With this chapter lets start in the middle.
Verse 9-11: "What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time." (NIV)
The burden here is our toil, or work. We read in Chapter 2 that we should enjoy our work. We talked about a gift from God being the ability to use our gifts for our vocation. This is no different. Because the author remindsd us that God made everything beautiful in it's time. That's kind of important. Not in our time but God's.
It's hard sometimes to see the point of the path we are on. This life is truly a journey. It is a journey from here to there....from birth to a second birth. In the thick of it sometimes I can't see that though. It feels like a lot of running around for no gain.
Verse 14: "I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." (NIV)
This is our journey to do with as we wish. That is the gift of free will. However, verse 14 seems to suggest that God's purpose is fulfilled in our journey with whatever we choose. We choose our path but not God's plan. As I write that I imagine what life would look like if our collective journey was in line with God's purpose. I think that's the idea. We have free will to choose and if we choose to follow the Father things work out much better. We grease the machine...so to speak.
This takes me back to the first eight verses in this chapter. The "everything" section. Every time I read those verses I hear, "To everything turn, turn, turn. There is a season turn..." great song. Great verses.
This section is a profound dichotomy. The yin and yang if you will. On this hand we have one thing and on the other hand another thing. We struggle today to be grey. Ever heard that? "It's a grey area." NO! Anything but grey! Get me far away from that place. I leased a place in the land of blah. Didn't like it.
Life is lived in the differences. Wisdom is gained from understanding this and that. But it is important to realize different is good. Not for the sake of being different but for the sake of being you. Feel, live, laugh, cry...just do it from the core.
That's what I get when I read those verses. God has created everything and every emotion. That says to me that everything is valid and from God in it's time.
So today I pray for you a rich journey with brilliant colors.
Gods Speed,Greg
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Ecclesiastes 2
What encouragement we find in Chapter 2!
In the beginning the author is looking for pleasure. This is a man...a king who has at his disposal all things. His flesh can be pleasured in any number of ways. As we read the beginning we see that is exactly what the wise King Solomon did.
Verses 1-3: "I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives." (NIV)
Here he realizes life is short and he is looking for something good. At first blush one can read these few verses and say, "I have never had great riches at my disposal so I cannot relate." This is untrue. We have all chased after pleasures to a greater or lesser degree. My young life was about that very thing for a good many years. In the end I felt what I believe all have or will...emptiness.
The next section, if you will, He has moved on to labor and work to find fulfillment. Not in the peace of working at whatever for the Glory of God, but working for the glory, satisfaction and pleasure of self.
Verses 4-7: "I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me." (NIV)
His conclusion to all of this is found in verse 11 where Solomon states that it was all chasing after the wind...meaningless.
In all of this I see the stages many of us go through. At this point I picture a modern-day man in his 30s or 40s. He looks around and says, "Wow! Look at the years I have been alive and what have I done?"
Like many Solomon concludes he hates life. (v. 17) Ever been there? Finally, however, his wisdom shows through as we conclude this ride.
Verses 24-26: "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness..." (NIV)
In my mind and life I see verse 24 as finding pleasure in the simple things in life. A cool fall day, the laughter of my son, sitting on my boat, playing catch, drinking coffee on the back patio with my wife, building a bookcase. These are the things that are of life. And we read above that this is from the Hand of God. So, we praise and thank God and live his truth to the best of our ability and we find these simple pleasures all around...as if they suddenly popped up.
I stress to my sons to chose their work based on their God-given gifts and what they enjoy...not where the money is. I tell them from experience that no one finds lasting pleasure in work that is chosen based on income and that it will inevitably lead to a prison. I tell them it is chasing after the wind.
Gods Speed,Greg
In the beginning the author is looking for pleasure. This is a man...a king who has at his disposal all things. His flesh can be pleasured in any number of ways. As we read the beginning we see that is exactly what the wise King Solomon did.
Verses 1-3: "I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives." (NIV)
Here he realizes life is short and he is looking for something good. At first blush one can read these few verses and say, "I have never had great riches at my disposal so I cannot relate." This is untrue. We have all chased after pleasures to a greater or lesser degree. My young life was about that very thing for a good many years. In the end I felt what I believe all have or will...emptiness.
The next section, if you will, He has moved on to labor and work to find fulfillment. Not in the peace of working at whatever for the Glory of God, but working for the glory, satisfaction and pleasure of self.
Verses 4-7: "I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me." (NIV)
His conclusion to all of this is found in verse 11 where Solomon states that it was all chasing after the wind...meaningless.
In all of this I see the stages many of us go through. At this point I picture a modern-day man in his 30s or 40s. He looks around and says, "Wow! Look at the years I have been alive and what have I done?"
Like many Solomon concludes he hates life. (v. 17) Ever been there? Finally, however, his wisdom shows through as we conclude this ride.
Verses 24-26: "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness..." (NIV)
In my mind and life I see verse 24 as finding pleasure in the simple things in life. A cool fall day, the laughter of my son, sitting on my boat, playing catch, drinking coffee on the back patio with my wife, building a bookcase. These are the things that are of life. And we read above that this is from the Hand of God. So, we praise and thank God and live his truth to the best of our ability and we find these simple pleasures all around...as if they suddenly popped up.
I stress to my sons to chose their work based on their God-given gifts and what they enjoy...not where the money is. I tell them from experience that no one finds lasting pleasure in work that is chosen based on income and that it will inevitably lead to a prison. I tell them it is chasing after the wind.
Gods Speed,Greg
Monday, September 10, 2007
Ecclesiastes 1
After a couple of weeks stewing on Proverbs I realized I needed to move on. Something was stirring in me and I didn't know what. Not quite discontent and not quite sadness. Maybe just confusion. I decided to take time to process before going back at Proverbs.
I spent the last week on vacation from my regular job and working with a friend building a dock. It was a great time working with two other Christians. It was a great time working.
I then spent Saturday with my kids and father down at a lake in Clinton Indiana. That was good and peaceful in spite of the rain. Then Saturday night me and the kids watched a movie called, "Facing Giants".
Now some of the dialogue was wodden and the acting wasn't fantastic but man what a story! The backdrop was a football coach and team but it was a Christian movie with Christian themes, lots of prayer and Biblical truth. I sat there for a while after the kids were in bed Saturday night realizing what was missing.
See, I am in a place in recovery and life now where the demons of the past aren't as scary as they once were. I'm calmer. I think I have better direction but I wonder. I realized sitting there in the rocker that I feel somewhat disconntected from God these days. Not in a dire way but on a deep and spiritual level. Well, having gone through Proverbs with all of you I decided to move on to other writings of Soloman. I went next to the book of Ecclesiastes. This is where we are today.
The first chapter starts off with a bang. He announces who he is in the first verse and then drops the hammer.
Verse 2: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (NIV)
At least it felt like the hammer fell.
He goes on to talk about the cycles of the Earth and life but in a very resigned voice.He has seen it all before. "Been there, done that." We hit a cresendo with verse 11: There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow." (NIV)
I have to be honest with you here...I was pretty exhausted when I got to this point in the chapter. But as I read on I realized it isn't dire or even upsetting. It's true but not with a spirit of resignation. It's true with hope because of the rest of the truth.
The last verse states, "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (NIV)
The truth is that it does. Part of wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil. We have both but some of us to a greater or lesser degree than others. But we learn and grow through experience and life and time.
See, wisdom and knowledge are important are important but without love of God and one another it doesn't matter. Chrst told someone that who was questioning Him about the most important commandment.
The balance I came to in the reading of Chapter One is that most of the journey here really is "chasing after the wind" but that the emptiness of growing and experiencing and learning can be quelled with Love.
Gods Speed,
Greg
I spent the last week on vacation from my regular job and working with a friend building a dock. It was a great time working with two other Christians. It was a great time working.
I then spent Saturday with my kids and father down at a lake in Clinton Indiana. That was good and peaceful in spite of the rain. Then Saturday night me and the kids watched a movie called, "Facing Giants".
Now some of the dialogue was wodden and the acting wasn't fantastic but man what a story! The backdrop was a football coach and team but it was a Christian movie with Christian themes, lots of prayer and Biblical truth. I sat there for a while after the kids were in bed Saturday night realizing what was missing.
See, I am in a place in recovery and life now where the demons of the past aren't as scary as they once were. I'm calmer. I think I have better direction but I wonder. I realized sitting there in the rocker that I feel somewhat disconntected from God these days. Not in a dire way but on a deep and spiritual level. Well, having gone through Proverbs with all of you I decided to move on to other writings of Soloman. I went next to the book of Ecclesiastes. This is where we are today.
The first chapter starts off with a bang. He announces who he is in the first verse and then drops the hammer.
Verse 2: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (NIV)
At least it felt like the hammer fell.
He goes on to talk about the cycles of the Earth and life but in a very resigned voice.He has seen it all before. "Been there, done that." We hit a cresendo with verse 11: There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow." (NIV)
I have to be honest with you here...I was pretty exhausted when I got to this point in the chapter. But as I read on I realized it isn't dire or even upsetting. It's true but not with a spirit of resignation. It's true with hope because of the rest of the truth.
The last verse states, "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (NIV)
The truth is that it does. Part of wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil. We have both but some of us to a greater or lesser degree than others. But we learn and grow through experience and life and time.
See, wisdom and knowledge are important are important but without love of God and one another it doesn't matter. Chrst told someone that who was questioning Him about the most important commandment.
The balance I came to in the reading of Chapter One is that most of the journey here really is "chasing after the wind" but that the emptiness of growing and experiencing and learning can be quelled with Love.
Gods Speed,
Greg
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