Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-20

Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

I pause my study of Numbers, to read Ecclesiastes 5 in more detail as a follow up to my men's Friday AM group, and in the text today, Solomon shares how we should fear God in terms of what we say and do, and how God wants us to see wealth and possessions.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Our fellowship with God, and, in particular how we communicate in prayer (including vows) is something we should not treat flippantly.  Yes, God is accessible and approachable, and He wants a relationship with us but we should communicate with reverence, recognizing that God reigns and that we are completely dependent on Him for all things.  God also provides all that we experience, including wealth and possessions.  They come from Him and they belong to Him - James 1:17.  We can and should enjoy wealth and possessions, but we should first and foremost enjoy God as our most treasured possession, that He saved us and we can never be separated from His love - Romans 8:38-39.
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Many, as Solomon points out, seek their own agenda when communicating with God - see also Matthew 6:7. We know also that many find contentment in their wealth and possessions vs God. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid seeking your own agenda when communicating with God and treasuring wealth and possessions more than God Himself.  Claim the promise that God provides for all our needs and we belong to Him and in Him we have a rich inheritance. Follow the example of Solomon who saw that devoid of God, all is meaningless.  Love God and seek Him with all of Your heart. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love, save, provide and never leave or forsake 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.

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 7

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Daniel 7:28

I continue my study of Daniel in conjunction with a disciple/small group study with my church's men's wake up call. This morning my focus is Daniel 7:15-28 as I lean on my commentary for this text. The commentary outlines one primary division for this text: "God Is Sovereign in His Judgment" with three additional sub-divisions:

• God’s People Will Receive an Eternal Kingdom That Will Last Forever (7:15-18): the commentary emphasizes via v18 how although we inherited a sinful and fallen world as a result of Adam's sin in the beginning, we also inherit the eternal kingdom brought about by the second Adam - Jesus.
• God’s People Will Suffer in an Earthly Kingdom That Will Last Only a Short Time (7:19-26): Believers suffer (v22) until Jesus intercedes for them and in the process giving them the eternal kingdom; the commentary shares how the fourth beast is Rome and more as supported in Revelation 13:1-10 - this beast reigns only temporarily and ultimately this beast is defeated

The commentary wraps by sharing thoughts on how Daniel was alarmed and anxious (v15): "[p]erhaps Daniel’s perplexity might be explained like this: I know a great and wonderful and eternal kingdom is on the way, but there is a long and hard road of suffering before it arrives. Battles will be lost, but the war will be won when the Son of Man comes. Wow! What a wonderful and hope-giving promise!" 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good and I know You never leave or forsake me - in the midst of chaos You are with me and I know no harm can come upon me because You have already defeated sin and death...for me and all the saints!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  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 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.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

I pause both my study of Hebrews and Daniel to listen to and reflect on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional for today, where John Piper seeks to encourage believers to use Paul's words in Romans 8:32 as we struggle to "thrive, or perhaps even survive, as a Christian, in the pressures and temptations of modern life." Of course the takeaway is for us to trust God, have peace knowing that God never stops working for our good, even during the most challenging of times.  Piper goes on to share: "...God is taking every setback and every discouragement and every controversy and every pressure and every pain, and stripping it of its destructive power, and making it work for the enlargement of my joy in God." Be encouraged, trust God, and experience the peace of God knowing he gives us everything.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me everything - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You never leave or forsake me, and You are always at work giving me all that I need.  Thank You Jesus!  I am 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 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 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved[.]

Ephesians 1

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved[.] Ephesians 2:4-5

I pause my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series, to study Ephesians for 3 days per week as I participate in a Discipleship (D) Group that is part of my church. This morning, my focus is Ephesians 1 in its entirety, with a specific focus as well on v1-14.  Chuck Swindoll provides this excellent overview of the book, and he describes how Paul writes this letter to the church in Ephesus from prison in Rome and how unlike other letters he has authored where he seeks to address a specific problem in a local church, here Paul is laying down foundational truths of the gospel with an eye towards encouraging growth and maturity of believers in Ephesus. In v1-14, Paul shares with us the spiritual blessings believers experience in Christ, including:

• how "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world" (v4)
• that He sees us as "holy and blameless before him" (v4)
• that "he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ" (v5)
• ..."In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (v7)
• ..."In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it[.]" v13-14

We must grab hold of these blessings and drive towards maturity, never forgetting them.  Chuck Swindoll reminds us also that fellowship with other believers in daily living is key towards achieving maturity. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who blesses us as believers with a rich inheritance You give us faith and salvation, You seal us with the Holy Spirit and guarantee our inheritance - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  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.