"Not Satisfied?" - Yet

"Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity." (Ecclesiastes 11:10 KJV)

  "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things." (PSALM 107:1-9 NLT)

 Maybe I might have diverted a little bit off the page; but from all that I see from this vantage point, God absolutely knows what He is doing, and more importantly, He knows what we need! Something else we must understand and really try to put into practice: If you have been redeemed, then speak out! Tell of all the wonderful things, that really count: all the mighty things that God has done! 

 As I have said, several times already, Solomon is focused on reaching out to those that are worldly; those that do not count on God for their satisfaction, but upon their own way, walking down their own paths, and not looking for God's direction. And, as spoken of recently, some of those who might wreck their own lives with foolishness and earthly passions, and even so, God will use them to show others that there is redemption for the lost and wayward, especially His children! 

 Nevertheless, there are still those who put Solomon in the category of the unforgiven; just as they do with the Rich Young Ruler. More than anything else, God's love is the most important thing that should make us feel satisfied. Knowing how much God loves us, especially by the grace He has given us, without cost and without us earning any of it; He loves us because He loves us!

 As crazy as it might sound, but there was a cost for the grace He applied, but it wasn't our payment that supplied what was needed to pay for our sins, it was His...

""For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent not his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son."" (John 3:16-18 NLT) 

  

"Not Satisfied?"

 "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity." (Ecclesiastes 11:10 KJV)

  "But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight." (2 Peter 3:10-14 NLT)

 Yes, this is why there are so many frustrated and angry people, in all walks of life: they do not feel as though they are satisfied, in whatever, their work, their marriage, their statis in this life; especially in the relationship with others, or even with God. I heard Pastor Mike say it again yesterday, as he does almost every week, "Just can't get no satisfaction; even though I try, and I try."  

 The word "sorrow," which Solomon is speaking about, is not the kind of sorrow that is based upon what we do, as in being sorry for doing this or that; but is that kind of sorrow that can turn into frustration or anger; as if you have been wronged or haven't been treated right; a sense of vexation or grief, which, like Cain, can cause bitterness and anger, even wrath.

 Without getting too carried away, this is exactly what caused Adam to sin against God; Adam was not satisfied because he desired something he was told he could not have. The dirty little secret in all of this, was God having Adam name all of the animals; because in doing so, he became dissatisfied for the very first time. 

 Yes, this was God showing Adam that he needed a mate! He studied all the animals, seeing how they all had mates, male and female, they mated and procreated. Adam wondered, 'Where is the mate for me?' If you know what it is like to want, whatever it is you don't have but want to have, it is a little like sin, and which is the one sin the Appostle Paul said he knew he was guilty of: covetousness! 

 These are not things we can blame God for, because the only thing God was wanting is for us to love Him and be able to have fellowship with Him. But whether you can accept it or not, God mysterious plan was well thought out; so well, it only took the first man that was created to make it all happen...

"Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law said, "You must not covet." But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law's commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good." (Romans 7:7-12 NLT) 

 

"The Road Well Traveled" - Too

 "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." (Ecclesiastes 11:9 KJV)

  ""Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me! You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. "But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!"" (PSALM 81:8-13 NLT)

 Taking this to the next level, there is something we must never forget about Israel: This is God's chosen people! And, whether or not you want to receive this, we are a mirror image of Israel. Yes, the Church is just like them, in everything sense of the word, we have the same desires, make the same mistakes, have the same ways of walking our own paths, and, thankfully, we have also been chosen by God! 

 I know there are a lot of people who might think that the Church has taken the place of Israel; but that is totally and completely incorrect! God has said that He would never abandon His chosen people; and God does not change His mind and will always keep His promise! We, of all people should want that to be true, because that includes us too! 

 If you really want to see the 'Pilgram's Progress,' then imagine yourself living as Israel; having been saved from the wickedness of this world yet still holding onto the wickedness you have been saved from, in some form or fashion. It is really not that hard to understand, if you are being honest with yourself. 

 Basically, Solomon is pointing out the three areas of our sinful natures, which none of us can deny that they are not part of our lives; all three of them are a part of our wicked hearts; the three temptations of the world: "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life".

 This was the way it was in the Garden, way back with the original sin. Just one simple command was given, yet it could not be kept! Personally, I think I know why God placed that tree in the Garden, in the middle of the Garden, no less. Man was never going to be able to remain holy and pure, because He gave us the ability to make our own choices. 

 The most motivating thing God made Adam do, in order to think things through and make his own choices, was to name all the animals. Imagine what that might have been like, as he studied an animal to see what it looked like, how it moved and ate certain foods, and what kind of life it had with its mate. 

 God knows exactly what we need, way before we know it ourselves! We might think sometimes that we have been down certain roads before, not really knowing or understanding that God roads are set in stone and always carried out...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT) 

"The Road Well Traveled"

 "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." (Ecclesiastes 11:9 KJV)

  "So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy - their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols." (1 Peter 4:1-3 NLT)

 We have a mission field, whether you realize it or not, the journey you have taken in this life has led you through things which have made you who you are; what you were is still what defines you, but in a whole different way. Look at the life of Paul, who was Saul of Tarsas. He was extremely passionate about hunting down Christians; but after his encounter with Christ, he became extremely passionate about making Christians!  

 Peter was a fisherman, who made his living catching fish; but Jesus changed his life, making him a fisher of men! There are so many examples of this in the lives of people we see, here in the life we live now; so many that have been caught up in something that ruins lives, but they get converted, and those same things become the opportunities to change lives, making them whole...

"Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead - so although they are destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit." (1 Peter 4:4-6 NLT)  

"Trusting In God, Always!"

 "But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 11:8 KJV) 

  "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21 NLT)

 As we think about how much God loves us, we should also realize that we can trust Him, based upon that love He has for us; knowing that even the things that might seem hurtful, seem like punishment, or trials that apparently have no happiness, whatsoever, nothing happening should stop us from trusting that He loves us, and always wants what is best for us! 

 I know it seems hard to realize that, while we are going through something unbearable and seemingly brutal; but He loves us more than we could ever imagine! What we must understand, hopefully without a doubt, everything works towards the good; whether it is our good or someone else, His purposes are for the good, all the time! 

 It might seem as though I am a little excited to be sharing about this, but I have been wrestling with this since about 11:00 last night, having the swirling- eddies in my mind all night long. I thought about the trust I had in God when I first was saved, compared to the trust I feel I have now; it seemingly feels as though I have more doubt now; most likely because of the many times I have stubbled and wondered away, over these many years. 

 I remember a book Pastor Bryan had us read, not that long after he took Pastor Burt's place. The book was about prayer, speaking about having complete trust in God, and prayers that actually work. In the book the author shares about an incident when they went to minister on an island, where pagans were getting ready to perform their annual parade for the god they worshipped. 

 They had a new Christian brother that was with them, and as they meet with the tribe, the new brother decided to speak out and say, "God is going to rain on your parade!" That was something that would have meant death to them all, if it really didn't rain. But as the author explained: there was no rain, not until the very last moment, and then it was a down-pour! The monks were trying to carry their god in the parade, but they just kept slipping and sliding; their god feel into the mud, and they were falling over themselves to pick it back up again. 

 The reason I share this is because of the boldness of the new believer. This is really not that hard to understand, because we all have the same beginning, being washed in the blood of Jesus, as newborn babies, spotlessly clean. Then we begin our journey! Some of us make little mistakes, and some, very big mistakes; but, without a doubt, everyone does make mistakes! 

 This is what I feel as Solomon is sharing about, in case you might be wondering. We cannot undo anything that we might have considered to be darkness; but we can focus on the Light! Putting any value, (meaning that it effects your salvation,) on the bad things you have done, then you are focusing on yourself, and not on Christ...

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NLT) 

"A More Excellent Way" - Again

 "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:" (Ecclesiastes 11:7 KJV)

  "And then he added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you."" (Mark 7:20-23 NLT)

 My mind is made up: The harder I try to be holy, the more I see holes in my heart! Not just any holes, but dark ones, that need to be filled with love. Please forgive me, but there are just too many things I feel that need to be worked on; where do we start? 

 There is something about this verse that has me somewhat in a place that I can't escape from; it's as if there is something more, something I feel as though is missing, that should be discovered or covered up. Whatever it is, it has something to do with the reason for living, the purpose of being here, besides that of longing to be with the Lord.

 When I was around 13 years old, I ran away from home for about 6 months. I tried to call my mother several times, letting her know that I was fine and not to worry; but as soon as she would ask me when I was coming home, I would hang up. 

 There was a very special time I had one night, as I gazed up into the sky, seeing the stars and feeling as though God was looking down upon me. For the moment I felt as though I needed to know Him more, but our family was trapped into a religion that had rules, rules that said you can never do this or that, only the things they say that we can do. 

 Call me whatever you want, but that special night I really felt as though I was talking and having some kind of fellowship with God. No, I wasn't saved; at least I didn't remember ever accepting Jesus into my heart; but there was such a peace and joy I experienced that night, between me and the Lord. 

 Anywho, here is the thing we need to be aware of, no matter what you think about this life, however hard things get, or whatever problems you might be dealing with: this is your opportunity to show off the love of God! Yes, it is God's love you must long for, the kind of love that makes a difference; the love that says, You Are Loved, just as you are, He loves you and has something to show you, so try to pay close attention...

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT)

"A More Excellent Way" - TO

"Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:" (Ecclesiastes 11:7 KJV)

  "I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death: you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (PSALM 56:10-13 NLT)

 As I was saying, our God is a Holy God, who loves His creation, especially us; so much so, the portion of the angels that were jealous of us, followed Lucifer and revolted against God's plan for us, mere humans. But His plan was amazingly planned out, from before all of creation: "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." (Ephesians 1:4 NLT)

 It was by His love that we were given fellowship with Him, even though we had no ability on our own to do so, He provide a way to make it happen! Imagine what that might have look like to the angels, to have a creation of children take and have authority, enough to judge them, we, that had been less than them. It is pretty mind-blowing to think about, but this was what God had planned for all along. 

 So, we can understand why that second day of creation was not called good, because within that day God made the separation between His Holiness and that which was His creation; because on the third day, He began forming life on this earth. Can you imagine what that might have looked like? Full grow trees that started sprouting up from the ground, bearing fruit and seeds, to cause vegetation to cover the land. 

 In this pattern of His creation, I have made the case for a 24-hour day, not a thousand-year day as many try to make it; because on the fourth day, God created everything else that the plants needed in order to grow and multiply: the sun and moon, the seasons, days and years. How could you have days and years with seasons, if things were being formed in thousands of years? 

 Sorry if it seems that I am drifting off the page, but there are just too many things that people don't feel God is capable of, like planning the way to make an unholy people, holy enough to dwell with Him...

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT) 

"A More Excellent Way"

 "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:" (Ecclesiastes 11:7 KJV)

  ""You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."" (Matthew 5:43-48 NLT)

 As I was listening to a message the other day, I remembered something I had shared, not so long ago. Obviously, I was either wrong, or I failed to see what I had been missing. In the message that I heard, the Pastor was sharing that there was only one thing God had said wasn't good, in everything He created, "That it wasn't good for man to be alone." 

 I find it rather interesting that on the "Second Day," God did not say it was good, what He created on that day; but He didn't say it wasn't good, either! The first day of creation, was good, because God created heaven and earth, and then God said, "Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness"; then, "God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." 

 Then the second day, God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." (Genesis 1:6-8 KJV)

 There are many that believe this division of the waters was the dry land between the water; but that takes place on the third day, not the second. As I shared before, the thing which wasn't good about this second day, was that God created Heaven, which was capitalized because it is His domain, outside of that of man's. In other words, God is Holy, He dwells outside that which was created, because although it was all good, it was not perfect, as He is! 

 If you believe, as I do, that God knew from the very beginning of His creation, all that was going to take place, then you should be able to understand why God had planned for Jesus to be crucified on a cross, to die for our sins, before He even began creation; it was all planned out from the beginning of the earth's existence. 

 The separation between mankind and God had already been established, on that Second Day; although mankind was made with God's Spirit dwelling within them; but we know what happened with that connection, Adam sinned, just as God knew he would! But God still loved him...   

"Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all." (1 Corinthians 12:29-31 NLT)