If I Could Do It Over Again

Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, 13

“If I knew then what I know now I would certainly do things differently.”  “If I could go back in time, I would do things differently.” Looking back over our life so far, many of us have said words like this.  We find that theme in today’s Scripture passage from the book of Ecclesiastes.

The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon towards the end of his life.  Solomon was the son of King David and his wife, Bathsheba. He was raised by his parents to love, worship, and revere the Lord God.  When Solomon was a young man he became king, and at first he followed in his father’s footsteps. However, he was drawn away from God by his many pagan, heathen wives.  Throughout his adult life Solomon sought satisfaction and fulfillment in many pursuits - grand houses, gardens, music, food, wealth, intellectual endeavors, etc. He was a great king, and nothing was beyond his reach.  However, as the years passed, he realized that this was folly. These pursuits did not satisfy, and he was still empty. Now in his old age, Solomon returned to Yahweh, the true God of his youth. He knew that he was a fool to ever have walked away from Him.  The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by him to warn the younger generations to not make his mistake. He warned them to come to the Lord in their youth, and to walk with Him throughout their life.

As Solomon and most of us soon find out, old age sneaks up and is quickly upon us.  We wake up and find out that our youthful, strong and quite capable body has been replaced with one that is old and unable to move and work like it used to.  In verses 2 - 7 Solomon gives a poetically descriptive look at an aging body. Let’s look at this interesting description.

Youth is typically the time of dawning light and strength - a new day.  Old age, though, is the time of twilight’s gloom, diminished strength and ability - the end of the day.  Solomon describes this in verse 2. He then proceeds to describe the different parts of his body that are aging and are not like they were in his youth.  In verse 3 we read about the “keepers of the house”, which are his hands and arms. They protect us, like guards and doormen of a building. Solomon noticed that they start to tremble in old age.  The “strong men” are his legs. In youth they are strong. In old age, however, they get weak. The “grinders” was Solomon’s descriptive word for his teeth. Many people find they have fewer of their natural teeth in old age.  In Solomon’s day there weren’t dentures or dental implants, so he had fewer teeth with which to “grind” his food. “Look through the windows” describes the eyes. As we age we often find our eyes grow weaker. In Solomon’s day there was no cure or operations for cataracts, either.

In verse 4 the “doors” describe the lips.  They don’t have much to say anymore, and furthermore, Solomon finds that the elderly aren’t listened to as much as when they were younger.  “Sound of grinding is low” describes eating, as he used the word “grinders” as teeth in the previous verse. Often the elderly will lose their appetite and eat less.  “Rises up at the sound of a bird” - the elderly don’t sleep as well, often getting up early. “Music brought low” describes the loss of hearing many have in old age.

Solomon continues in verse 5 telling how often the elderly are afraid of heights.  They fall more easily, and so are afraid to climb stairs or a step-ladder. The “almond tree blossoms” describes the gray or white hair of old age.  An almond tree will blossom with white blossoms. They also grow physically weaker, so even a grasshopper is a burden. The “mourners” describe the funerals of their friends and contemporaries, and their own as well.

In verse 6, the silver cord is the spinal cord.  The bowl pictures the skull. And the pitcher, wheel, well, and fountain are all used to bring water, so they could figure the fountain of life, the heart.  These are all broken, which pictures death. Life is fragile. Death comes easy, swiftly, and unexpectedly. Life is a precious resource to be used wisely, not squandered frivolously.  We all return to dust, to God. Solomon reminds the young that they will not have the ability to enjoy a godly old age if they do not remember God in their youth (vs. 7-8, 13). We must put God first, over all, because without Him we have nothing.

As King Solomon found out, a life without God can bring a bitter, lonely, and hopeless old age.  It is better to turn to God and commit one’s life to Him in one’s youth, before the trials of life turn one bitter, discouraged, and cynical.  God is the only one who can satisfy. A life centered around God is fulfilling. Don’t let the excitement of youth keep you from seeking God, and drawing close to Him.  Don’t seek passing pleasures instead of eternal values.

Coming To The Father In Prayer

Luke 11:5-13

Are you a persistent person?  Do you keep at something until it is completed, no matter how long it takes, or how difficult it is?  Or are you someone who gets frustrated easily, and tends to give up, especially if the going gets tough?  In our Scripture reading today from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Let’s open up this passage and see what the Lord is teaching us.

Jesus starts His lesson with telling a story of a man who has a late night guest arrive at his house (vs. 5-8).  This guest hasn’t eaten anything, and unfortunately the man finds he doesn’t have anything to feed him with. There are no late-night fast food places to go to, and rather than be an inhospitable host, he goes next door and starts knocking.   The neighbor has already gone to bed, along with his whole family. It is late at night, the lights are all out, and everyone in the house is sleeping. That doesn’t stop our man. He keeps knocking, even after the neighbor has told him to go away and let him and his family sleep.  His persistence pays off, and the neighbor gets up and loans him the food he needs for his guest.

The second example that Jesus gives is that of a good parent (vs. 11-13).   If a child asks his parents for bread or other food, is he handed a rock, or something poisonous?  No, of course not! A loving parent will give their child good food, not anything that would harm them.  Our God is certainly a most loving parent to us!

What lessons is Jesus trying to teach us with these examples?  For one, Jesus wants us to know that we are to come to our Heavenly Father in prayer for whatever we need.  There are some people who believe that we shouldn’t “bother” God with all sorts of small, seemingly unimportant matters, as “God has all the big problems in the world to deal with”.  The guest of the man in Jesus’ story would not have died had he gone to bed a bit hungry, so perhaps that man could have waited until the morning to go and get food.  Instead, though, he went right then and kept asking, kept knocking, until his neighbor gave him some food (vs. 9-10).  God wants us to come to him with every need and concern we have.  Nothing is too unimportant to bring to Him in prayer.

Another thing that Jesus wants us to learn is that God is not some mean ogre who very grudgingly doles out His gifts and blessings.  If we sinful and imperfect humans give our children what they need, and often even more than they need, don’t we think God would do the same?  (vs. 13).

We need to remember some things about prayer, though.  God wouldn’t tell us to pray if He wasn’t going to respond.  However, we must meet some requirements in prayer if we expect to get an answer from Him.  First, we must have a right relationship with Jesus Christ by trusting Him as our Savior. Also, after we have become a Christian, we must choose to live in godliness (Psalm 66:18).  Another thing is we must make right requests, according to God’s will (I John 5:14). I’m sure it is not God’s will for me to live in a huge mansion with my own personal jet, so if I pray for those things (which I don’t!) I’m not going to get that prayer answered!  Sometimes when we pray for something that is unselfish and seemingly right to pray for, like good health, a job, etc., God might not answer right away because He has something better for us. He wants to mold us into the image of Jesus, and wants us to develop a more compassionate or patient character, or one that is less attached to worldly goods.

God wants us to be persistent in prayer.  He said that everyone who asks would receive.  He rewards them that diligently Him (Hebrews 11:6).  Jesus tells us in this chapter of Luke that we need to spend time in prayer, and what His response will be.  If we come to God in prayer with the right motives, putting first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), and if we live for Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).  Only prayerful fellowship with God will always see us through, and give us direction when the storms and fires of life come. We serve a God who answers prayer.

Beware Of False Teachers

Colossians 2:6-15

Following someone who teaches you the wrong things or way about something can get a person into a lot of trouble.  Learning the wrong way to load, unload, and clean a firearm could be dangerous. Being taught to mix different strong, chemical-based cleaning solutions could be deadly.   Being taught the wrong things about God, sin, and salvation is also a very serious mistake. The church in Colossae had been visited by some false teachers who were trying to instruct the believers there in some very false teachings, and part of Paul’s letter to the church was to clear up these wrong beliefs.

Among other things, these false teachers were instructing the believers here that in order to be saved one must be circumcised and faithfully follow the Jewish ceremonial Law.  Paul was adamant in telling the Colossians that this was not the case. False teachers get people to believe in lies (vs. 8). They rob people of the truth of salvation, and of blessings.  False teachings, which do not follow God’s Word, are empty lies and worthless deception. Circumcision symbolized man’s need for the cleansing of the heart. It was the outward sign of cleansing of sin that comes by faith in God.  When we get saved, we have a spiritual circumcision of putting off the sins of the flesh (vs. 11-12). The outward affirmation is believers baptism. Baptism parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and it also portrays the death and burial of our sinful old way of life, followed by a resurrection to a new life in Him.  Today false teachers might be telling people that we need to do this or that in order to get to heaven, or to please God we must eat or not eat certain foods. The only thing one must do in order to be saved is believe that Jesus died for your sins, and to call upon Him as your Savior (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). Our commitment to God is written on our hearts, not on our bodies.

Paul continues to teach the Colossian Christians some basic doctrines and teachings.  One was to review in their minds the doctrine that Jesus is both God and man (vs. 9). Jesus is God incarnate.  Jesus was not a god-like man, nor a man-like god. He is God-Man. He is both fully God, and fully man (John 1:1, John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-8).  Everything was created by and for Jesus, and is under His authority - all nations, governments, and rulers (vs. 10).  Everyone will one day bow the knee to Him (Philippians 2:10). Jesus alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life because He is Life.  He is the source of knowledge and power, for the Christian life.  We are complete in Him, for as born again believers, we have Jesus’ perfect righteousness, and full sufficiency of all heavenly resources for spiritual maturity (vs. 10).

Another basic teaching Paul brings here is that before we accepted Jesus as Savior, we were “dead in our trespasses” (vs. 13).  We were totally devoid of a spiritual life. Only through our union with Jesus Christ can those hopelessly dead in their sins receive eternal life. By Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, God totally erased our sin debt, and made our forgiveness complete (vs. 14).  A crucified man’s crimes were written down,and then nailed above his head on the cross. Jesus had “King of the Jews” written above Him on the cross (Matthew 27:37).  When Jesus took upon Himself all of our sins, they were nailed to the cross (vs. 14). The cross spelled the doom for Satan and all of his demons (vs. 15). Satan was defeated at the cross.  Jesus won the victory!

Paul also taught us in this passage today that our daily conduct should reflect our faith in Jesus (vs. 6).  Our life and behavior should be patterned after the Lord Jesus. Our faith should be rooted in sound doctrine, not the false teachings that were infiltrating the early church, and also infiltrate churches today (vs. 7).  We need to be built up and established in sound doctrine. Paul warns us to refuse to listen to ungodly advice or false philosophies so popular in the world, along with worldly values (vs. 8). As a plant gets its nourishment through its roots from the soil, so we should get life-giving strength from Jesus.  The more we do, the less we will fall victim to false teachers.

The Lord Completes What He Begins

Psalm 138

Have you ever worked on a large jigsaw puzzle, one that has 1,000 pieces or more?  Some people are good at those, and are especially patient and can work them to completion.  Others get frustrated and after awhile quit, and put it all back in the box. Some people like to read really long novels, while others get tired of them and never complete the story.  Others may find an art project such as a painting or sculpture, or a sewing project appealing. Have you ever started something like that, but never finished it? Completion. In our psalm today King David reminds us how God does not leave things uncompleted.

When we go through a particularly difficult time, a time of problems and troubles, we might feel like the Lord has forgotten about us.  We might feel as if we have been set aside, like an unfinished puzzle, art, or sewing project. King David, who wrote this psalm, probably felt like that at some point in his life.  However, the Lord let him know that was not the case, and at the end of this short psalm, David shares with us that the Lord will perfect or complete that which concerns us (vs. 8).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we give our lives over to His care.  However, when those big problems in our life happen, we may feel that He has given up on us, that we’re like that project that gets shoved aside and forgotten.  Or we feel like we are in American football, where our life is the ball that has been passed into the hands of a player who is to take it and run to the endline goal.  However part way there, the opposing team tackles him and the ball is dropped, never making it to the end. Let me assure you, God has a firm hold on the ball, on you, and He will make it all the way to the end, to complete the play.

David knew that God would never abandon him, nor forsake the work of His hands.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, reminded the believers there, and us as well, that God began a good work in us when we were saved, and He will complete it until the day the Lord returns (Philippians 1:6).  God has a purpose for each of our lives. He promises to never leave us, and He will fulfill that purpose for our lives. Oh yes, Satan will try to thwart that purpose. He, like the opposing team in that football game, will try and stop that purpose from being completed.  God is bigger and more powerful than the biggest, burliest football player ever, and He has a firm grip on us. He will safely carry us to the end. He will take care of us! We are not forgotten!

The Lord never gives up on us, either.  We may give up on a project, but God doesn’t.  As the Lord spoke to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:1-6), we are like a clay pot that a potter makes.  If it isn’t turning out right, the potter remakes the object. That’s what God does with us. He doesn’t just toss us aside.  (Isaiah 64:8).

Even when we walk in the middle of trouble, surrounded by them, God’s right hand will reach out and save us from our enemies (vs. 7).  He is mighty to save us, and to calm us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17). We can rest in this promise. No matter what our problems are, God promises to save us in the midst of them.  We need to lean upon Him.

How can we be sure of this?  Because God has promised this to us in His Word.  As David said early in this psalm in verse 2, God has magnified His Word above all His Name.  God’s Word, the Bible, is supreme above everything else in the world. The Bible is not just any “good book”.  It is God's Word. It is His holy revelation to humanity. Our confidence and hope should rest in nothing less than the Lord and His Word.  God is the One who has begun a good work in us, and He is the One who will carry it on, not us.  What the Lord begins, He completes.

Be An Intercessor

Genesis 18:20-33

Many people, at some point in their lives, have spoken a word or interceded on behalf of someone, perhaps for a relative or close friend.  Most of us who are believers have prayed to the Lord for others, including interceding for a loved one’s salvation. In our passage this morning from the Book of Genesis we read of an occasion when Abraham interceded for the residents of a city, and especially for his nephew and family.  Let’s take a closer look at this passage.

Earlier in the chapter God had promised the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah that within a year’s time they would have a son.  Now they are walking beyond Abraham’s tent compound, and the Lord shares with Abraham that because of their great wickedness, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed.  The sin of these two neighboring cities was so great that it had reached a point of no return (vs. 20). However, even though God knew how wicked they were, He was going to give them one last chance to repent, and He sent two angels in the form of men to give a last warning (vs. 21-22).  Even today, with how evil the world is quickly becoming, God is waiting to give men the opportunity to turn to Him (II Peter 3:9). He does not want anyone to perish, but rather, that they would turn to Him.

Abraham knew that his nephew Lot and his family lived in the city of Sodom.  He also must surely have known that those two cities were dens of iniquity. If God was going to destroy those cities, his nephew would die too, and of course he didn’t want that.  Though Abraham knew Lot was far from perfect, he had not fallen to the level of his neighbors. Would God destroy him, too? Abraham knew through his close relationship with Him, that Yahweh was a merciful God, and that He would make a distinction between good and bad.  So Abraham stepped out in faith, and began to intercede on behalf of his nephew, any other righteous residents, and really on behalf of the whole city. He knew God’s character, that He could only do what is right, and that He is above reproach (vs. 23-25).

Abraham pleaded with God, asking for the city to be spared if 50 righteous people could be found in there.  Though the Bible doesn’t give the populations of either city, they were substantial cities at that time, and Abraham pleaded if only 50 be found.  As the two continued to talk, Abraham pleaded down the amount of righteous to be found, for 45, then 40, 30, 20, and finally if only 10 righteous be found, would God spare the cities (vs. 27 - 32).  Abraham was not trying to be crass or manipulative. He was humbly and compassionately interceding, not only for the life of his nephew, but for the whole population. The count had gone down from 50 to 10.  Abraham knew how wicked Sodom and Gomorrah were, and also knew that Lot was not a good or effective witness there.

Judgment was inevitable (vs. 33).  Abraham knew that God is just, and that He will punish sin.  When he left the conversation he knew that God would be kind and fair.  He knew that God was merciful, as well as just. God does not take pleasure in destroying the wicked, but He must punish sin.  God is both just and fair.  We may ask for what we wish, but God’s answers come from His perspective.

Like Abraham did, do we pray and intercede to God on behalf of the lost?  Do we plead with Him for the salvation of our relatives? Do we hear about all the terrible things that happen in the “big cities”, and just shake our heads and complain about the wickedness there, or do we lift them up to God in fervent prayer?  Abraham prayed and interceded for the souls of these residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. His prayers spared the lives of Lot and his family. Many of our friends and relatives are spiritually lost and on their way to an eternity in hell, without God.  They desperately need our prayers for their salvation. There is a wicked world out there on a fast, steep, slippery descent into destruction. Our own community, and the cities near us, all need our prayers. Like Abraham did, we need to pray for the lost.

Martha And Mary

Luke 10:38-42

Today’s Gospel reading from the Lectionary of this past Sunday brings us to a short but insightful passage from the Gospel of Luke.  It tells of the account of two sisters, Martha and Mary, and what activity in our life that the Lord considers most important. Let’s take a look at what our Scripture passage has to say.

As our passage opens we read that Jesus and His disciples have arrived at a certain village (vs. 38).  This village was Bethany, which was immediately to the east of Jerusalem, and right next to the Mount of Olives.  Bethany was also the home of three very dear friends of Jesus, Lazarus, and his sisters Martha and Mary. When the three hear that Jesus is in town, of course they invite Him to stop by their home.

Martha, who was possibly the older of the two sisters, seems to have been the housekeeper in the family, one who loved to have a perfectly kept home, and was an excellent hostess.  When Jesus arrived in the home with His twelve apostles, she goes into action with preparations for a nice meal for them. Martha certainly wanted to set a nice table! Jesus and the apostles would total thirteen, and who knows whether there might have been others who were not apostles, but also followed Jesus around faithfully.  So there was plenty to do, much food to prepare to give them all a really good meal.

As Martha gets busy in the kitchen preparing food to feed her numerous guests, her sister Mary sits down at Jesus’ feet to listen to His teachings (vs. 39).  Martha has a lot to do, with food to prepare, the fire to get going in order to cook and bake what she is making. Perhaps she has to make a trip to a grocery store in order to get more food.  There are dishes to set on the table, pots and pans to wash, more food to prepare. Martha was getting into a tumult, fussing about with all the many details that were too elaborate and not necessary (vs. 40).

As Martha keeps passing the doorway to the room where Jesus and His apostles and disciples were, seeing her sister sitting there listening to Jesus teach God’s Word, she gets more and more irritated.  Here she is, all by herself in a hot kitchen getting food for a crowd, setting a nice table for the special guests, working herself ragged, while Mary is just sitting around doing nothing to help! Martha finally had enough, and goes in to complain to Jesus.  Maybe He’ll tell her to get up and start helping!

However, that was not what Jesus did.  He, in a gentle and comforting way, told Martha that she was getting all worried and frazzled about things that weren’t really necessary (vs. 41).  Jesus and the apostles didn’t need an elaborate banquet. Yes, they needed to eat, but His words imply that something simpler would have been fine, perhaps even just soup and sandwiches, and something cool to drink.  Jesus told her she didn’t need to get so worried and troubled about being a perfect hostess. He goes on to say that Mary has chosen what is really important, and that choice will not be taken from her (vs. 42).

The one thing necessary is an attitude of worship and meditation, listening with all of our heart and mind to Jesus.  We were created to have a deep and intimate relationship with God. Works of service are important, but never more important than spending quality time in fellowship with God.  Martha thought that Mary’s worship of the Lord was inferior to her service for Him. However, she was neglecting Jesus by being too busy. Don’t get so busy doing things for Jesus, that you never spend anytime with Him.  If we don’t spend any time with Him, the service we do is really only self-serving.  When that happens, the service is only busy work, and is done without any devotion.

Sometimes we may have to leave some things undone in order to have fellowship with Jesus.  We may also be misunderstood and resented when we say “no” to certain tasks or committees we are asked to do by other church folk.  Time in private fellowship with Jesus is more important. “Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.

Reconciled With God

Colossians 1:21-29

Occasionally we hear of a couple who are estranged from each other, not speaking, and possibly physically separated from one another.  Sometimes this happens between parents and teenaged or older children, where there is no communication, no connection between them. Going to a marriage or family counselor, or to a clergyman is often suggested.  Sometimes such alienation happens in the workplace or between neighbors. A mutual friend or co-worker can sometimes help work things out. When this happens between nations, the ambassadors or a neutral third country’s leader might try to work for peace.  In our Scripture passage today from Paul’s letter to the Colossians we read how all of mankind was alienated from God, and what was done to rectify this condition.

As Paul writes to the Colossians, he reminds them that before they were saved, they were alienated and enemies of God (vs. 21).  That is the case with everyone. Before we were saved, we were all enemies of God. We were all sinners, and had turned our backs on Him.  Sin corrupted our way of thinking about God. Wrong thinking leads to sin, which destroys our thoughts about God, leading to alienation from Him.  Unbelievers hate God, and resent His holy standards because they love wicked works. We all lived as God’s enemies, with wrong thinking and evil behavior.

However, as Paul continues on, he shows us that God did not leave us in that condition.  He did not want man to remain alienated from Him. God sent His Son Jesus to reconcile us to the Father (vs. 21-22).  Jesus’ death on the cross paid the full penalty for the sins of all who believe, making reconciliation possible. Any sin is enough to cause us to need Jesus for salvation.  Apart from Him there is no way for our sins to be forgiven and removed.  Because of Jesus, who reconciled all who believe, we are no longer enemies of God.  On our own we would be condemned. However, Jesus died for us, and now presents us holy to God, without blemish, and free from accusation.  He is our mediator between ourselves and God (I Timothy 2:5).

Paul continues on by instructing us that we need to root ourselves in the faith and hope of the Gospel, to persevere to the end (vs. 23).  Rather than defecting from the faith, true believers remain solid on Christ and faithful to Him. Paul also teaches that when the Church suffers persecution, Christ also suffers, as we are part of the Body of Christ (vs. 24).  Jesus’ enemies never get their fill of inflicting injury on Him. When they persecute believers they are really persecuting Jesus. Whatever persecution Paul suffered, he would endure, as he wanted to benefit and build up the Church.

There were false teachers in the church at Colossae, and one thing that they were teaching was that spiritual perfection was a secret, hidden, and very exclusive plan that only a few privileged people could discover.  However, Paul shows us that through Christ, God’s plan of salvation was made open for all (vs. 26 - 27). Jesus lives in the hearts of all who accept Him as Savior, whether Jew or Gentile. We who are born again believers, have almighty God, Creator of all, the One who holds authority over the power of the enemy, living inside of us (vs. 27).  Because of the finished work of the cross, we are now one with Christ, and co-heirs of His glorious inheritance. God’s presence is inside of us, and so is His power to deliver us.

Paul wished to correct the Colossians wrong beliefs and practices, and to teach them correct ones (vs. 28).  He wanted to present them to God as fully mature believers. The word “perfect” here means to be complete and mature.  To be like Christ. All believers should strive to be spiritually mature.

Have you been reconciled to God, or are you still at enmity with Him?  We like to have peace between ourselves and others, especially family members.  How much more important is it then to have peace between ourselves and Almighty God?  Jesus bought that peace with His Precious Blood on the Cross, and if we just call upon Him as our Savior, we can be reconciled to God.  Call upon Him now, and have peace with God.