King Solomon the Fool

 In my journey through God's Word, I've landed on the Book of Ecclesiastes.  I have to admit, I never read it in its entirety before. I am very familiar with chapter 3.  I've used it often and quoted it many, many times...but that's the extent of my knowledge of this book...and I have to say, now that I'm almost finished reading it...I find it extremely intriguing.

It is not at all what I expected it to be.  I am not sure what I expected it to be, frankly, but whatever my imagination did not know how to imagine, is not that.

Bible scholar, Jon Courson says in his commentary, "the Book of Ecclesiastes is actually a journal of Solomon's journey into carnality."  I would like to add, it records Solomon's journey from wisdom to foolishness as well.

I think Ecclesiastes was the place where we see, through King Solomon's experiences and misguided contemplations, how meaningless it is to place our focus, our efforts, our aim on the things under the sun.  Everything under the sun evaporates...we, ourselves are nothing more than a thin vapor that dissipates in an instant.  This is what King Solomon keeps reflecting upon.  And these thoughts make him sound really depressed...and such estate of being can easily transfer to the reader.  The key is, however, to remember, that it is all about perspective.

For example, let's look at a verse that perplexed me when I first read it:

A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. (10:19)

Is Solomon saying that we are to party, drink wine and find the answer for everything in money? When taken out of context, well...yes.  But the thing is, Solomon is giving us the perspective of what life is like when our emphasis and focus is completely worldly-oriented.  When our eyes are fixed on the things under the sun...well...there isn't much else than to try to please your carnal instincts and mortal desires.  That's all that life has to offer when our sight is on this world.  There's nothing else. (For more illustrations, look at what's happening to our society today, right?)

As children of God, however, our eyes must be fixed on eternity.  Our sight must be on the One who opened up the gateway to Heaven:  Jesus.  Life without Him is a vapor.  Life without Jesus is meaningless.  Life without Jesus only leaves the material...the perishable...the things that decay.  And after all that has evaporated like the foam of the sea...there's nothing but total and complete emptiness.

Life focused on the things of this world is the life of a fool.

I believe that's the perspective Solomon is offering in Ecclesiastes: the carnal point of view, like Courson suggests.

For all his wisdom, Solomon made tons of mistakes in life.  He ended up being a pretty big fool.  But, perhaps, Ecclesiastes in a way, is the book that contains his reflections on those mistakes, as a warning to us not to do the same.  So, today, I pray the Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to recognize when we are being fools and gently, but promptly brings us back to the path that takes us to the One who makes all things new.  In Jesus Precious Name.  Amen!

My Hope is on the Lord!

 The Butterfly Messages is a ministry from our Church that sends scripture passages along with quotes from believers who have said something that is in line with a particular Bible verse.  Today's messages included a quote from Pastor Rick Warren and a verse from Isaiah 40:2 as printed below:

“What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that His grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.” (Rick Warren)

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, the will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 40:2)  NIV

I wanted to print them here because I want to make sure I remember these truths always.  I feel like this year, the year I designated as the year of Hoping while I Wait, back on New Year's Day, has been, indeed, a year in which I have been searching for hope...desperately.  

So often lately, I have been falling in the trap of feeling hopeless.  And I'm tired of it.  Work responsibilities have been bringing me down...tragedy and insecurity...the never-ending-pandemic...canceled plans and loss have all contributed to a state of disappointed hope...but...when I read Pastor Rick Warren's words, I'm reminded of the truth:  My Hope is in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth! (Psalm 121: 1) My Hope is in Jesus. PERIOD! He is the One who is with me when I pass through the waters.  He is the One who holds on to me so the current doesn't sweep over me.  He is the One who walks with me through the fire so I don't get burned...because He is the One who absorbers the flames so I'm not set ablaze.  My strength is in His grace...not on my own flesh or intellect.  I am free because He is the One who fights my battles.  

I just need to be still and remember all these.

That's why we cannot tire of sharing His Word...because we never know who is going to be touched by it.  His Word never returns empty.  (Isaiah 55: 11)  So, let's not forget to always send it out...daily.

Today, as I'm again feeling the weight of exhaustion and conflict laying on my shoulders, I lift up my head and say:  I trust You, Lord.  You are my Hope and my Deliverer.  Who can be against me? My strength is in You.  You will overcome for me.  Nothing is a surprise to You.  I will rest in the shadow of Your wings.

In the precious name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen!

Wise Words

 Reading through the Book of Proverbs is always...interesting...I forget how many of them deal with one of the biggest problem areas of most bodies, mine for sure: the mouth.

Some are very profound and deep...others are rather funny.  Chapter 18 has a nice selection of them.  Take Proverbs 18: 6, for instance:

The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.

I chuckle when I read it because I don't know how many times I've told Dylan versions of this. I keep telling him, "one of these days...you are going to get punched on the face, boy!" He doesn't believe me. Actually, people outside our house can't fathom Dylan being a "smart mouthed" kid. He is very careful when he is in public. But at home...ugh! He sure invites a beating on a daily basis!

Dylan is not the only one with a "mouth-malfunction" in this household, though...actually, I'm the reigning queen of that country. Rather, I'm the fool so often mentioned in Proverbs...I'm the fool with "mouth-problems."

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives. (Proverbs 18: 7)

Totally me.

This one is me too...though, I'm not sure I know what it means?

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts. (Proverbs 18: 8)

I keep re-reading it, and the one thing that keeps coming to mind is...LOL..."gossip makes me fat!!" It goes to my thighs! Ha, ha! However, I think it might have something to do with that, after all. See, gossip could be addictive, like M&Ms or Doritos (both "choice morsels" in my pantry). Once I start eating these things, I can't stop! And yes, they go straight to my thighs and other inner parts. Indulging in gossip is like indulging in these items that don't really contribute to anything good in our bodies, except a short delight of the senses. In the end, gossip, like M&Ms turn me into something I don't want to be.

And, of course, there's this one:

To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame. (Proverbs 18: 13)

Anyone in my house: "You don't let me talk. Let me finish!"

Me: "I know what you're going to say...so..."

I'm always ready with the whip of my tongue to slash others even before they have had a chance to say what they wanted to say. I don't listen. I react...then...maybe...I might, perhaps, let them talk...if I feel like it. The folly of a fool.

Proverbs 18: 21 is very convicting,

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Once again, the weird association of words with food. It's no wonder one of those popular sayings warns: "watch out! You'll have to eat your words." What are we eating, according to Proverbs? The fruit of the tongue is either life or death. A few choice words, and we can build up, bring life with our words...or.... we can destroy, crush, defeat, kill all the same.

King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, was known for his riches and for his wisdom. He said that words are deep waters, but wisdom is a rushing stream (Proverbs 18: 4). Deep waters are scary and dangerous. They can engulf a soul and drown a life in seconds. The rushing stream of wisdom, on the contrary, refreshes and brings life, removing death with its constant movement. Only wisdom can turn words into life. Careless words have the power to bring death.

The Holy Spirit is the One Who can turn our deep, scary and dangerous waters into rushing streams of life. May He transform our tongue so only wise words may escape. In the Precious Name of Jesus, The Word in Whom we trust. Amen!

Praying for Consciousness of Our Call

 I'm continuing my journey through the very challenging devotional, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and I have to tell you, today's post was very interesting.  It is called, "The Awareness of the Call."  It is based on 1 Corinthians 9:16,

 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Chambers' meditations revolve specifically around the last part of the verse: "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"  This is Paul's statement on his own position as a preacher.  The Apostle explains how he has a drive to proclaim the gospel that doesn't come from himself.  He is "compelled to preach."  In other words, he is forcibly driven to do this by something else or rather, Someone else who is the One applying that force.  That's why he cannot boast.  And that driving force is so powerful and Paul is so dependent on the sustenance from that Force that he calls in damnation upon himself if he does not deliver.

Chambers' perspective is that what Paul is talking about here refers to God's supernatural call to the believer.  He says it is not just an inclination we feel or a desire that may come up out of the gifts we have been endowed with or out of the skills we may possess.  According to Chambers, this call that is causing Paul to say aloud: Woe to me! goes way beyond all that.  It comes from God's deeply spiritual and supernatural touch.  And that's why it is so compelling that we can't say no.

He says it is so supernatural and divine that, "If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called."

He says, the type of call Paul is talking about here, is "inexpressible," "incalculable" and "surprising."  It contains God's personal choosing of a specific person, so, of course it is supernatural and unexplainable.  That's why Paul says it is a compulsion that was put upon him by the One to whom nothing can be denied.

Chambers continues saying how Paul "had become aware of the call of God, and his compulsion to “preach the gospel” was so strong that nothing else was any longer even a competitor for his strength."

I think about my own journey with Jesus.  I feel so convicted and guilty for not being obedient and neglecting the great commission to go and make disciples, that often I feel like Woe is coming to me.  I worry I've missed the call entirely because I'm so worldly focused and so concerned about my circumstances.  But, reading and re-reading what Chamber is saying has made me pause and contemplate: am I really conscious or fully aware of God's call to me?  Obviously, Paul had a realization of what his role was supposed to be in the Kingdom of God.  Do I have that realization?  I don't think I do.  I don't know if God has given me that revelation which will activate His driving force in me yet.  I believe He is giving me nudges. Like Chambers says, sometimes , "the realization of the call in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually. But however quickly or slowly this awareness comes, it is always accompanied with an undercurrent of the supernatural."  I think I might still be on the installment plan...that makes the realization dawn gradually.

Whatever it is, though, I'm feeling encouraged that I might have not totally messed up my chance to fulfill God's call for my life.  After all, I'm still here, right?  And as long as I still have breath in my longs and a beat in my heart, I have hope.  Like Chambers concludes:

"If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony."

So, today, in this beautiful autumn afternoon, I pray the Holy Spirit will give me and you the awareness, the conscious level that we need to reach the perfect harmony that we cannot reach by ourselves, which will allow us to agree with God's purpose for our lives in that supernatural way that will compel us to do His will...no matter what...so there's no Woe to us.  In Jesus' Precious Name.  Amen!

When the Heart is Broken

 Our church family has suffered a couple of losses recently that have left us deeply shocked and profoundly saddened. To me personally, hearing about the unexpected passing of these two dearest members of our church have caused me to pause and reflect...hug my loved ones a little tighter and mourn.  

My first reaction was, however, to cry out in pain...

It was as if the loss of our church family members opened up the floodgates of all the hurt that has its clutches in our surroundings...reminding me of all the pain our world is experiencing in this day in age.  The loss reminded me that sometimes the brokenness is so immeasurable ... the struggles so tough ... the mountains so high ... the storm so strong ... the waters so deep ... the distance so extensive ... the heartache so acute that we wonder whether our heart will ever be whole again...and we wonder and wonder, and wonder some more whether there will be a day when we will be OK.

The thing is, when the heart is broken, nothing seems complete...instead, we see everything through the shattered pieces of what once was a beating rhythm filled with life.  

When the heart is broken, there's a void in the center...an empty space that echoes the memories and sounds of the one who held it together.

When the heart is broken, all the love that was contained spills to the ground, leaving us wondering whether it will be back in us again.

When the heart is broken, it hurts to think, and to smile is not even a possibility...not even a thought.

When the heart is broken the mind goes on strike, the body loses strength and there isn't much to make it worth it to get out of bed.

When the heart is broken, all seems lost...

But also, when the heart is broken, it is the beginning of a journey...a voyage to an unknown place that we've never been to before.

When the heart is broken, there's nothing left, but the promise of the One Who said He'd mend it.

When the heart is broken, the words that tell us to be still and trust linger.

When the heart is broken, our tears are collected in a jar and as we wonder, we begin to remember that He is the God with Us, the fourth person in the fire, the One to whom the winds and the waves obey, the Lord of the storm, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the One whose breath keep us alive...the One who raised from the grave.

When the heart is broken, we remember...there's no other place to go, but to the foot of the cross.

Welcome Fall

 Well...summer is over, I guess...sigh...

Was it shorter than usual? Did the days run faster than the norm? Did the hours lose some minutes?  I don't know.  All I know is that it's only the first few official days of fall and my bones are already cold.  I'm still hanging on to my flipflops for as long as I can.  But, I have to admit, last night at the soccer game, I had to run to the car right after the last whistle blew because my toes were turning blue.

It's not that I hate fall.  It's just that fall is the threshold to winter...and then, we can talk about hate.

This year, however, I am thinking to have a better attitude about the whole season changing deal.  I'm still brutally melancholic about leaving summer behind.  But...I'm praying for the Holy Spirit to give me the eyes to see and a heart to appreciate the beauty in every day, be it in the winter, spring, summer or fall.

I want to be in the moment and enjoy all that this new season has to offer.  I want to dive into all things pumpkin this year.  I had my first pumpkin-spice English muffins yesterday and they were a delight! I'm looking out my window and admiring the gorgeous blue sky and puffy clouds, and how they frame the first evidence of the turning leaves.  I'm breathing in the cool breeze and remembering how when autumn comes you can feel it in the air right away.  And most of all, I'm praising the Lord for giving me this time to be with my loved ones near and far.  There is so much loss and pain around...I must cherish what I have still in my arms.

I'm not going to make a, "how sad it's fall" post.  Instead, I'm celebrating the season and welcoming it.  The stress of work. The memories of what I've lost. The melancholic feeling of summer days gone.  May all that makes me sad about fall be replaced with the joy of the gift of life.  May songs of praises fill my soul with rejoicing, ushering the colors and aromas of autumn this year...and may Our Heavenly Father grant us His presence as we witness the wonders of fall.  In Christ Name.  Amen!

Staying with Jesus as Circumstances Tempt Us to Walk Away

 There is so much pain in this world.  There is so much I don't understand.  Actually, there is so little I do understand.  Wisdom and knowledge escape me.  I feel lost more often that I'd like to admit.  The fear and the worry sometimes become unbearable. My eyes become clouded with the anxiety of what's to come. And...to what avail?  Worry, fear, anxiety never changed anything.  The only thing these emotions accomplish is the disruption of my peace...the distancing from what really matters...the breaking of my relationship with Christ.

Today's post in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers posed an intriguing question:  Are we remaining faithful to the Son of God in everything that attacks His life in us?

At first glance I misunderstood the question.  I took it as to mean whether I stay faithful to Jesus in my trials.  Then, I re-read it, as it often happens...and I realized the question is whether I'll stay by Jesus when the world attacks Him and His Presence in my life...That is precisely what's as stake here: Jesus' life in us is being attacked by the things of this world.  The world attacks Jesus' presence in the heart of believers.  The agony of devastating circumstances, the fear of instability, the disappointment of shattered hopes, the loneliness of loss, the panic of death...all these and many, many more situations threaten Jesus' life in us.  They attack the most precious thing we possess: Jesus Presence in our hearts.

Sometimes the knife cuts so deep that our bodily reaction is to want to walk away from the torment of the blade.  But, in doing so...are we walking away from Our Lord too?

I think that's what Chambers meant when he wrote:  

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. May it never be! It is God who engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be we must see that we face them while continually abiding with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us.

This is how Chambers interprets Luke 22: 28: You are those who have stood by me in my trials. I never saw it that way.  to be honest...I don't think I ever paid much attention to this verse until now.  Jesus uttered these words at the Last Supper.  He tucked them in between Judas and Peter's betrayals...I wonder if He did that, knowing we might be facing chances for betrayal as well.

I am so very weak.  How will I ever be able to stand by Him in His trials, when I can't even recognize them?  I don't know.  All I know is that I must cling to Him with all I've got.  I must stay with Him no matter what.  Even when I have to fight myself and my instincts that push me to walk away, I must remain.  The only place to be is on the Way with Jesus.  Chamber puts it best:

Are you going on with Jesus? The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow— but only the voice saying, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19).

May the Holy Spirit give us the stamina to go on with Christ all the days of our lives.  Amen!