Sobering Reality
God wants to teach us to live with expectation and impact. He wants every day for us to be alert and ready so that we see that everything is a gift including the work of our hands.
“Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction...Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands...Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders...May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush...The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms...Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper"
Deuteronomy 33:3, 10-13, 16, 27, 29
Before we can ever go out into the world and make a difference, we have to recognize that we are the beloved of God. He loves you personally and individually. You are not alone nor unseen. You are a holy one who is held in His hand. He wants to bless your life. He wants to bless the work of your hands. He wants to protect and provide for you. He wants you to feel His presence so that you live with a peaceful heart and rest in His power.
Where do you need to receive a blessing from the Lord that calls you beloved? Where do you most need help or encouragement today? Jesus came to serve and He starts with you. How can Jesus serve you this week? We can naturally feel like we are meant to serve Him, and it is true we are, but before we serve He serves us, blesses us, and prepares us for where we will be sent. Before God asks anything from you, He wants to work for you.
“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep...O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
Psalms 36:5-9
David danced, sang, and praised God regularly. His songs of praise were basically prayers that he had put to music. What did pray about as he praised? The God who he had seen faithfully bless him, watch over him, and provide for him. Look at how he describes God's love.
Dave says love that reaches to the heavens. Is this not a love unlike anything we have known. We have only known earthly love. What is the difference? Heavenly love is perfect love. Heavenly love casts out fear and fills in the cracks of our hearts. Heavenly love meets us where we are and never gives up on us. Heavenly love is the love of Jesus that sees us and serves us before we even ask for help. How have you experienced God's love today?
David says God's righteousness are like the highest mountains. Have you ever tried climbing a mountain? He is saying it is greater than anything I could imagine but also something tangible that I can see. I can see the mountains. I can appreciate the splendor and beauty. There is beauty and splendor in how God orders the world and does what is right. God wants to guide us into His righteousness so that we can align our life in the right direction. How could His righteousness guide our minds into right thinking today?
David praises the justice of God. Don't we need to know that there will be justice? Thank God that He is just and not unjust, yet it was the payment that justice was due that required Christ on the cross. David says how deep is the justice. Paul asks how deep and wide is the love of Christ. It is deeper than the deepest ocean and wider than you can run. How deeply He suffered for you and how deeply He cares about you. He chose to sacrifice Himself that the just requirement of the law would be satisfied. How will you give thanks for the deepness of the just God? The love, righteousness, and justice of God are meant to awaken us to the glory of His name.
“I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good ...what does pleasure accomplish?” I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. 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 amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness"
Ecclesiastes 2:1-5, 8, 10-11, 13, 22, 24-26
Solomon wanted to find meaning in his life. Where does one find meaning? Where do you find peace and purpose? Solomon started on the outside. He started by doing. He did things that sounded fun and wanted to see for himself if pleasure brought meaning to him. It didn't. He tried doing big projects and building his fortune. Did this bring meaning? Not really. Solomon said everything was meaningless. Do you ever look at life whether pleasures or possessions and think the same thing?
There can be a sense of despair that arises when you search and do not find, but Solomon maintained a seeker's heart. Jesus said seek and you will find. If, like the famous U2 song says, you still haven't found what you are looking for do not give up. Keep seeking. Solomon did learn some secrets. He learned even when he did not find meaning in something that it is better to live in the light of doing what is right, just, and wise. It feels better and it aligns with what God teaches.
Solomon found that the most meaningful thing he could do was to find satisfaction in his toil and be grateful for what he had been given. Why do you think that is? Jesus constantly said change your perspectives. Change the way you think. If you think about what is happening to you or what you do not have, then you will have no peace or meaning. If you see everything as a gift from God including your occupation or the work of your hands then you will experience the power of God's purpose driving your life. This is similar to the message of Rick Warren's famous book "The Purpose Driven Life." If you have not read this, consider investing in helping yourself by reading this book so that you can find meaning in what you do like Solomon sought out.
What is your divine purpose? Do you see what you are doing as a gift and the strengths that you have been given as tool to find meaning in what you are doing? Finding meaning will help you come alive. One of the most important lessons that Solomon teaches us here is to treasure each day and realize that time is short.
“The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.”
Hosea 3:1, 5
Hosea is challenged to love in a heavenly way while dealing with the harm that exists in his relationship with his wife. We all have times of conflict and frustration perhaps not on the same level as Hosea, but for some this could be a sobering reality. How are your relationships? How could the humility of Hosea help resolve a conflict or free your heart from the chain of offense?
For some people the failures of others can cause us to give up and quit. Half of marriages in the United States end currently end in divorce. This is not God's divine design for how we have spirit led, Jesus centered, marital relationships. Each relationship is unique and God's heavenly love for the individual never ends even if the marriage does. Treatment of divorced individuals is an area in which some people in churches have gone astray from the heart of Jesus. This is one area in which the followers of Jesus are called to help bring healing to the world as they introduce the unconditional heavenly love of the Father. How could you help bring encouragement and help to another person dealing with relational hurts today?
“Now...the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong...Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 4-8, 10-11, 14-22, 24
The truth of this passage is that the people of God are meant to live with a sense of urgency. Paul says let us be awake and alert. He is saying time is short so make sure to make every moment count. You were never meant to live a dead end, dreary life. You were not made to life a life where you are living for money but don't find any meaning in the work of your hands. God wants you to feel alive and awake. Jesus said you are to live the eternal life that reflects the hope of the future and the power of the resurrection in this very moment.
How do you find meaning? A simple formula is to use the strengths that you have been given to meet the needs of people around you. Paul says encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and be patient. He says love your neighbor even if they are not being loving. It is our words and actions that reflect our heart. What will your life say about how urgently you desire to share the love of the Father who calls you beloved?
Paul gives three simple daily practices to grow our faith and help us find meaning in how we live. He says rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks continually. RPG. How could you grow in these? The key words are the adverbs that are attached to these action verbs. Always, continually, and in all. It was easy to agree with Paul that we should be grateful, we should pray, and we should find joy. The hard part is doing this always, continually, and in all. Can any of us hold to that standard?
The truth is we cannot in our own strength and that is why Paul says do not quench the Spirit. It is the Spirit that give us the ability to find joy in all circumstances with a thankful heart by revealing and reminding us of all that ways that God has already blessed and served us. The Spirit is the one who takes us from a place where we pray at times in our coming and going to continually as we invite to be the One who is leading us. Jesus wants to meet you where you are and give you what you need. He came to serve, bless, and save you so that you would be empowered to do the same for others. The sobering reality is that life is short. How will this truth change how you live? Will you embrace the urgency of the moment, the generosity of the Heavenly Father, and find satisfaction in using your strengths to make a difference? You were made to live a life of purpose and that purpose starts by receiving the power and presence of the Holy Spirit at your place of need.