. God Himself, is far more real, and glorious than we could ever imagine. Family, friends, and fellow believers can add enormous joy to our lives, if we invest ourselves properly in those relationships. Service to our King for His kingdom is never in vain, though it might at times appear so at first glance.

It is easy to be deceived into chasing after vanity, if we’re not careful. But thanks to Christ, our life can be filled with meaning, purpose, and joy.

Difficult times eventually come to us all. As we grow older, we can be tempted to become cynical or bitter because of our difficult life experiences. Our health can deteriorate and our energy can dissipate. Life can look darker and cloudier in our later years.

The writer of Ecclesiastes urges us to establish a strong relationship with God in our early years so we have a robust relationship to sustain us when life grows more difficult. If you cultivate an intimate walk with God during good times, it will sustain you in hard times.

Our trouble is that we tend to forget. When trials come, we forget about all of the blessings God showered upon us earlier. We overlook the faithful way God guided and provided in the past. Our current circumstances have a way of coloring everything God has done in the past.

So in these current days, work hard to nail down a solid, trusting walk with God that can sustain you and encourage you when difficulties inevitably come your way.

Our youth is a special season in our life. We have more vigor, passion, enthusiasm, strength, and energy than at any other period of our existence. We can attempt things at this stage of our life that we will be unable to try when we are older. Our youth is a magical season for us to enjoy.

Some people squander their youth. They are in too great of a hurry to grow up and get a job or start a family or advance up the corporate ladder. These misguided people bypass the reservoirs of joy that awaited them to enjoy with youthful zeal. Our youth is meant to be a time of exploration, dreams, and laughter. It ought to be filled with wonderful memories.

Yet we must heed one caution. While God intends for us to enjoy our youth, He also plans to hold us accountable for what we did in it. It is easy to become consumed with the passion of the moment and to forget that we will one day stand before Christ’s throne to give an account of what we did.

So enjoy each stage of your life to the full. But keep in mind you will one day be talking with God about what you did!

There are aspects of our lives we’d sooner forget. We all make mistakes. Everyone suffers through certain seasons of life that are unpleasant. It can be tempting to forget those unpleasant moments (or years) in our lives and instead, focus on the pleasant days of sunshine.

But the truth is that we only have one life. While not all of our experiences are pleasant, they still compose the only life we will ever know. Even the dark times have their purpose. In the midst of trials and tribulations, we can find cause to celebrate. God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is just as present during our crises as in our celebrations. The truth is that there may be a large percentage of our life that is not spent in the sunshine. It would be a shame to discount those times, just because they were difficult.

Your life, all of your life, is an undeserved gift from God. Are you embracing it, completely?