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.

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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.   

[Paul prays that believers] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3

     [Paul prays that believers] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter fifteen - More Awed by the Glory Revealed than the Glory Concealed.  Here, John Piper encourages us to see how Paul, even though he acknowledges how God's ways are often mysterious, push us to greater maturity in Christ so that God can reveal more of His glory in our journey with Christ.  Piper writes: "[Paul] would say that God is most glorified when we are stunned and admiring and worshipful and joyfully submitted to him because of what we do know about him, not because of what we don’t know about him*."  Piper points to Romans 11:33-36 as very often misunderstood and misused to emphasize the mystery of God whereas Piper shares how it emphasizes not what is NOT revealed but instead on what IS revealed, pointing to the text and how it describes the previous eleven chapters of Romans.  Piper then points out how the previous three verses (Romans 11:30-32) reveal the glory of God's plans for both Jews and Gentiles and exhorts to be amazed at what God reveals. He wraps the chapter by pointing to Ephesians 3, first 3:8-9, then 3:18-19, where Paul exhorts us to follow him to search for God's glory and He will reveal Himself to us. We are encouraged to join Paul on the path as he leads us to tread the heights seeking God's glory.

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose love and ways are certainly incredible and often mysterious but often revealed to us when we search for them.  Thank You for speaking to us directly and through Your Word and others such as leaders in our church.  I am not deserving of the blessing of how You speak and reveal Yourself to me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me 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.

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high[.]

Job 15-17

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high[.] Job 16:19

Day 255 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with my study of Job as Eliphaz once again addresses Job to seek to comfort him, and to help him understand his suffering. The MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase) indicates that "[Job] had no one to turn to in his sorrow, except God, who was silent and had not vindicated him".

As I posted a few days ago, suffering might suggest an absence of God in our life, but God is always at work. We must lean into God as He promises that if we

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13

 

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:17

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that comes near to me as I come near to You - and I know that You will never leave or forsake me....and You saved me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin continues - harshness in my words and actions - many times directed towards Zach and others close to 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 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 near to God and he will come near to you.

James 4

Come near to God and he will come near to you. v8

Who does not want God to be near to them?  Scripture elsewhere also talks about this: 
Jeremiah 29:12-13 > Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 
Proverbs 8:17 > I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Lamentations 3:25 > The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.

Jesus - I DO desire to be near to You and I do want Your goodness. I have experienced this richly in my life and I want more of it!

My Prayer: Lord You are the rock star of rock stars!  There is no God like You and I love You. I need You desperately in my life - to cleanse me, to protect me, to encourage me, teach me, etc.  Help me Jesus!  I know You have blessed me beyond what I deserve already and for this I am deeply grateful.  I am not worth such blessings - I am impatient, quick to anger, etc. Please forgive me.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me continuously seek You.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa comfort and strength.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Please heal Lisa of this cancer permanently - now!  Help this surgery go successfully.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.