"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2 KJV)
"Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval." They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What shall we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."" (John 6:26-29 NLT)
Basically, we have only one work that really counts: Believing that Jesus is who He said He was, and in the powerful work He accomplished on that cross! All other things, whatever they might be, do not give or contribute to, the eternal life that we have been given!
I know it might sound too good to be true; but it is what God has planned from the very beginning, long before man even had the chance to blow it, God had put the plan of our salvation into motion. There are at least 13 verses that show that God had preordained Jesus to come and die for our sins, before the foundation of the world; before man even had the choice to sin, sin was accounted for, and forgiveness was in works.
So it is God's works that really count, not ours; we only have one work, which is to believe in Jesus! All the other works, if you want to call them works, are the gifts we are given from God's love living in us and through us. It is God's love that makes us love others, live for others, and sacrifice ourselves for the sake of knowing Jesus.
Some of us are more committed than others, but that doesn't mean the weak ones don't make it into heaven! Our salvation is not based upon what we do or do not do; our salvation is based upon what Jesus has already done; we just need to believe and receive it!
What might this have to do with Ecclesiastes 7:2? Die to yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus! I know, sometimes I don't make any sense; but sometimes the Good News also doesn't make any sense! But we still must believe and accept it; God will work it all out in the end...
"They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day."" (John 6:30-40 NLT)
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