Glad to Go / Prepared to Pray - Psalm 122

"I was glad when they said to me,

'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'

Our feet are standing within your gates,

O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, that is built

as a city compact together;

to which the tribes go up,

even the tribes of the Lord -

an ordinance for Israel -

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

For there thrones were set for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

'May they prosper who love you .

May peace be within your walls,

and prosperity within your palaces.'

For the sake of my brothers and my friends,

I will now say, 'May peace be within you.'

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek your good."

(Psalm 122)

David is glad to go to the house of God. Here is one who did private worship well - very well! Throughout the Psalms his personal prayers, meditative musings, and soulful songs are laid out for us. This is a man who knew how to spend honest, heartfelt time with his God. He glorified gladly within his own house.

Yet David knew that true religion is more than just a "personal relationship" it is also involves public practice and corporate communion. David loved gathering together with the saints in the worship of God.

Psalm 122 gives us a grand glimpse into David's love for the church of the Old Testament and it has granted me a growing groaning for the church of our own day and time. I hope it will you as well. With David, can you and I honestly say "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord"?

Two simple points jumped out at me this morning regarding David's love for the church and are serving as a catalystic hinge pin for examining my own.

David's love for the church was evidenced in the fact that he was glad to go. "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD."

When his fellow believers said, "Hey Dave, let's go and worship our God," David jumped for joy. He hopped to the head of the line. He ran eagerly to the temple. He went to worship. And he went GLADLY!!

Those that love God should react in the same manner today. We should leap for joy and be filled with gladness when our friends say to us, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."

Might I ask, are we glad to go? And if not what does that tell us either about our own heart or about our current congregation?

Oh how we should be glad to go! A biblically functioning church - a church where the word is faithfully preached, where discipline and accountability are mericfully ministered, where fellowship is sweet, where the sacraments are regularly given - is a small taste of heaven on earth. It is through the church of Christ that we find "our feet standing within [God's] gates."

A gospel church is a foretaste of glory.

"When our journey here is tedious we should comfort ourselves with this - we shall be in the heavenly Jerusalem shortly and that shall make ammends for all the fatigues of our journey." (Matthew Henry)

Are we glad to go?

David's love for the church was evidenced in his preparedness to pray. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem....I will now say, 'May peace be within you' for the sake of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good."

David was not only glad to go, he was prepared to pray.

Our prayer life says much about our love life. (I confess that is a personally convicting statement and one that our gracious God has been mercifully dealing with me on over the course of the past year. By grace I am learning.) The things that we most love are often the things that we most meditate upon and if our devotion to them is truly God-centered, will we not dutifully lay them before His throne?

David loved the church and his spoken lip service was backed up by his active prayer service. He prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.

Several specific points of his prayer are laid out in the closing verses of Psalm 122.

1. David prayed for the prosperity of the people who loved Christ's church. "May they prosper who love you." Might I ask - are we praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we praying that God might grant them true prosperity (not particularly financial nor physical - though those are worth of our intercession). Are we praying for their prosperity that they might be used for gospel prosperity? Are we interceding for the saints?

2. David prayed for the protection of Christ's church. "May peace be within your walls." Are we praying for unity among those within her walls and safety from those without? Are we praying that the gospel church might grow and flourish and be spared from unseemly blemishes and from harrowing attacks?

3. David prayed for proper provisions of leadership in Christ's church. "May prosperity be within your palaces." Are we praying for our leaders - praying that God would raise future leaders up and sustain those who already are serving? Are we standing in the gap for our pastors, our elders, and our deacons? They often stand in the gap for us and are so regularly the objects of the fiery flaming arrows of discouragement, temptation, and exhaustion. Are we praying that God will prosper them in their efforst to prosper the Kingdom of Christ?

David owned the call to prayer. He not only exhorted others to do so but took it upon himself to hit his knees.

"I will now say, 'May peace be with you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good."

He was committed to pray for the peace of the church and he did so all for the glory of God and for the good of the saints.

David was glad to go and prepared to pray. Are we?

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Look Up Your Help is Here - Psalm 121

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

from whence shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out

and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

(Psalm 121)

I've come to the end of Ecclesiastes and as is my habit, now begin to work my way through another 10 Psalms. This morning the lines have fallen to Psalm 121. Wow!

I must admit, I hated leaving Solomon's sermon. Its providential pertinance to the present path that I've been traveling has been amazing. I have learned much from the old wise king.

This past year has found me, in many ways, walking in Solomon's shoes. Testing. Questioning. Searching. Faltering under the weight of vanity. Striving to remember my Creator and yet often finding myself forgetful of Him. My God has guided and guarded me through an incredibly dark valley and even this past Sunday morning as I meditated on Ecclesiastes 12 some of the scales fell off of the eyes of my heart. I have loved this book!

This morning I found myself sighing as I went to the Word. "Oh, I'm going to miss Ecclesiastes."

Opening my Bible I found that the next passage in my study order was Psalm 121. A psalm that teaches us to look to God as our all-sufficient One. As I read through this song of ascent I found myself ascending to the mount of thanksgiving. This psalm declares that which my God has done for me, is doing for me, will do for me all the days of my life here under the sun. I have been surrounded by a swelling storm surge - one that has come frighteningly close to pulling me under - yet the God of this psalm has proven true regarding the promises of this psalm - even over the course of the past week. This is a perfect place to land after Ecclesiastes!

Psalm 121 begins with a determined statement from the psalmist. "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains."

Far too often I find myself not looking up, but looking down and looking around. Like Peter when he sought to walk to Jesus I find myself being so overwhelmed by that which is threatening to undo me that I get undone! I look at my circumstances rather than to the God of my circumstances. It is then that I sink - and often sink hard and deep.

We are here admonished not to look down, not to look around, but to look up!

Look up, Lori! Look above your adversarial circumstances. Look above the valley of the shadow of death. Look above the waves. Look above the winds. Look to the mountains - the high mountains. Look to Mount Zion. Look beyond the mountains to the God who is higher and wiser and more settled than the mountains. "I will lift my eyes."

Lift your eyes and look up! There is no safety nor security in focusing on the things that threaten. There is nothing in looking down that will preserve you. Do you need help? Do I? Then look up. Let us lift our eyes!

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes form the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Look up! Look up to the mountains. Greater than that look up to the God who created the mountains. In Him is our help. He who created heaven and earth can create a way out of the wild wilderness for us. Let your hope and your confidence be found in this God who is your Help! The strong God. The steadying God. The steadfast God.

Look up to Him. He has promised us so much. Look at just a sampling of His precious promises from this Psalm.

"He will not allow your foot to slip." He will steady you from fully falling.

"He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." He will never NOT be available. We have an ever watchful and an ever wakeful God. He is never napping and is always watching.

"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand." God has made it His duty to keep us. He is our protector. Could we be any safer?

But not only is the LORD our refuge, He is also our refreshment! He is our shade. He comforts us from the scorching heat of a dry and weary land. He is an oasis in the desert and an ever-flowing fountain for a thirsty soul.

He is at our right hand - "the working hand. Therefore, let us turn ourselves dextrously to our duty and we shall find God ready and near to assist us and give us success" (Henry).

"The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul." No matter what the circumstance. Be it the flames and fires of persecution, be it the frozen tundra of abandonment, the Lord will protect us from ALL evil - from ALL evil! He will sustain us from evils within and from evils without. He will keep our soul - eternally. Even if our flesh and our heart fail - our soul is secure! How safe we are in all situations!!!

Beloved, there is nothing to difficult for our God. NOTHING! There is no situation that can snatch us from His hand (Romans 8:28-39) and no evil that can ultimately overcome us! How unbelievably amazing is this helping, keeping, protecting, always watching, never sleeping Creator God?!

Are you lifting your eyes to Him? What else would you dare lift your eyes too? Look up! Lift your eyes to the moutains from whence your help shall come!!

Oh, these are precious promises. These are protective promises. The God who has made us will help us. The God who is with us will keep us. The God who has ordained our steps will protect us in them. Look up! Lift your eyes to the One from whom your help comes!

The psalmist closes with these words. "The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."

Beloved - this is an ongoing, ever applying, never failing promise. God is our guard. He guards all of our days! He guards all of our ways! He is guarding us as we go out and as we come in. He is our hedge. He is our shield. He is our fortress. He is our comforting and conquering King!! From this time forth and forever - eternally, continually, in life and in death - He is with us. Lift your eyes. Look up!

What circumstances are sinking you this day? What are you looking at? Oh friends, look up. LOOK UP!! Your Helper is near! Your Creator is awake! Your Keeper is kind! Your Guard will guide! Look up and find help for your time of need.

He has enabled me to finally lift my head above the raging river of the past 13 months. He has granted me the grace to look to Him. He has helped me and I am humbled!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

The Succinct Sum, Root, and Rule of Religion - Ecclesiastes 12:13

"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:

fear God and keep His commandments,

because this is the whole duty of man."

(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Quite often I like to just get to the bottom line of things. Let's cut to the chase and filter through the fluff. While Solomon has most certainly not been feeding us any fluff throughout these 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes, he does succinctly boil it all down to the basic message here in the closing words of his grand sermon.

Israel's king has taught us much about the vanity of life lived under the sun. We have been challenged with its brevity - it is but a "puff" - and honestly with the ultimate meaninglessness of it if it is lived only with a horizontal, here and now understanding.

Finally, in verse 13 the preacher's prime and powerful purpose is proclaimed. Life is to be lived veritally if it is to have any lasting meaning horizontally and Solomon is about to give a thumbnail sketch of what vertical, religious living looks like. Here the succinct summary of lifegiving religion is revealed and its foundational root and rule are exposed.

What is the bottom line according to Solomon?

"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man."

Do you want to cut to the chase? Well, here it is.

The true way to live well, the ultimate pathway to peace, the home of happiness, the essence of our chief end is found in godliness. Here is the summary of true religion...

"Setting aside all matters of doubtful disputation, to be religious is to fear God and keep His commandments. The root of religion is the fear of God reigning in the heart - a reverence of His majesty, a deference to His authority, and a dread of His wrath. The rule of religion is the Law of God revealed in the Scriptures. Our fear towards God must be taught by His commandments and those we must carefully observe. This is of vast importance - it is the whole duty of man, it is all his business and all his blessedness. Our whole duty is summed up in this and our whole comfort is bound up in this." (Matthew Henry)

When all has been said and heard this is what it all boils down to: the fear of God and the keeping of His commandments.

Looking at that which is left in the pot of life's purpose I find myself saying: " But...but..but can't do this!!" Oh, how I need God's grace, for who IS able to do that? No one! Not you! Not me! No not one! (Romans 3:10-12)

We are not by nature God fearers. We are by nature self pleasers.

We are not by nature Law keepers. We are by nature rule breakers.

As I have meditated this morning on the "conclusion of the matter" I am overwhelmed by the absolute impossibility of the task before me and it has made my thoughts turn to the true story of Christ's encounter with the rich young ruler. (Luke 18:18-27)

This gentleman came to Jesus wanting to know what he must do to inherit eternal life? He wanted to get to the bottom line and the succinct sum, root and rule of religion.

"Let's cut to the chase good Teacher, what must I do to be saved?"

Jesus, in infinite wisdom, cut to the chase of this young ruler's chase cutting question. In a matter of moments Christ undoes this proud fellow's thinking about his own goodness - "No one is good except God alone" and about his personal ability to keep the Law perfectly.

"So, you want to know what you must DO - well, you know the commandments of the One Good God, so keep them." (Read between the lines "Fear God and keep His commandments.")

"Oh, Teacher, that I have done since my youth!! Whew!! Thanks for the info. Glad that's settled."

But it was NOT settled. Not by a long shot.

Christ went for the heart and He pressed this man with the hypocrisy of his proud assessment regarding his own character and ability to perfectly keep the Law.

Jesus said to him, "One thing you lack, sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me."

"What?!"

This fellow hadn't really kept the law. He had other god's before God and he was controlled by covetousness!

This rich young man relished his riches. This young ruler was ruled by them. This leader was led by his own lusts. And Christ showed him that ultimately he feared losing his things more than he feared God and that he obeyed the desires of his flesh much more than the Law of his God.

Friends, are we not really in the same boat? I know that I am. When backed into a corner with this different twist on Solomon's same bottom line the rich young ruler failed at the conclusion of the matter. He didn't fear God and keep His commandments. We fail as well - every time!

"When the rich young ruler heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich.... And they who heard it said, 'Then who can be saved?' But Jesus said, 'The things impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:23-27)

The ultimate bottom line, the dutiful conclusion of the matter is that the things which are required of us - fearing God and keeping His commandments - are impossible for us.

IMPOSSIBLE!

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

That is why we need a Savior and that is why our God sent One.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

We cannot keep the Law of God perfectly, but Christ did!!

The Lord Jesus came and lived that life that we could not live, died the death that we deserved to die, and rose again from the dead that we might live in newness of life during our days here under the sun and for all eternity with Him in the Celestial City beyond the sun!

Christ came to redeem us from the Law and to justify us by grace through faith in Him.

God made "Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21)

Do you long for the bottom line of the bottom line? It is Jesus!

Christ has done for you what you cannot do for yourself. He has fully fulfilled the "conclusion of the matter." Jesus has done it for you and if you will rest in Him as your only hope and help He will even now do it through you. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" "Apart from Him you can do nothing."

Christ's obedience to the bottom line of fearing God and keeping His commandments is the root of your salvation. It is impossible for you. All things are possible for God!

Rest in the root of His righteousness. Be clothed in the coat His character. Your own garments are but filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

"The conclusion, when all has been heard is: fear God and keep His commandments." Christ has conquered the conclusion and calls you to merely come to Him in repentance and faith. Even that He enables you to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

He, Himself is the succint sum, root, and rule of religion. May we, by grace through faith, rest in the Root and through Him bear much fruit! That's the bottom line of the bottom line!

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:5-7)

"And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)

Fearing God, keeping His commandments, and resting in Christ's accomplishment of my duty,

Lori

Remember While You Can - Ecclesiastes 12:1-5

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,

before the evil days come and the years draw near

when you will say, 'I have no delight in them';

before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars

are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble,

and mighty men stoop,

the grinding ones stand idle because they are few,

and those who look through windows grow dim;

and the doors on the street are shut

as the sound of the grinding mill is low,

and one will arise at the sound of the bird,

and the daughters of song will sing softly.

Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place

and of terrors on the road;

the almond tree blossoms,

the grasshopper becomes a burden

and the caperberry is ineffective.

For a man goes to his eternal home

while mourners go about in the street."

(Ecclesiastes 12:1-5)

Wise King Solomon offers to us some incredibly thought provoking words about really living while we are young and about being sober minded regarding the fact that we will grow old and die. There is much poetic and there is much practical in these 5 verses.

He begins with an exhortation to those who are still in the prime of life - an exhortation to "remember."

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth."

From the beginning of our days we should remember the One in whom our beginning began!! It is He who made us and not we ourselves (Ps 100) and we were made by Him to live for Him.

Young ones - remember Him while you can and live for Him while you may.

"It is the greatest absurdity and ingratitude imaginable to give the cream and flower of our days to the devil and reserve the bran and refuse and dregs of them for God." (Matthew Henry)

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth...." Why should we remember while we are young? Because the evil days are coming. "...before the evil days come and the years draw near." The evil days when old age will creep upon you stealing your abilities and your delights.

Solomon paints the most incredible portrait of old age that I have ever run across. He honestly and accurately describes what the aging process is like with illustrative language. I am strongly leaning upon the enlightening words of Mr. Henry for these thoughts.

The aged man is as the darkening of the sun, light, moon, and stars (vs 2). His abilities and intellect are slowing down and decreasing. He is like clouds returning after the rain (vs 2). He goes from one infirmity and malady to the next. As soon as one ailment is calmed another one begins to flare.

During old age the watchmen of the house tremble (vs 3). The head and hands that have guarded so much of a man's life begin to shake with the tremors of senior citizenship and can no longer serve as a proper guard. The mighty men stoop (vs 3). The strong legs which carried him from place to place - often running - are now feeble and bent down. The grinding ones stand idle because they are few (vs 3). The teeth stop doing what they were made to do because they are falling out. Those who look through windows grow dim (vs 3). Eyesight fails and fades to black.

As if that weren't enough, Solomon continues. In verse 4 he tells us that the doors on the street are shut. In our old age we find ourselves staying in more and more and venturing out less and less. Our doors are shut because behind them we feel more safe. Furthermore, one will arise at the sound of a bird. Our sleep becomes restless and the slightest things awaken us. The daughters of song will sing softly. While a bird may awaken us from our slumber the songs and sounds we so long to hear will fade as our hearing slips away.

In verse 5 things don't get any better. Men are afraid of high places and of terrors on the road. Due to our ever growing weakness and frailty we are fearful of climbing to the heights and even of strolling on the street. We may stumble. We may fall. It is best to avoid those spots. The almond tree blossoms. The hairs of our head (if they remain) turn white as the blooms of the nut tree. And finally, the grasshopper becomes a burden. Even the slightest things are a drudgery and a heavy weight.

There is nothing pleasant about the aging process. Therefore...

"...remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them.'"

May we heed Solomon's admonition knowing that our day is coming. "How can we expect God to help us when we are old, if we will not serve Him when we are young?" (Henry)

We are born, we live young, we grow old, and then we die dead! "For a man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street."

The day of our demise will come. Solomon has always been forthright regarding that fact. What we have remembered in the days of our youth will effect where we go in the days after our death.

"Death will fix us in an unchangeable state. Man shall go to his eternal home." (Henry)

We shall go home but what home are we heading for? What treasures are we storing up in this life that will follow us into death? Where is our eternal home? Who is our father? Is it the Father of light or the father of darkness? We are either living as children of God or children of the devil and that familial condition will determine which home we will spend our eternity in. Therefore, the question is a crucial one.

Dear friends, remember while you can. Remember your Creator and live for Him. In so doing you will die with Him and will find rest - eternal rest. "For a man goes to his eternal home."

For the Christian this should bring great comfort. Who doesn't want to go home to see this Father? Is He your Father?

Beloved, no one comes to this Father but through Christ. Jesus Himself said:

"I am the way and the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father, but through me." (John 14:6)

Flee to the way to real remembering. Remember Him and you will never be forgotten.

Remembering and resting,

Lori

Gracious Giving - Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

"Cast your bread on the surface of the waters,

for you will find it after many days.

Divide your portion to seven, or eight,

for you do not know what misfortune

may occur on the earth.

If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth;

and whether a tree falls toward the south or north,

wherever the tree falls, there it lies.

He who watches the wind will not sow

and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.

Just as you do not know the path of the wind

and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman,

so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening,

for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed,

or whether both of them alike will be good."

(Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

My natural habit is to hoarde and my selfish tendancy is to take. Solomon here says, "NO! Make it your practice to provide." He is teaching us the important lesson of how to become a gracious giver.

These six verses are on charity and benevolence. For years I think I've missed their significance and relevance and have simply skimmed over them rushing to get to the next "meaty" section of Solomon's sermon. Not this year - cue the sound of squalling brakes - I'm stopping and I'm staying and I'm staring at what lies before me.

Israel's great preaching king is "pressing the rich to abound in liberality to the poor." Now, before you say "Well, that doesn't apply to me, I'm not very rich, I don't have much at all", let me challenge your thinking. Comparatively speaking - on the scales of humanity, we are all so rich. Even in our current economy we have so much more than many in this world and we can always find someone in worse straits than ourselves. So may we listen and learn without trying to weasel our way out of this life lesson.

In our abundance (and even in our mediocrity) are we giving freely to others?

We should be. As Solomon says, we need to "cast our bread on the surface of the waters." We need to give graciously ...

"...even though it may seem thrown away and lost as that which is cast upon the
waters. Send it on a voyage and send it as a venture, as merchants that trade by
sea. Trust it upon the waters; it shall not sink." (Matthew Henry)

We need not only to give graciously but we need to give generously. "Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight...."

"Be free and liberal in the works of charity. Give not a pittance, but a 'portion' - a meal. God is rich in mercy to all, to us, though unworthy; He gives liberally, and upbraids not with former gifts." (Henry)

We need to give graciously and generously and we need to give without excuse. "He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap."

If we look hard enough we will always find a reason to keep rather than to cast. "Well...bad times may be a coming. I probably need to store up a bit more for myself. I'll give another day."

"If we stand thus magnifying every little difficulty we shall never go on with our work." (Henry)

Yes, bad times may be "a coming" which is all the more reason for us to give graciously and generously this day!! "You do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth." Now is the opportunity. Let us do good while we are able and excuse our excuses from our presence!

In our gracious and generous charity, in our non-excusable beneficence, we must trust. We need to trust God with our giving - even if we cannot see clearly how He will provide. "Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things."

God has promised that He "loves a cheerful giver" and that as we give it shall be given unto us - good measure, pressed down, and shaken together! His economy is not like ours - praise Him for that truth!! He will make good on His promise and follow through on His word even if we cannot fathom how. Do we fully understand the wind? Do we fully understand our own formation? No, yet we trust that it is and that it works. Let us do the same with our liberality.

"Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening." Let us give and let us trust. Whether out of little or out of lot let us give graciously knowing that God has always outgiven us and always will.

In His glorious grace,
Lori

The Marks of Magistrates - Ecclesiastes 10:16-17

"Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad

and whose princes feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility

and whose princes eat at the appropriate time -

for strength and not for drunkenness."

(Ecclesiastes 10:16-17)

Well, there is certainly nothing new under the sun - including the reality of wise and foolish leadership. Throughout history, nations have been guided by the prudent and by the idiotic, by the kind and by the treacherous. In our current times it is so -one country is governed well and another is governed wildly. In our own nation we see it to be true - look at the headlines regarding those folks who rule over us and think of your first reaction to some of their shenanigans - "He did what?!?!!"

Clearly Solomon knew of the reality and here he addresses the problem with both woes and blessings.

First of all, he offers a "woe" to the nation who is "led" by an immature prince. Matthew Henry pointed out that it may not refer only to immaturity of age but immaturity of understanding. There may be an old foolish king and there may also be a young wise king. Age is not the issue.

The foolish magistrate is the one who "feasts in the morning." In otherwords, his appetites rule him, not he them. He is a slave of his own lusts and serves himself when he should be serving his people.

Why woe? Because when the land is led by a lax lad things will fall apart. "Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks" (Ecc 10:18). The foolishly feasting prince is not the prepared prince. His walls are weak. His borders are broken. His people become peasants. The nation that is thus ruled by the fool will suffer grave consequences.

"When judges are epicures, and do not eat to live but live to eat, what good can a nation expect?!" (Henry)

But...

"Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time - for strength, and not for drunkenness."

Quoting Mr. Henry at length:

"The people cannot but be happy when their rulers are generous and active, sober and temperate, and men of business. Wisdom, virtue and the fear of God, beneficence, and a readiness to do good to all mankind, these ennoble royal blood. When magistrates are more in care to discharge their trusts than to gratify their appetites; when they eat in due season, that is, when they have dispatched their business, the land is blessed. Magistrates should eat for strength, that their bodies may be fitted to serve their souls in the service of God and their country. It is well with a people when their princes are examples of temperance, when those that have the most to spend upon themselves know how to deny themselves."

Oh, for such leaders in our own land. I am reminded by these words of my need to heed Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 2.

"I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

Are we praying for increasing wisdom and selflessness for those who rule over us? If not, shouldn't we start?

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Oral Dysentery - Ecclesiastes 10:14

"The fool multiplies words."

(Ecclesiastes 10:14)

Growing up, my dad had a phrase to describe those whose tongues wagged continuously: "oral disentery." That is the malady that Solomon is addressing in Ecclesiastes 10:14.

Foolish people tend to talk all the time, incessantly, non-stop and far too often with no purpose other than to tickle their own fancy. Perhaps they hope that with a large quantity of words there might arise some positive quality of words. Alas, it is content not volume that shows true wisdom.

Matthew Henry made me chuckle this day. "Many who are empty of sense are full of words!"

Would we be wise? Let us keep our mouths shut much more often. Let us bridle our tongues, be quick to listen and much much slower to speak.

The wise man can say a lot with very little. Choose your words carefully and speak them humbly! Here's praying that our "little" words would be great words and that our few would go far!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Stinky Ointment - Ecclesiastes 10:1

"Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink,

so a little foolishness is weightier

than wisdom and honor."

(Ecclesiastes 10:1)

The picture here is not pleasant. Dead flies decomposing in a bottle of fine perfume. Somehow the value of that ointment seems a bit lost at this point!! No thanks, I think I'll pass!

Solomon draws a vivid comparison of those dead flies and their soiling effect on that precious perfume to a wise man who has acted foolishly and soiled his reputation. It only takes one fly in the ointment to make a massive mess of things!!

Henry wrote:

"A little folly is a great blemish to him that has a reputation for wisdom and honor, and is as hurtful to him as dead flies are to sweet perfume. True wisdom will gain a man a reputation, which is like a box of precious ointment. The reputation that is gained by a great deal of wisdom, may be easily lost, by a little folly."

Hear and heed. One foolish act may tear down and destroy years of wise living. Keep your fly swatter handy. Keep the lid of your perfume sealed tight. Keep close to the One who is the fount of all true wisdom and understanding. "In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise knowledge and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).

By grace, may we fear God and fight off the foolish flies!!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Dying Well Under the Sun - Ecclesiastes 9:12

"Moreover, man does not know his time;

like a fish caught in a treacherous net,

and birds trapped in a snare,

so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time

when it suddenly falls on them."

(Ecclesiastes 9:12)

I suppose that living well can best be summed up in the words of a certain young lawyer who answered one of Christ's questions in this way:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus replied to this expert in the Mosaic law by saying, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:27-28)

Is that not exactly what Solomon has exhorted us to do in the previous verses of Ecclesiastes 9?

To live well we must love well. We must love our God well and strive to love our neighbor well. It is hard to do - no, it is impossible to do in and of ourselves. Yet, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Oh, how I praise God for Christ - my Help and my Hope!!

Prayerfully and with the aid of Christ's glorious grace given to us, living well will lead us not only to existing with excellence but to dying with dignity. Living well shall lead to dying well. Ecclesiastes 9:12 has made me pause to think about dying well.

It gives us a bit of a wake up call where our death is concerned as well as drawing our attention to the circumstances which may lead to it. We know not the hour, nor the day, nor the way in which God will bring this brief breath that we call life to an end. But, it will come to an end. "Man does not know his time." Yet, his time is appointed (Hebrews 9:27). So are all of the trials and tribulations that come before it.

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven - a time to be born and a time to die...." (Ecclesiastes 3)

"Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other." (Ecclesiastes 7)

We live.

Honestly, from our perspective, at times while we live life stinks and then...

...we die.

Sigh!

So...how do we handle that?

How do we respond to the evils that would snare us and steal our joy, swipe our hope, silence our praise? How do we respond to calamity here under the sun - the calamity that makes us stagger in our living as well as the calamity that may lead to our dying?

Solomon, in speaking of our ignorance regarding the time of our end, couples that proclamation with references to fish and nets and to birds and snares. He speaks of sudden and unexpected distress. What in the world is he talking about? What does that have to do with life and death?

Perhaps everything!

Matthew Henry's summation of these verses pierced me to the core this day. He wrote:

"We are often surprised with evils. Man knows not the time of his calamity. It is not for us to know the times, no, not our own time as to when or how we shall die. God has, in wisdom, kept us in the dark, that we may always be ready.

"We may meet with trouble in that very thing wherein we promise ourselves satisfaction, as the fishes and the birds are drawn into the snare and net by the bait. Men often find their bane where they sought their bliss."

I was stopped in my tracks with that last paragraph -

"We may meet with trouble in that very thing wherein we promise ourselves satisfaction.... Men often find their bane where they sought their bliss."

How true. How frighteningly true!

We are often unaware of what the things which we seek after may actually produce for us - unless of course we are seeking Christ. He alone is the one, certain, and unchangeable card in the deck of life - the One which trumps all others and which cannot be snatched from our hand! All other things, all other people - no matter how precious and no matter how faithful - are filled with much uncertainty here under the sun. "Men often find their bane where they sought their bliss."

Yes, Mr. Henry - you are right. We are often surprised in this life. There is MUCH we do not know and much that remains dark and veiled to us here. (No wonder we need "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path"!) The end may come upon us unawares. No, I must correct that, the end WILL come upon us unawares.

"Man does not know his time."

In meditating upon this verse this day I must ask myself and you my loved ones the following:

In these days before our end what are we seeking the most? The bait of this world? The things which will lead to nets and snares? Are we seeking our own pleasures? Are we seeking the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life" - those things which seek to lure us in and hold us captive? OR are we seeking "first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" - the chief end of man which will lead to the chief blessing from God?

What is the treasure we are living and longing for and is it an imperishable and undefiled treasure - one that will not fade, one that is reserved, one that is secure (1 Peter 1:3-9)?

There is only one Pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46) and we would all be wise to seek it above all others! Real living and victorious dying are found only in one place - one Person - one Savior! (John 14:6)

My friends, "to live is Christ." And if, through Him, we are living FOR Him then it is certain that "to die is gain." However, if our mantra is "to live is ME" then let it be known that "better off is the one who never existed."

Sp, how are we living and for whom are we living? That answer will be the determining factor of how we will find ourselves dying. We know not the time - but there is One who does. Are you resting in His hands?

"The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth." (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)

"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

"But in all of these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!"' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.'" (Revelation 14:13)

"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

Ready to die well, striving to live well, and all by His glorious grace,

Lori

Living Well Under the Sun - Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

"Go then, eat your bread in happiness,

and drink your wine with a cheerful heart;

for God has already approved your works.

Let your clothes be white all the time,

and let not oil be lacking on your head.

Enjoy life with the woman whom you love

all the days of your fleeting life

which He has given to you under the sun;

for this is your reward in life,

and in your toil in which you have laboured

under the sun.

Whatever your hand finds to do,

verily do it with all your might;

for there is no activity or planning

or knowledge in Sheol where you are going."

(Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)

The old chiche' of the certainty of death and taxes still holds true. The current state of our nation is clearly displaying the reality of the latter - "taxes"- and Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 9, has been reminding us of the inevitability of the former - "death".

In verse 3 of this chapter he bluntly tells us that "there is one fate for all men...they go to the dead." The writer of the book of Hebrews phrased it like this: "it is appointed for men to die and then to face the judgment."

Death, since the fall, is a reality we all will face. No exceptions!

Knowing that we will die, Solomon hopes to challenge us regarding how we will live. We KNOW we will die - so what are we doing in the meantime and what are we doing to prepare for that day?

The preacher king reminds us that while there is life, there is hope - hope for salvation, hope for reconciliation, hope for LIFE not merely under the sun but above it as well. He poetically points us to the truth that it is while we are living that choices can be made and that once we are dead it is too late to make them.

"For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun." (vs 4-6)

The admonition is simple. Our limited days under the sun are the only times where we can prepare for our eternal days elsewhere. What happens here - while we are joined with the living and are granted free opportunities at loving God, hating sin, and zealously pursuing truth - lays the foundation for what will happen "there" (in our eternal destination).

At the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise preacher will point us to the ultimate goal and purpose of life under the sun. He will share with us these words: "The conclusion, when all has been heard is: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all men."

That is the ultimate starting point which leads to the practical living point. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom - including the beginning of the wisdom that leads to living well.

Do you long to live well in this life? Solomon - the king who tried it all, tested everything, and grabbed all the gusto he could get - tells us how to. He says live to God and live well for God!

"Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart.... Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun.... Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it will all your might...."

Bottom line - Christian - make the best of the life that has been given you under the sun. Love your God and your family and your friends to the fullest. Enjoy them. Cherish them. Savor them. Serve them. As you do, be sure to keep a clean conscience ("let your clothes be white all the time") in all of your actions towards them. Serve the Lord and serve others with gladness. Live joyfully amidst the gifts that God has given you. And, by grace, do your duty with all of your might.

The days of this life are "fleeting." They are but a blip. Live them fully. Live them freely. Live them fervently. Live them faithfully.

I don't know about you, but I probably have some life re-evaluating to do. What kind of Christian am I? What kind of wife and mom and friend am I? Am I heeding Solomon's counsel or am I hoarding my own?

Longing to live well,

Lori

[By the way, here's a link to the story of Zac Smith (33) who died this past Sunday from cancer. He was a Christian, a husband, a father, and a friend. He says that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him because God used it to teach him these very lessons from Ecclesiastes 9. Enjoy, be convicted, be challenged and be changed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Qb1qdXn4o]

In His Hands - Ecclesiastes 9:1

"For I have taken all of this to my heart

and explain it that righteous men,

wise men, and their deeds

are in the hand of God."

(Ecclesiastes 9:1)

My husband was in the insurance business for several years before heading off to seminary. He was an auto claims adjuster for State Farm. A rival insurance company had a motto - they still do - in which they referred to themselves as "the good hands people." Solomon, in this passage of Ecclesiastes, points us to the ultimate "good hands" insurance - the hands of God.

Christian - you are in good hands. No matter what befalls you there is One who holds you. No matter what seeks to shake you there is One who has a firm grip on you.

NO. MATTER. WHAT. His hands are there and His strong hands are attached to His everlasting arms. "The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

God has a peculiar care and a precious concern for His children. Our Father has us in His hands and there is no safer place to be.

Our Father's hand is an omnipresent hand - it is always with us. It is a righteous and a holy hand - it will never do us harm nor evil. It is a good hand - in all things it is seeking our best. It is a tender and compassionate hand - always caring and comforting us, drying tears from our eyes, binding up our wounds, holding us close. It is an omnipotent hand - driving away the enemies that would seek to destroy us.

The "good hands" of All-State have nothing on the great hands of the Almighty!

Matthew Henry cross referenced several additional verses which speak of our being in God's hands. They are precious promises regarding the hands that hold us.

"Indeed He loves His people; and His holy ones are in His hand." (Deuteronomy 33:3)

"But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, 'Thou art my God.' My times are in Thy hand." (Psalm 33:14-15)

"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:29)

Back in 1824, William Lloyd put it like this:

My times are in Thy hand; my God, I wish them there; my life, my friends, my soul, I leave entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand; whatever they may be; pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand; why should I doubt or fear? My Father's hand will never cause His child a needless tear.

My times are in Thy hand, Jesus the Crucified; those hands my cruel sins had pierced are now my guard and guide."

Oh, we are loved and kept by the powerful hand of our Father. Our times ARE in His hand.

Dear friends, I know not what this day or the days to come may hold for you but I do know that the hand of God is orchestrating our days holding us in them, and guiding us through them.

With that fact in mind I find myself crying out with Jeremiah the prophet, who also spoke of being in God's hands. He wrote:

"But as for me, behold, I am in Your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight." (Jeremiah 26:14)

There's no better place to be nor any better prayer to pray.

Held securely in the hands of God,

Lori

Above the Line Under the Sun - Ecclesiastes 8:17

"And I saw every work of God

and I concluded that man canot discover

the work which has been done under the sun.

Even though man should seek laboriously,

he will not discover;

and though the wise man should say,

'I know,' he cannot discover."

(Ecclesiastes 8:17)

Several weeks ago I had lunch with a good friend from another town. Our conversation was broad,covering a variety of topics, yet all framed within the context of our God and Savior and of His providential dealings in this world that we currently inhabit.

In the midst of discussing life we ended up reminding each other that, truth be told, there are just a lot of things in this life that don't make sense. Under the sun there are many secret things and this side of heaven much remains mysterious.

I found myself quoting Deuteronomy 29:29 (as I often do when things puzzle me and seem beyond any reasonable explanation). There, Moses reminds us that "the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law."

My friend shared with me that she knew of a seminary professor who, when asked obviously unanswerable questions in class, would quote that very verse and then would draw a line on the classroom board. Above the line were the "secret things" that belonged to the all-knowing and infinite God. Below the line were the "revealed things" that belonged to the small-knowing and finite us. He would simply answer his students by pointing atop the horizontal line he made and saying "Gentlemen, THAT is above the line."

Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 8:17 is telling us that we need not trouble ourselves with striving to grasp that which "above the line" here under the sun. It is above the line for a reason. It is secret for a reason and that is part of the faith journey that we are on. Faith has not yet been made sight. Secret things have not yet been revealed. Let us not put the cart before the horse but ride patiently in the wagon while looking at the back-end view! The day is coming when questions will be answered and when we will see things as they truly are.

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)

"And I saw every work of God and I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under teh sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover..." (Ecclesiastes 8:17)

Friends, God is God and we are not. Were we able to understand and comprehend all of His ways and means and thoughts and actions then He would not be very "God-ish" and therefore not very worthy of our reverant awe. The "secret things" and the things that we "cannot discover" are honestly the very things that make God most amazing and the impossibility of His existance the REAL imposibility!

Now, to shoot perfectly straight with you, I must confess that I am one of those people who far too often likes to attempt to venture above the line. I try to jump the hurdle of divine wisdom and seize it as my own. I want all of the pieces to fit and when they don't I can tend to freak out a bit - OK, so perhaps a bit more than a bit!

Those who know me well know that I am a chronic doubter and the quintessential questioner. I am a woman who loves logic and reason and who believes - despite my doubts and questions - that the Christian faith is not merely some blind-faith crap shoot but is truly the most solid, reasonable, and firm foundation for the understanding of anything. Those reasoning characteristics can be both good and bad. They are good when, by grace, I use them "beneath the line". They are bad when I try to use them to force my way "above the line".

Knowing my tendancy to "cross the line" is perhaps the thing that makes Solomon's admonition so good for me. With him, I have "concluded that man cannot discover the work which [He] has done under the sun." It is a vain waste of my time to even try to step across "the line" into the secret regime. Besides, is there not MORE than enough that has been "revealed" here beneath the line that I still don't know?

I suppose the bottom line of it all is that I need to master what has been made available to me beneath the line and practically apply it here under the sun before even bothering to reach beyond the stars to that which my puny finite brain can't contain anyway.

With Job I once again find myself covering my mouth with my hand. A fool without knowledge, daring to darken the counsel of the all-knowing and just-enough-revealing God.

The time will come when secrets will be revealed. Lord, help me to be willing to wait and make me a wondering worshipper in the meantime while I live under the sun.

Marveling at the God who is above, while I am here below,

Lori

Look in the Mirror! - Ecclesiastes 7:20-22

"Indeed there is not a righteous man on earth

who continually does good and who never sins.

Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken,

lest you hear your servant cursing you.

For you also have realized that you likewise

have many times cursed others."

(Ecclesiastes 7:20-22)

All right - here is the official Word spanking of the day. Get ready and brace your bums 'cause Solomon is about to go to meddling and well he needs to!!

He begins with the reminder that we are all sinners. "Indeed there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins." Paul tells us the same thing "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Truly there are no perfect people.

That is an important caveat as we wait for the "whooping" that is coming. It is crucial that we realize that "those whom we deal with are not incarnate angels but sinful sons and daughters of Adam." We are all imperfectly in this life together. We all blow it. We all sin and sin severely. Let it sink in - believe it to be true about others and know it to be true about yourself!

OK -with that said, here it comes...

Solomon goes on to talk about the things we say about one another. He tells us to not take seriously every word we hear about ourselves and to remember how often our own lips have been unlovingly loose and rashly ridiculous.

Matthew Henry puts it like this:

"If we be truly angry with ourselves, as we ought to be, for backbiting and censuring others, we shall be the less angry with others for backbiting and censuring us."

OUCH!! That hurt and I won't be sitting down the rest of the day!! I certainly won't be opening my mouth for the rest of the day!!

Friends, let us show patient mercy towards one another. Let us be quick to allow love to cover a multitude of sins. Let us forgive as we have been forgiven. And let us always be mindful of our own shortcomings before pouncing on someone elses.

Humbled,

Lori

Extreme Excessivity - Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

"Do not be excessively righteous,

and do not be overly wise.

Why should you ruin yourself?

Do not be excessively wicked,

and do not be a fool.

Why should you die before your time?

It is good that you grasp one thing,

and also not let go of the other;

for the one who fears God

comes forth with both of them."

(Ecclesiastes 7:16-18)

Man, we tend to do extremes - and we tend to do them with excess. I know for me it is often "all or nothing". If I am going to serve Christ then - whammo - I'm tossing all my eggs in the basket and I'm going to serve full throttle - until I serve myself slap dab into the middle of burn out! If I'm going to bail on Christ then I'm going to do it with much gusto and shake my fist in His merciful face with all the arrogant chutzpa I can muster! I have always been a person of extreme excessivity so these particular verses are a needed balance for my wavering scales.

Upon first glance I had to pause and wonder at what Solomon could possibly mean when he wrote "do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise." Aren't righteousness and wisdom things we are to seek after and strive for? Don't we want more and more of them? Yes, of course, but the overarching theme of these verses is on balance - the BALANCED Christian life.

"Do not be EXCESSIVELY righteous...."

We have all run into the radically ridiculous Christian. The one who is so far in his extremeness that he becomes absolutely unuseful in his attempts to be used. Throughout history the extremely religious have been around. There have always been those who have sought self-denial and self-mortification as an outward form of excessive righteousness. There were the docetic stylites who so wanted to know God and so wanted to get away from their own flesh that they built huge pillars upon which to live. Up on these pillars they would deny themselves and show the seriousness of their faith. The godliest of the group were the ones with the tallest towers and the fewest neighbors. Christianity has seen its share of self-denying monasticism and extreme reclusivity. Even today we find those who seek to live in communes and congregate in holy huddles - avoiding any contact with culture to extreme levels. Self-righteous separatism is certainly one example of excessive righteousness that needs to be avoided.

However, that type of excessive "righteousness" is not what cuts at my own core this morning. No, I am convicted by another form of extreme excessivity - the excessive "righteousness" that is manifested in a critical spirit. I can be "excessively righteous" and "overly wise" in setting my opinions about Christ and His holy doctrines as the benchmark of holiness for everyone else. I can be a "righteous" jerk and this morning I am convicted that a critical spirit is not a truly righteous spirit at all. It is a fault-finding, self-glorifying counterfeit and it needs to die.

We are not to be excessively "righteous" nor excessively wicked. Bottom line we are wicked - even our attempts at excessive righteousness show our tendancy towards wicked pride. Oh how we need the wisdom and the grace that is given in Christ to strike the balance. Oh how we need to take hold and "grasp" the gracious wisdom that is found in Him.

Henry wrote:

"Wisdom will direct us in the way between the two extremes and will keep us always in the way of duty. Take hold of this wisdom not to run thyself into either snare. Take hold of the bridle by which thy headstrong passions must be held in, and having taken hold, keep hold."

Oh Lord my God - please keep me from extreme excessivity by keeping me grounded, balanced, and united to You!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Consider - Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

"Consider the work of God,

for who is able to straighten what He has bent?

In the day of prosperity be happy,

but in the day of adversity consider -

God has made the one as well as the other."

(Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)

"Consider!"

I'm not sure we ever pause to "consider" enough in these busy days of life. To consider means to stop and to be still and to strive to think God's thoughts after Him instead of wallowing in our own ways and whims.

How often in the days of our lives do we truly stop and meditate on revealed truth rather than running headfirst into felt need? How often do we "consider the work of God"?

Here Solomon challenges us to pause and do just that- particularly regarding the ways of our days.

Two absolute antitheses are laid out here in verses 13 and 14 - the day of prosperity and the day of adversity. No two days could be more diverse yet, clearly, both are said to be the work of God. "He has made the one as well as the other."

How often we love to declare His hand in our triumphs. How rarely we exalt His name in our sorrows. Yet we need to praise His name in both! We need to consider that He has made the one as well as the other and perhaps in the midst of that consideration we would cease from being such whinny little self-centered cry babies (making note to self!!) regarding our current circumstances.

Henry writes:

"To silence our complaints concerning cross events, let us consider the hand of God in them and not open our mouths against that which He is doing. Consider that EVERY act of God is good and wise and that there is an admirable beauty and harmony in His works and that all will appear at last to have been for the best."

What does this day hold for you? Is it a day of prosperity? Then rejoice! Is it a day of adversity? Then consider God's hand in it and rejoice anyway!

Considering the work of God,

Lori

Lessons From the Land of Oppression - Ecclesiastes 7

"For oppression makes a wise man mad,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

patience of spirit is better

than haughtiness of spirit.

Do not be eager in your heart to be angry,

for anger resides in the bosom of fools.

Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were

better than these?'

For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this."

(Ecclesiastes 7:7-10)

Oppression! It comes to us in many forms and with many facets. At times in this life we have all been oppressed - all of us - in one way or another.

On some occasions it may have been an actual physical oppression by an actual physical oppressor. In my own life there have been several times like that - painful times - deeply oppressive times.

However, more often than not my personal oppressions have been in the emotional and spiritual realm. Not only avowed enemies but even loved friends and family have oppressed me by their words and absent actions and the lingering weight of heartache has been - well- oppressive!

I have oppressed myself from time to time by lingering too long in stubborn sin and being oppressed as I sat in my own idolatrously formulated seat of scofffers. God, in His wisdom, has even on at least one occasion seen fit to seemingly abandon me to be buffetted by an unseen enemy who's oppressive talons have at times been almost overwhelming and utterly - yes, oppressive.

Oppression comes in many shapes and sizes yet its wearying effects are the same and ultimately God's design in it is the same. That's what Solomon seems to be addressing in these four verses. His words have encouraged my currently oppressed heart this day!

First, Solomon gives us an honest picture of just how exhausting oppression can be upon the one oppressed. "For oppression makes a wise man mad."

Prolonged oppression can make us act as we normally would not! If you have ever spent an extended period in the center of oppressive suffering you understand this. As the days drag on you feel a bit like mad king Nebuchadnezzar who in his period of emotional and spiritual oppression headed out to munch on the grass that grew upon the distant hills! Madness accompanied this wise king's oppression and it often accompanies our own!

Sometimes, by grace,we begin strong on the anvil of affliction. By grace, we begin with Job crying out victoriously - "though He slay me, yet I will trust in Him." By grace, we don't listen when we are told to "curse God and die" but respond with similar sanctified speech as did this suffering saint who went before us: "shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adveristy?"

But...then...

Somewhere along the way we stop responding "by grace" and begin responding "by self". Even righteous Job fell victim. He who had lost everything and yet in response honestly proclaimed "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" is found (in chapters 29-31) wishing for the "good ol' days", wallowing in a pity part, accusing God, and just being flat out ticked off regarding his circumstances. His oppression led to a bit of worn out madness. Aren't you glad that the saints of scripture are real?! You are not alone, the madness of oppression is "common to man" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

We often begin strong and somewhere along the road of extended suffering we end up weak. That is Solomon's reminder to us in verse 7: "for oppression makes a wise man mad."

Matthew Henry encouraged my heart greatly with his thoughts on this verse. He writes:

"If a wise man be much long oppressed, he is apt to speak and act unlike himself and to break out in complaints against both God and man. We should therefore make a great allowance to those that are abused and long suffering. We know not what we would do if it were our own case."

Good words. Good reminder. This is not an excuse for our sin but a reminder to be gracious with others in their sin just as God is gracious with us in ours! How I pray that God will grant me the grace to be patient with the oppressed and that others will be mercifully patient with me.

Secondly, Solomon exhorts us to wait patiently upon the Lord's ultimate purpose in our oppression and upon His "right on time" deliverance from our oppression. "The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of heart."

OK - agreed - this is NOT an easy thing for we are NOT a patient people! We see in a mirror dimly and we want to see through a window clearly! We want the microwave version of sanctification. We want the Staples "easy" button in the midst of the slow-roast of life! We want what we want NOW - right now - post haste! And we are haughty and arrogant in our demands for God to act when and how we desire Him to! We need to stop! We need to cease striving and know that He is God and we need to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ!

While we may not know exactly what God is purposing in our pain we do know - by the declaration of His word - that He is purposing something! Nothing comes into our lives by chance but by sovereign ordination. Our times are in His hands - all of our times! Our paths are carved in perfect faithfulness - even the crooked ones. He is causing all things and causing them to work together for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28). The end of the matter will be better than the beginning because the all-wise and righteous God is the keeper of the flame of refining fire. He will heat it up just hot enough - yet no hotter - as is perfectly necessary to bring us forth as purified, precious, and valuable gold! Therefore, wait patiently - by grace. Submit to His will in your oppression - by grace. Anticipate the certain deliverance of your King - by grace.

"Those who wait for the Lord, will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get weary, they will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Third, Solomon reminds us that we will not do any of this perfectly!! "Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools."

He has already given us one honest assessment regarding the affects that prolonged oppression can have on a wise sinner's soul (vs 7). Here I believe it is alluded to once again.

You know, we are sinners - all of us (Romans 3:23). God is well aware of that - that is why Christ came! He is well acquainted with our frame and knows that we are but dust. We are all prone to wander and apt to stumble. We blow it - repeatedly. There is only One who is perfect - and it is not me!

We get angry. We lose our cool. We blow and spew like Mt. Vesuvius. It happens. It is a fact. So what do we do about it?

Solomon, being like us, encourages us to not be eager in our anger nor to let it reside in our hearts. Anger is going to rise up in the heart of oppressed sinners but how will we respond?

This morning I was greatly encouraged by these verses because honestly I do get angry far too often and yet I hate it about myself and find myself seeking and striving to have my anger ejected from my life. Like Paul in Romans 7 - I do the very thing I hate and hate the very thing I do!

I believe that the Romans 7 struggle is exactly what Solomon is getting at here in Ecclesiastes 7. We are not to eagerly seek after the angry flipping of our lid nor are we to make a special guest room in our hearts where it can come and stay and settle down and be made comfortable. No, we are to hate it and to want to be rid of it - and as true Christians we do hate it even though in paradoxical fashion we coddle it more regularly than we'd care to admit. Oh wretched sinners and transgressing adulterors that we are who shall save us from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!!

Quoting Henry again: "Though anger may come into the bosom of a wise man and pass through as a wayfaring stranger, it resides only in the bosom of fools."

Gracious Lord - help me to hate this all to frequent passer by and grant me the strength to evict him from my doorstep each time he knocks!

Finally, Solomon points us to be content in the moment that God has ordained. "Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this."

Job said it - "Oh that I were as in months gone by" and we say it too - "Man, those were the good ol' days!"

Yet may I ask, is there truly ever any better day than the day God has ordained for us this day?

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!" Beloved, do we believe the psalmist on this one and are we living accordingly?

Turning one final time to Mr. Henry:

"We must make the best of what is and not assume that the former days were better days. We are so much a stranger to times past and such an incompetant judge even of times present that we cannot expect a satisfactory answer to our inquiry. It is folly to cry up the goodness of former times so as to derogate from the mercy of God to us in our present times."

Selah!

How foolishly, stubbornly, and self-absorbedly we (I) reflect upon the providence of God in our discontent and complaining states - as if He were acting in an unjust or unkind fashion!! ! How arrogantly do we (I) act as if we know what is best when in reality we don't know squat!! Oh, Lord our Lord help us to trust ourselves to the wisdom of holy omniscience that we would cease striving and know that you are God!

Yes - oppression hurts - sometimes like hell itself. However, equally YES, God is in our oppression with sanctifying purpose and with an already determined and right on time escape plan. "'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus - oh for grace to trust Him more!!"

The end will be better than the beginning. Therefore, let us wait on the deliverance of the King of Glory and with Job let us recognize the folly of our grumbling and complaining and say:

"Behold, I am insignificant: what can I reply to Thee? I cover my mouth with my hand. I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."

God let Job rant and rave and rail for a moment in his oppression. Then God spoke and then Job shut up. We would be wise to do the same knowing that the same God who ordered Job's oppression restored Job in that oppression and "increased all that Job had twofold". Friends, let us wait patiently and humbly upon our God to do the same for us in just the right way and at just the right moment.

Waiting,

Lori

Sustaining Grace - Psalm 119 (part 14)

"Sustain me according to Thy word,

that I may live;

and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

Uphold me that I may be safe,

that I may have regard for Thy statutes continually."

(Psalm 119:116-117)

Throughout this wonderful psalm, David has prayed quite a few two-word prayers - each serving as a reminder to us that it is not the number of words but the heart behind them. David understands his need and knows that he doesn't "need" a lot of words to express it.

Here is a short list of those needy two-worders:

"revive me"

"strengthen me"

"teach me"

"establish me"

"help me"

"save me"

Verses 116-117 give us two more of these two-word pleas:

"sustain me"

"uphold me".

This morning I direct you to Matthew Henry's thoughts on these verses. He writes:

"David prays for sustaining grace - "sustain me" and "uphold me." He sees himself not only unable to go on in his duty by any strength of his own, but in danger of falling into sin unless he was prevented by divine grace.

"We stand no longer than God hold us and go no further than He carries us. Those that hope in God's word may be sure that the word will not fail them, and therefore their hope will not make them ashamed."

My prayer this day echoes David's. I need sustaining and upholding grace. I will find it as I meditate on the truths of the Scripture and as I am filled with the Holy Spirit who works in us through the Scripture.

I say that I will find it there because it profoundly strikes me that all of these two-word prayers have one remarkable thing in common - the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

"revive me according to Thy word"

"strengthen me according to Thy word"

"teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes"

"establish me in Thy word"

"all Thy commandments are faithful, help me"

"save me, for I have sought Thy precepts"

"sustain me according to Thy word"

"uphold me that I may have regard for Thy statutes continually"

Wow!

Do you need reviving and strengthening? Do you need to be taught? Do you need to be established and helped and saved in and from the storms of life? Do you need sustaining and upholding grace to keep going? I surely do and therefore I need the word.

I think I'll go spend a little more time in it and I pray that you will too!

Sustained by His grace according to His word,

Lori

A Time for Everything / A Purpose in Everything - Ecclesiastes 3

"There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every event under heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to tear down, and a time to build up.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search, and a time to give up as lost;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;

a time to be silent, and a time to speak.

A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace....

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in their heart....

I know that everything God does will remain forever;

there is nothing to add to it

and there is nothing to take from it,

for God has so worked that men should fear Him."

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 - selected verses)

The Byrds sang these words from Ecclesiastes well. "To everything - turn, turn turn, there is a season - turn, turn turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven." Things change and shift and swing pendulumatically in this life. We are born, we die. Things are built, things are destroyed. Day becomes night. Summer turns to winter. Turn, turn, turn.

These words are familiar to the redeemed and to the rebel alike. They are poetic and they are poignant. They teach us that there is indeed a time for everything - for everything! However, the broader context teaches us that there is also a purpose for everything.

That purposefulness is what got my attention this morning. Here's what struck me:

First, God is sovereign in this world of changes. "There is an appointed time for everything." (vs 1)

Our times - even our changing times - are in His hands. He is "working all things according to the counsel of His will" and "His sovereignty rules over all." The turnings of life are not random but regulated and they are regulated by the all-wise hand of the holy One who does all things well! "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" The answer is a resounding "yes"!

Things in this life are mutable, but the God of this life is immutable. So is His promise to work "all things together for the good of those who love Him and are the called according to His purposes." Let us, therefore, not be shaken by the shifting sands of time but let us be secured by the steadfast Rock of Ages!

Second, God is working wonderfully here in the middle of life's changes. "He has made everything beautiful in its time." (vs 11)

Our God is orchestrating this magnificent symphony of life with absolute perfection and with glorious harmony. It is beautiful even if it appears filled with dissonance and discord.

We need to remind ourselves of where we are in the grand scheme of things. We are not living at the beginning of the masterpiece of creation where the shear awe of the dawning of day causes us to go "Wow!! What an incredible plan!" We are also not living at the end of creation where all of the pieces are nicely tied up and the crowning acts of providence are laid out in valiant victory. No, we are living slap dab in the middle of it all. We know that the ball is rolling because we are rolling with it and we know it is heading to some spot, but as of yet we can't quite tangibly take hold of its ultimate destination. So at times, while living here in "middle earth", we find ourselves wondering if there really is a rhyme or reason to the continual turning of the sphere of existence. Is someone really conducting the concert of life or are we all just doing our own thing and making a mess of the music along the way?

Oh, there is a Conductor and there is an Artist. And He is directing and designing with the utmost of perfection and purpose.

While changes often seem meaningless and their shadowy outlines often appear sketchy they are all part of the perfect plan of the Grand Architect. "While the picture is being drawn we see not the beauty, but when the artist has given it its finishing strokes, then all appears very good" (Matthew Henry).

We are living on the back side of the Persian rug. Here we see the knots - but the knots are that which form the most detailed beauty in the whole tapestry. There we shall step and behold the other side - the finished work - the masterpiece! At that hour we will all stand amazed at the perfect wisdom of our perfect God in every part of His perfect providence. "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Third, God has so ordered the constant ebb and flow of life under the sun that it should make us long for the constant security of life beyond the sun. "He has also set eternity in their hearts." (vs 11).

I remember years ago reading through C.S. Lewis' book "Mere Christianity" and being grabbed by his idea that the very fact that nothing in this life ever truly satisfies is in and of itself a testimony of the fact that we were made for someplace else - someplace better - someplace other - someplace eternally satisfying. That is exactly what Solomon is talking about. This is not our home. We are "aliens and strangers" who are merely tabernacling on our way to the true land of our habitation - heaven. Aren't you yearning for something more? Is it not because you were made for something more? All of creation is groaning and anxiously longing for the consummation of the ages. (Romans 8:18-25). I know I am!

Finally, God's ordained decrees are perfectly purposed! "I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take away from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him." (vs 14).

This is what blew me away this morning. There is a time for everything. There are changes in everything. There is longing for more in everything. There is a God-ordained purpose in everything!

God is eternal and so are the works He has done. God is perfect and so are the plans He has performed. There is not one single mistake in any of His ways. There is nothing missing nor anything to excess.

Listen to Mr. Henry's words on this very thing:

"We must be satisfied in the disposals of divine providence, both as to personal and public concerns. Let all be as God wills, for no matter how it crosses our designs and interests, God's will is His wisdom and that counsel needs not to be altered. If we could see it all together in one view we should see it so perfect that nothing could be added to it for there is no deficiency in it, nor should anything be taken from it, for there is nothing in it that is unnecessary or that can be spared."

Do you get that? Do I get that? There is nothing - NOTHING in our lives that has happened without Divine purpose. NOTHING that has come our way nor anything that has been removed from our path that has not happened in perfect faithfulness and omniscient wisdom. All has been done with holy purpose!

Are you overwhelmed by the turns of your life? Oh, my friend don't be. God has sovereignly ordained every single step of your life here in "middle earth". He has sovereignly ordained every single step and every single detail that we might not be satisfied here with the temporary but that we might hunger and thirst for the eternal and He has done it all with perfect purpose.

Life changes - God's character, God's promises, God's perfect plan does not. Rest in the immutable. Rest in the Beautiful. Rest in the Eternal. Rest in the reverent fear of God which is the beginning of all true and lasting wisdom under the sun. Rest my friends - rest!

Turning with purpose in the hands of my Potter,

Lori

What Are You Thinking About? - Psalm 119 (part 13)

"Oh how I love Thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.

Thy commandments make me wiser

than my enemies,

for they are ever mine."

(Psalm 119:97-98)

David loves God's law and that love is shown to be more than just momentarily emoted romanticism by the fact that David thinks on God's law. The law of God is his meditation ALL the day. God's commandments are EVER his.

What about us? If we say that we love the Word can we back up our lip service by our thought service?

What are you and I thinking on all the day? What is ever in our minds? What are we carrying around in our heads and in our hearts as we go about life? The answer to those questions just might give us an honest clue as to just how much we love the Law.

Longing to love the law more.

Lori