Monday, November 17: Ecclesiastes 8- Lording it over others.

There were no immediate devotional sparks as I read this chapter. I even read it a second time. Sometimes this happens. I am not sure why. Maybe I am not in a good place, distracted, tired, angry, rushed. I don’t know. Maybe the Lord is quiet, wanting me to realize it is being with Him and not only the nuggets He gives that should draw me to times in the Word and prayer.

These daily times, after all, are about being with the Lord, not only receiving from the Lord.

After all of the above, I looked back one more time and verse 9 seemed to rise off the page.  All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. It was the second sentence that launched some thoughts.

There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. As strange as it may sound, images of General/President Idi Amin, the vile despotic ruler of Uganda in the 1970s, came to mind. I suppose he could be a poster child for this verse.

As he lorded it over that country, his heart seemed to grow harder and harder. It was almost like all that is good about humanity drained out of him, leaving only the worst parts of human nature.

We can lord it over others to our own detriment. Our “bigness” and importance can skew reality and twist our thinking and feeling (if we have feelings for others).

As I contemplate this, Jesus’ Words come to mind. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28).

Lord, Jesus, help me to serve… You and others in Your name. Amen.

 

Saturday, November 15: Ecclesiastes 7-Living in the light of my mortality.

In a chapter filled with meditative pause points, it was the latter stanza of verse 2 that garnered my attention. …death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

I suppose one could take this line in a morbid sense of always thinking about one’s death, but I don’t think that is at all what the writer is attempting to say. Rather I believe the writer is reminding us that death is inevitable. We cannot cheat death and the fact that we will someday die should impact how we live.

·         What will be my legacy?

·         In what ways will I leave this world better and better off that I lived?

·         Since I do not know the day of my death, am I consistently showing love to those I say I love?

And then, of course, there are ultimate questions of life and faith and God.

·         Is God pleased with the life I am living?

·         Some day I will stand before God. How is that thought guiding my living today?

Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

Lord, in a health and wise way, help me to live today, and all of my todays, in light of the truth that life here is a preparation for living with You for eternity, thanks to faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, guide me that my life impacts this my world for good and for You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

Friday, November 14: Ecclesiastes 6- Never satisfied.

Verse 7 was my stopping place today. Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. The New King James version offers a different way to translate the second half of the verse. All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.

Appetite or soul, however one translates the Hebrew, are never satisfied. These last 3 words are a stinging thought, and it certainly rings true. My appetites, my mouth, my soul is never totally satisfied. I seem to always yearn for more

I try to curb this pension for something new or more. I gain victory but the battle is never ending. I may win a victory today and tomorrow the same battle wages within me.

O, God, I pray for contentment. Real contentment. True contentment. A contentment that rests in You and enjoys what I already have...

Blessed be Your name, Lord God, Almighty. Amen.

 

Thursday, November 13: Ecclesiastes 5- Vows.

Vows and riches, two topics the writer of Ecclesiastes tackles in this morning’s chapter. Two topics that impact my life regularly.

Either would provide worthwhile time with the Lord, but vows spoke louder and caught my attention.

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. … When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” … (2-6).

Vows, words spoken and promises given to God must NEVER be done in a hasty or rash manner. They are simply too important.

How often this truth is spoken in scripture. The most prominent and demanding and disturbing lesson about vows comes in the account of Jepthah in Judges 10. Today’s words from the Teacher reinforce the important of keeping the vows we make to the Lord. As he says, It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

My mind led me to considering vows I have made to the Lord… high on the list is my vow to love and care for my wife. There are others.

Lord, may my words to You be few and my heart be in them all. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Wednesday, November 12: Ecclesiastes 4- Envy.

 

 love the ‘two is better than one’ passage. What an incredible word on the power of companionship!

And yet, it was verse 4 that caught my meditative attention. And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Envy is a powerful negative motivator. That is so true. I see something my neighbor or ‘brother’ has, which I like, and I all of a sudden need/want one too. Advertisers constantly play on the emotion of need/want to lure us to buy this, that and everything.

Probably not every thing that motivates me to need/want something is envy, but envy is lurking just around the corner even when it isn’t the primary motivator!

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. I am sure I have to think more deeply about it to mine its destructive powers but I do know that envy can destroy a relationship. It can also cause us to go to dark places of desire and even plotting how to get what it is that we envy. And even if I don’t do something illegal to gain what I envy, it chews up my resources and generally that which I envied doesn’t give me the satisfaction when acquired that I thought it would. All the while envy and the desire for whatever it is I envy has been hardening my heart for the needs of others. And this does not honor the Lord…

Lord, as I think and meditate, I am realizing all the more how insidious envy is. Its roots can twist my heart in to a selfish mass of rotting flesh, turning my gaze inward rather than outward to those in need.

Please, Lord, give me Your heart, a heart that seeks the best for others and does not dry up on the vine of self-absorption. Lord, I can only grow in this area though You in me… so this is what I pray for You in me… through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Tuesday, November 11: Ecclesiastes 3- There is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good .

I cannot read the opening of this chapter without thinking of the Simon and Garfunkel song. Often that is as far as I get in meditating on this chapter.

Today I intentionally looked elsewhere. Lord, what nugget do you have for me today? I prayed as I began reading. And quickly my heart was directed to verse 12: I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

A pretty straightforward nugget to digest this morning. I realize that life circumstances do not always lead directly to happiness. But then I wondered how much of happiness in life is decided, not by circumstances, but by attitude and approach to the things that come our way.

Even as I was typing that last sentence, something in my thoughts clicked. Some translations translate Matthew 5’s Beatitudes, “happy are…” Some translate Psalm 1, “How happy are those…”

This got me thinking about true happiness, a sense of living under God’s blessing. There certainly is nothing better than living this way.

Matthew 5 goes on to talk about being ‘salt and light’ and doing good so that people see your life and praise your Father in heaven. In Psalm 1, the psalmist sings about the blessed (or happy one) who walks in the way of God, delights in the Lord’s law and meditates on God’s words. Both Matthew 5 and Psalm 1 would lead one to doing good.

And so my thoughts and meditations went this morning.

There is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good…

Lord, may I live into Your Word today… treasure the life You give me today and do good. Lord, if I accomplish this, it will have been a good day. Alleluia. Amen.

 

Monday, November 10: Ecclesiastes 2- Where is value in life?.

As I read through this chapter the question kept creeping into my thoughts. Where is the value in life? What brings peace or deep satisfaction of a life well lived?

Again, where is the value in life?

Solomon didn’t find it in pleasures, in indulging his appetites, in great projects or amassing wealth…

I was back to thinking… what brings true and lasting value and in life?

It seems that an answer began to emerge as the chapter closes. [F]or without him [God], who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God... (25-26).

I don’t think Solomon is there yet, but this twist pushed my meditations toward an answer for my question. What brings true and lasting value and in life? Life in, with and for the Lord.

I was reminded of the catechisms opening question. What is the chief end of man?

To love God and enjoy Him forever is the answer.

Yes, I thought, this is where one finds value and deep satisfaction in life. We find it; I find it in God… in my relationship with God… in my service and love of God.

This is where I find value. How about you?

Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to You and the wonder of living in connection and relationship with You through faith in Jesus. Thank You, God, for placing Your Spirit in me to guide me toward You. Thank You, Lord, for the deep sense of satisfaction that I find in walking with You.

Lord, I pray that even if the ‘satisfaction’ leaves, that I would serve and follow You regardless of how I feel because You alone are Lord and You alone are God. And that Lord is enough to call forth service and devotion from me. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.