So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:12, 14

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary-assisted review of Ecclesiastes 9:1-6, which the commentary outlines as the first division for chapter 9. 

Main point from the commentary for Ecclesiastes 9:1-10: Death can render all of life’s actions meaningless, but Jesus gives an abundant and eternal life. 

Excerpts from the commentary, including from the introduction and for the the first division:

• "That is Solomon’s point here in Ecclesiastes. It does not matter how wise you are, how much money you make, how much comfort you have, how successful you are, how religious you are, or how cleanly you live your life. Death is the great equalizer.
• "Solomon was a sage who methodically examined the reality of death in this cursed world. He analyzed how the righteous and the wise and their actions are in God’s hands and how man does not know if that indicates God’s love or hate (9:1). Here is the basic idea: God sovereignly rules over our lives, which according to Ecclesiastes 3 are subject to His timing, and our surroundings give us no clue as to what God really thinks of us (Enns, Ecclesiastes, 82). We cannot use our circumstances to determine if God loves us or hates us, accepts us or rejects us."
• "Being in God’s hand is not synonymous with prosperity, health, or a pain-free life (Hunt, Ecclesiastes, 51). God’s people do suffer, but we trust that Jesus is enough, that He is in control, and that His timing and plan are best in the midst of the suffering!"
• "Solomon makes an explicit connection with the fall. We have inherited corruption, sin, and death from our first father, Adam (cf. Romans 5:12-19). If any of us doubt this reality, we can just look at our children and see that we all inherit a sin nature."
• "Ecclesiastes 9 makes clear that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and the wages for that sin is death for all. Because I sin, death will come for me. Because you sin, death will come for you."
• "[I]f life under the sun is all there is, then death wipes away everything—all our memories, all our possessions, all our feelings, and all our relationships. Plus, if life under the sun is all there is, there is nothing beyond the grave. On the other hand, the living at least have hope because they can be conscious of the fact that they will die. That is the advantage. The living have a chance to reckon with the reality of death and do something about it (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). They can enjoy life as a gift, repent of evil, and live differently in the face of death."
• "Do not live every day as if it were your last, but do live as if you have a set number of days. Live as if you do not get an endless supply. Living your life with this in mind is wise because it will help you not be careless with your spouse, miss out on time with your children, be indifferent at your job, or other such distractions."
  

See also Psalm 90:12-14. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - thank You for Your amazing grace and the salvation You provide which is the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving.  My sin is daily and it frustrates me.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

[Death] is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

   [Death] is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. Ecclesiastes 9:2

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 9:1-6, which the commentary outlines as the first division for chapter 9. This division describes how death is something that awaits us all and it makes me also think about James 4:14-15 that our lives are simply a mist and it is only through the grace of God that we have breath for any given day.  We must be humble, fear, love and worship God - this is why we exist.  God's grace is so amazing not only because are our lives are simply a mist in His hands, but also because all of us are sinful and the wages of sin of death (Romans 6:23).  Believers should not have pretense that because we have faith, we perhaps are more deserving of salvation - hogwash!  My sin is no better or worse than anyone else's sin!  We don't get what we do deserve (death), but we (believers) do get what we don't deserve (mercy and amazing grace).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who pours out for me daily rich mercies of forgiveness, and gives me life to the full!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not by a long shot deserving.  My sin never stops - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God....The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God....The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.  Ecclesiastes 8:12-13, 12:13-14

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's fourth (and final) division for these chapters - The Gospel Allows Us to Recover and Pursue God’s Wise Design.   

 Excerpts and highlights from the commentary on this division: 

• "In Christ we get to recover and pursue God’s design for our lives. That means living out the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, which looks like contentment with what you have, kindness toward others instead of anger, the ability to control your tongue, a good work ethic, patience rather than arrogantly demanding what you want, and rightly submitting to authority. When you follow God’s design in this fallen world, things may not always work out immediately, but they will work out ultimately."
• "God will make all things new in the end [Revelation], and He will set all things right to His original design."

There are AT LEAST two key messages from God I hear loud and clear this morning: (1) we exist to glorify God (not for our own glory or satisfaction), and (2) God is SO good in terms of His grace, compassion, etc. and this grace, compassion, love, etc. is available for anyone who freely accepts it and surrenders his or her life to Him.  Because God is SO good for us, why would you NOT want to live for Him?

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You ARE SO good!  You pour out compassion, mercy and grace every day for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of any of these gift, particularly how You laid down Your life for me.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.  Ecclesiastes 7:14-18

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's third division for these chapters - The Gospel Is the Answer to Our Brokenness and Meaninglessness.   

 Excerpts and highlights from the commentary on this division: 

• "Solomon exposes us to the brokenness of the world—a brokenness that really hurts and brings emptiness—for the positive outcome of causing us not to build our lives on things or people other than God. Ecclesiastes is God’s goodness to us because He refuses to allow us to wallow in our broken futility.  Our frustration over the absurdity of life drives us to God and His gospel. That is the answer to brokenness and meaninglessness."
• The commentary shares how "Ecclesiastes encourages faith in God and His gospel in two ways in Ecclesiastes 7-11.  First God is in control and working things out according to His timing and plan.  Therefore Ecclesiastes 7:14-18 exhorts us to fear God."
• We are referred to Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 which tells the story of of poor man who saves a city from a siege but this poor man is soon forgotten - the story of course points to Jesus and how He, while many believer He is forsaken, He is not as He rises from the grave to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God. Jesus is the answer to our worlds sin, brokenness, and resulting meaningless.
• The commentary for this division closes by describing how "Jesus is the Savior who rescues us from brokenness. Jesus is the wise man who makes us wise. Jesus is the poor man who makes us rich. And yet He was rejected too! Mark Dever points out that Isaiah 53 explains the wisdom and foolishness of Ecclesiastes 7–11. The righteous man got what the wicked deserved, so the wicked could get what the righteous deserve (Dever, “The Ungodly”). The poor, wise Savior who rescued the world is rejected and despised because the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world and the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). It pleased God to save through a cross that looked like foolishness. Turn to Jesus, and He can free you from your brokenness and meaninglessness. Let Him turn your foolishness into wisdom."  Amen!
  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and is full of grace and compassion - taking on flesh and willingly laying down Your life so that I could have life now to the full and for eternity with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.  Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's second division for these chapters - Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness.  

Excerpts from the commentary's second division Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness:

• "When it comes to brokenness in this world, we need to realize two things. Sometimes we are broken because of our own sin, and sometimes we are broken because we live in a cursed, broken world."
• "Ecclesiastes makes something abundantly clear: all of humanity—including you—has sinned and departed from God’s wise design for the world. When we rebel against our design, we end up broken. We know this to be true experientially. After all, anytime you attempt to use something in a way that its designer did not intend for it to be used, it gets broken or does not work."
• "Some people think intimacy will fix their brokenness so they go from relationship to relationship trying to fill the void, but they end up hurt and unsatisfied each time as they look harder and harder for something they will not find. Others look to success in a job, or making lots of money, or hundreds of other things, but these things never bring lasting satisfaction. So much of our futility and brokenness is due to our own sin and our own idolatry in which we turn good things into ultimate things. We worship money, pleasure, sex, success, power, and much more. Instead of seeing those things as gifts from God to be used as He intended, we see them as ultimate and seek to get from them what they cannot give. So often the things we think we want so badly fail to provide what we think they will, and we end up empty. That is the brokenness of departing from God’s good design. We all sin, and we are all broken."  See also Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29, and Romans 3:9-20.
  
• "God made the world crooked in response to Adam’s sin (7:13), and man cannot fix it! Solomon says, “Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked?” All humans experience the meaninglessness and brokenness of this world where things do not work right. Sin and brokenness are equal-opportunity destroyers."
• "Things do not work the way we think they should. The righteous suffer while the wicked prosper (7:15). The wisdom literature honestly recognizes that things do not always work out as they ought immediately in this world. Some scholars want to act like Ecclesiastes is a corrective to the overly optimistic wisdom of Proverbs, but that is simply not the case. Proverbs recognizes these discrepancies and points them out as well, but Ecclesiastes simply dwells on them more."  See also Ecclesiastes 8:10-17.
• "Shockingly, not only is there no justice, but sinners prolong their lives while the righteous receive the retribution the wicked deserve (8:12,14). We see this reality and we say, “That’s not fair!” But that is the world we live in. The problem is not just the random injustice of things not working out right but also the ultimate mystery that happens to all of us. Death is the ultimate problem, and it comes to all regardless of how we live. You may not experience brokenness until death, but it will come to all of us regardless of how successful we are in this life. Your effort makes no difference. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 that no matter how well you live this life, you will eventually be caught by time and chance. The Grim Reaper is faster than us all. He never grows weary, and when he shows up, we often never saw him coming!"

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the Living Water that you drink and will never thirst again (John 4:13-14), and He is the reason for the hope believers have (1 Peter 3:15).  Surrender your life to Him!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus for giving me faith, hope, and everlasting life!  I am not deserving...no way not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it....A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it....A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Ecclesiastes 7:12, 10:2

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's first division for these chapters - God Has a Design for Everything. 

Before jumping into how the commentary discusses its first division, I'm starting with the main idea and the introduction for the commentary chapter.

Title of this chapter of the commentary (which looks at Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11): Wisdom in a Meaningless World.

Main idea: Wisdom does not always work out immediately in this cursed world, but because of the gospel, wisdom does work out ultimately.

Excerpts from the introduction to this chapter of the commentary:

• "Solomon...is teetering on the edge of unbelief because of the mess he sees in the world. He observes that living by God’s wisdom does not always work out. The faithful often suffer and the wicked often prosper. This situation is futile! Therefore, Solomon takes on the role of a skeptic in order to observe the world and ask the question, Is there meaning in this cursed world? His experiment causes him to conclude that everything is meaningless."
• "In Ecclesiastes 7–11 [Solomon] observes the unjust nature of things, and he concludes again that everything is absurd. However, instead of this driving him away from God, it actually drives him to God in faith."

Excerpts from the commentary's first division God Has a Design for Everything:

• "God has a design for everything in creation, and the wisdom literature calls living according to that design “wisdom.”  God made the world to work a certain way, and you should live your life in that way—you should walk in wisdom (i.e., walk in the right way; Eccl 10:2)—because it will preserve your life. Ecclesiastes 7:12 states that “wisdom is protection . . . and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.” Living against God’s design is foolishness because it threatens your life, whereas living according to it is wisdom because it leads to an abundant life."
• "[W]hile Solomon observes these wise principles, he also talks much about the limit of man’s knowledge. Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, “Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.” Man’s observations are limited to life lived “under the sun” in this cursed world, and even that is too much because we do not know the path the wind will take (11:5; cf. 8:17). Since our observation is limited, we cannot figure everything out. One of the main reasons we cannot figure everything out in this cursed world is because things do not always work out the way they are supposed to work out (8:14-17). Living by wisdom does not always make life go smoothly. Why? What is going on? Why is there suffering? Why do these wisdom principles not work? The problem is that humanity has departed from God’s design. The Bible calls this departure “sin,” and sin leads to brokenness and meaninglessness."
  

God's design and wisdom is perfect! Lean into and surrender your life to Jesus and follow Him!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - saving me while still a sinner.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 11

 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Ecclesiastes 11:8

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is an unassisted reading of Ecclesiastes 11 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the second division of the commentary for chapters 7-11: Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness.  The chapter broadly paints - as does all of Ecclesiastes - futility apart from God.  Here Solomon describes how pain, suffering and trials await all of us.  Once again, as posted yesterday, since the Fall, all of humanity experiences sickness, pain, suffering, etc. Yet, this morning, as it is important to see Jesus in all of scripture, I am reminded of several passages that provide great hope.  John 16:33 is one such text as Jesus shares with the disciples how they will experience "tribulation" but they should "take heart [because] [He] has overcome the world."  This provides hope for our present experience as Jesus never leaves or forsakes us and as our Shepherd he loves and cares for us in our time of need. Another such text is Revelation 21:4 where John shares a vision of the New Heaven and New Earth and how God speaks in a "loud voice" to the saints who have been saved at end times "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."  There are of course many more passages that give us hope, particularly for those who feel apart from God and do not feel His presence (even though He never leaves or forsakes You).  Jeremiah speaks to this in his letter to exiles (where he speaks to those taken captive from Jerusalem and living in exile in Babylon) - see Jeremiah 29:13 where God shares with the exiles that "they will seek [Him] and find [Him] when they seek [Him] with all [their] heart."  This promise rings true today as it did back then - that if we seek God with all of our heart, we WILL find Him.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who never leaves or forsakes me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the ways You bless me.  My sin continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continues to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.

Ecclesiastes 10

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. Ecclesiastes 10:5-11

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is an unassisted reading of Ecclesiastes 10 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the second division of the commentary for chapters 7-11: Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness. While the text primarily focuses on a comparison of wisdom vs folly, vv5-11 describe what Solomon refers to as an evil. The text in these verses describe people performing work - a good thing - yet they suffer bad outcomes.  This is often frustrating (v5 describes Solomon's frustration) for believers and non-believers alike as people try to understand why bad things happen to good people.  However, we must all understand that we are all sinful since the fall - none of us should be considered good or righteous.  See this post from a few days ago.  Sin persists because of the Fall - see also this post.  Once again, we must see God's hand in all circumstances and be thankful for what we do have - and for believers we have our salvation which cannot be taken from us!  See also 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that is always at work for me and You have saved a place for me in Heaven - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your grace - not be a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.     

It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all....Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9

It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all....[The dead's] love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:2-3, 6

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is an unassisted reading of Ecclesiastes 9 and how the text relates to the second division of the commentary for chapters 7-11: Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness.  Vv2-3 and v6 share of chapter 9 describe the futility of living apart from God.  When we live apart from God - not confessing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior - we remain slave to sin, we die, and then we are eternally damned.  This is harsh but it is truth. Yet Jesus is the living water and the one who came for all of humanity as the Incarnate Son of God and Savior for all. Confess and believe!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - saving me from the futility of a live without You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation and of any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous.

Ecclesiastes 8

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. Ecclesiastes 8:14

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 8 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the second division of the commentary for chapters 7-11: Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness. V14 succinctly encapsulates the futility of life without God - regardless of what you do, apart from God sin persists.  Solomon is a product of the Old Testament and the ceremonial law that led people to believe that works (without a heart set on pleasing God) were pleasing to God.  The point of course is that Jesus Christ and His death on the cross ended the need for the ceremonial law and the sacrificial system as He died as the spotless lamb - the once and for all time perfect sacrifice for all of humanity's sin.  Solomon's futility pointed to the need for Jesus.  Hebrews 8 serves as a fantastic example from scripture that illustrates that what Jesus offers is infinitely better than covenant offered to Israel in the Old Testament.  God does not want animal sacrifices, He wants Your heart and life surrendered to Him.  See also Psalm 50:8; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 51:16; Psalm 40:6–8; Isaiah 1:11–31; Jeremiah 7:21–23; Hebrews 10:4–10.  Surrender and believe!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - saving me and pour out Your mercies ceaselessly. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and compassion and mercies.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.          

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sin.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sin.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.  Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 7 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the second division of the commentary for chapters 7-11: Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness. First we should all acknowledge that since The Fall (Genesis 3), all of humanity is sinful (see also Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).  Next, sin is bondage (John 8:34-35) and leads to eternal damnation (Romans 6:23).  Solomon's words in the text today reinforce how we are all sinful and how it is pervasive among us.  Be saved by the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ (John 10:7-11)!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who is full of grace and compassion, freeing us from the bondage of sin and giving us live to the full now and for eternity!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is GREAT and it continues.  Please forgive me today please!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

Ecclesiastes 11

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. Ecclesiastes 11:5

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 11 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the first division of the commentary: God Has a Design for Everything.  Building on posts for the past few days (yesterday, day before, day before that), the text focuses on the futility of understanding God's ways, sharing in vv1-6 how many may observe creation and study science but a full understanding of God's ways (who has providence over all matters, including creation) is not achievable by any earthly mind. V5 is explicit on this. V6 emphasizes how provision in our lives is from God and while we may plan, it is only God's where one will find 100% certainty with things coming to pass.  Vv7-10, the concluding words for the chapter, points us to the futility of life without God (broad theme of entire book), and how we should remain humble and at peace knowing God is in control and that He loves and saves.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - providing for all of my days and of course saving me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it follows me every day.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

Ecclesiastes 10

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. Ecclesiastes 10:1

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 10 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the first division of the commentary: God Has a Design for Everything.  Upon an initial reading of the full text of Ecclesiastes 10 followed by a pause to seek how to outline the text, I see much of the focus on a comparison between wisdom and folly (and fools), particularly vv1-3, v6a, and vv12-15. V4 offers an admonishment on anger (which is a sin).  Vv8-11 is a segue from vv6b-7 where Solomon sees evil in the world and he sees a paradox in this evil where good is perhaps the intention but harm is the outcome.  This leads me to share, building on my post from a couple of days ago about how God is in control and we should view His providence in all circumstances and strive to see how what God is doing is good and that He loves us.  V4 in particular strikes me because of my own desire to control all aspects of my life and not trust in God (and His design and providence).  Anger, in my view is a natural response when things are not going our way - yet we should be careful because our lives should follow God's way.  I think of Exodus 14:13-14, and while its focus is not on anger but instead fear, the application is the same: trust God and be still. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me, whose design is perfect, and who is in all things.  And You never stop loving me - despite my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a God.  My sin continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.     

But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.

Ecclesiastes 9

But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 9:1

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 9 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the first division of the commentary: God Has a Design for Everything. As a segue from chapter 8, where I posted yesterday how God's thoughts and ways are not the same as ours, and how we should seek God and the Holy Spirit to better understand our circumstances, this morning in chapter 9 - right away in v1 - we are reminded that our lives are in God's hands.  See James 4:13-16 and how we should approach God with humility knowing that our lives are in God's hands. We should then understand that we exist to glorify God and that we should strive to understand God's will for our lives - see Romans 12:2 and lean hard into God and His Word and seek renewing of Your mind.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO SO good! ...in all things and at all times.  Thank You Jesus for Your goodness, blessings, and for my salvation - my cup overflows and I am not deserving...not one bit.  My sin continues today and it will tomorrow and until I meet You face to face and what a glorious day that will be.  I don't know what my life holds but I know that You hold me in Your hands, I am sealed forever, and that You are saving a place for me in Heaven.  Amazing grace indeed.  Help me love You and worship You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Please continue to heal Lisa from cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.

Ecclesiastes 8

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 8 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the first division of the commentary: God Has a Design for Everything. The header in the Bible for vv14-17 is Man Cannot Know God’s Ways, as this text describes how Solomon, reflected back on his life and saw vanity (meaninglessness) everywhere, including in the pursuits of both righteous and evil people.  He saw the hand of God and what He had done and tried to understand God's design and ways but fell short in a full understanding.  Isaiah 55:8 also shares how God's ways and thoughts are not the same as those of humanity.  We can take comfort in knowing that we may not know what He is doing in any given circumstance, we should know that God's ways, designs and everything about Him is perfect, and that He loves, cares, and most importantly saves.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - You saved me while still an enemy to You and You never leave or forsake me. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You loved me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:14-25

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. Ecclesiastes 7:14

I resume my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. Building on my study yesterday, my focus this morning is Ecclesiastes 7:14-25 and how the takeaway of this text relates to the first division of the commentary: God Has a Design for Everything. Clearly, Solomon's text in v14 describes how God designed and has providence over both prosperity and adversity - God is in both and we should see God at work in both.  The text also shares how this should humble humanity such that - apart from God - we should not think with any certainty we know what happens to us after we die. Yet for believers we know we have eternal life as God promises this and He is faithful.  Surrender your life to Jesus Christ - be saved from sin now and for eternity. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - I know all things come from You and that You are in all circumstances.  Thank You for using all circumstances to make me more like You.  I am broken without You.  Your grace is amazing indeed.  Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of the grace and blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this....Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:1-13

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this....Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? Ecclesiastes 7:10, 13

I resume my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  This morning, I start an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 7-11 which is a significant amount of text to cover in one day.  However, by leveraging the commentary outline, which breaks down these chapters not with divisions and associated verses, but simply with divisions that point to text throughout chapters 7-11, I will tackle these chapters in more manageable chunks.  Here are the divisions:

1. God Has a Design for Everything. 
2. Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness. 
3. The Gospel Is the Answer to Our Brokenness and Meaninglessness. 
4. The Gospel Allows Us to Recover and Pursue God’s Wise Design.

My focus today is Ecclesiastes 7:1-13.  Here, there are two verses in my reading that emphasize how we should see God's design in all of life's circumstances (and even be thankful per 1 Thessalonians 5:18). V10 is a command that says that in the midst challenges/trials/suffering we may be currently experiencing, we should not look back at better days we had but instead we should see how God is working within these challenges/trials/suffering.  It is a reminder that God is sovereign over all the details in Heaven and on Earth, including our lives.  V13, similarly, describes how God's designs and plans cannot be stopped - His purpose will not be thwarted - see Job 42:2.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that is before everything and in everything.  You hold all things together and You give me the breath of life.  You most importantly give me salvation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am of course not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus[.]

 Acts 20:24

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus[.] Acts 20:24

This morning, as I wrapped my preparation for my Sunday school class - on James 4:13-17, before returning to Ecclesiastes, I pause to use the Solid Joys daily devotion for today from DesiringGod.com.  Here, as the title of devotion explicitly states we are urged to see how ministry is more important than life itself.  John Piper first reminds us that ministry is not just the job of pastors, but all believers.  Piper points us to Ephesians 4:11-12 where Paul shares while pastors equip believers in the church for ministry, it is believers that do the work of ministry. Piper states: "[w]hat ministry looks like is as varied as Christians are varied. It’s not an office like elder or deacon; it’s a lifestyle devoted to making much of Christ and meeting the needs of others. It means that we “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Whether we are bankers or bricklayers, it means that we aim at advancing other people’s faith and holiness to the glory of God."  Piper than emphasizes the key takeaway, which is to see how our work in ministry is more important than our own life.  He concludes by sharing: "[w]e need not fret about keeping ourselves alive in order to finish our ministry. God alone knows the appointed time of our service. He will decide when our death is not an interruption of our ministry, but the last act of our ministry. Henry Martyn was right when he said, “If [God] has work for me to do, I cannot die.” In other words, I am immortal until my work is done. Therefore, ministry is more important than life."  Incredibly humbling!  Serve God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are that You give me the breath of life.  Thank You Jesus!  Thank You also for my salvation!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

I continue a pause of my study of Ecclesiastes to study James 4:13-4:17 (primarily vv13-16).  Recognizing that the text focuses on pride, and that my posts this week on this text have explored pride in more detail, its important to explore and understand what to do about pride, so this morning I turn to what John Piper refers to in his DesiringGod.com post The Remedy for Pride. Piper starts by describing a slippery slope as he warns that "[w]hen you take three categories of temptation to self-reliance — wisdom, power, and riches — they form a powerful inducement toward the ultimate form of pride; namely, atheism."  Referencing Psalm 10:4, Piper bluntly states: "[u]ltimately, the proud must persuade themselves that there is no God." Prideful people get to this place because as Piper describes "[p]ride cannot tolerate the intimate involvement of God in running the universe, let alone the detailed, ordinary affairs of life."  Piper admonishes us for the little things that may lead to pride such as ending a social interaction with a friend or co-worker "see you tomorrow."  If we say these things without a humble posture that it is God alone who either wills this or not, this is when we get into trouble and start down the slippery slope.  Pointing back to the text in James, Piper then shares "James says that not believing in the sovereign rights of God to manage the details of your future is arrogance." 

Piper then moves to describe how to battle arrogance and pride.  

1. "yield to the sovereignty of God in all the details of life"
2.  "rest in his infallible promises to (a) show himself mighty on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9)", (b) "pursue us with goodness and mercy every day (Psalm 23:6)", (c) "work for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4), and to (e) equip us with all we need to live for his glory (Hebrews 13:21)."  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is in control of all things and You give me breath today and most importantly my salvation....thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these blessings...no I am not...not by a long shot.  My sin continues every single day.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin and turn towards You to receive the mercies only You can pour out.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me grow in my faith and become more like You every day.  Take me I am Yours.  Please provide Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

I continue a pause of my study of Ecclesiastes to study James 4:13-4:17.  This morning, I lean on DesiringGod.com's lab for 4:13-16 (Part 2) where John Piper takes a second pass at breaking down this text in detail.  Part 1 from yesterday focused on how God is sovereign over all, and the key question examined in Part 2 is whether God is sovereign over evil.  

First, Piper shares that this text in James is not the only discussion of God's will.  He then shares that there are two ways in which God's will is expressed in scripture:

1. Will of decree; God decrees something and then it comes to pass; see also Matthew 26:39, Acts 4:27-28, 1 Peter 3:17-18, Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 10:29, Proverbs 16:1, 21:1, Daniel 4:35, Job 42:1-2, Isaiah 53:10.  
   
2. Will of command; God commands something from us (believers); see also Matthew 7:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18, 1 John 2:17.  
   

 Below is a snapshot definition from the lab video.

 

Connecting how God can predestine his Son to be crucified (will of decree) with how God commands all of humanity to do something or not do something (will of command), by sharing the example command that shall not murder, Piper then describes how God is sovereign over evil without Himself ever sinning...."coordinating, managing, governing" but not ever sinning.  Piper then shares that people are responsible and accountable, AND that God is just.  As he concludes the lab, Piper - in response to a rhetorical question someone might have whether God willed abuse of a child - shares that God commands love and hates sin (abuse).  He could have stopped abuse but He willed not for the abuse to stop (and there are examples of this both in our earthly lives and in scripture). God has omnipotent power and "can override all pain and sorrow and turn it for good."  We should focus on how God never stops loving and caring for us and most importantly He shows amazing grace and saves us. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You hold my life in Your hands and You are so full of grace and mercy, saving me from condemnation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation and for the incredible mercies and blessings You pour out for me every single day.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.