Equal opportunity for all human beings: Death           verse 1- 2

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this

that the righteous – and the wise – and their works

are in the hand of God

No man knows either love or hatred by all that is

before them

All things come alike to all – there is one event to the RIGHTEOUS

and to the WICKED

To the good and to the clean

and to the UNCLEAN

To him that sacrifices

and to him that sacrifices not

as is the good – so is the sinner          

and he that swears – as he that fears an oath

Death’s relationship to hope                                         verse 3- 4

This is an EVIL among all things that are done under the sun

that there is one event unto all

yea – also the heart of the sons of men is full of EVIL         

and madness is in their heart while they live

and after that they go to the dead

   For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope

for a living dog is better than a dead lion

Death ends emotions of life                                           verse 5- 6

For the living know that they shall die

BUT the dead know not any thing

   NEITHER have they any more a reward

            for the memory of them is forgotten

Also their love – and their hatred – and their envy – is now perished

NEITHER have they any more a portion for ever in any thing

that is done under the sun 

Enjoy life joyfully                                                          verse 7- 10

Go your way – eat thy bread with joy – and drink thy wine with a merry heart

            for God now accepts your works

Let your garments be always white

            and let your head lack no ointment

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love

all the days of the life of your VANITY       

                        which HE hath given thee under the sun

                                    all the days of thy VANITY

for that is your portion in this life

                                                            AND in thy labor which you takes

under the sun

Whatsoever your hand finds to do – do it with your might

            for there is no work – nor devise – nor knowledge – nor wisdom

                        in the grave – whither you go 

Inequities of life                                                             verse 11- 12

I returned – and saw under the sun – that the race is not to the swift

            nor the battle to the strong – neither yet bread to the wise

                        nor yet riches to men of understanding

                                    nor yet favor to men of skill

BUT time and chance happen to them all

            for men knows not his time – as the fishes are taken in an EVIL net

                        and as the birds that are caught in the snare

SO are the sons of men snared in an EVIL time

when it falls suddenly upon them 

Thankfulness is not always a given                               verse 13- 16

This wisdom have I seen also under the sun – and it seemed great unto me

            there was a little city – and few men within it

                        and there came a great king against it – and besieged it

and built great bulwarks against it

Now there was found in it a poor wise man

            and he by his wisdom delivered the city

                        YET no man remembered that same poor man

Then said I

            Wisdom is better than strength

                        NEVERTHELESS the poor man’s wisdom is despised

                                    AND his words are not heard

Contrast of wise and foolish                                          verse 17- 18

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him

that rules among FOOLS

Wisdom is better than weapons of war

            BUT one SINNER destroys much good       

 

COMMENTARY:          

 

: 1        “For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and                                their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before                              them.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).

DEVOTION: Solomon was a wise man and he knew it! His ability to reason and determine situations and circumstances separate him from others in the Scripture. After researching, studying and analyzing everything in his world he comes back to the reality that God is sovereign! In chapters 7-8 he had reviewed many of the truths that he had determined recognizing that God was involved in the activities of man. Now he returns to the theme that he has spoken of previously Man is not in control.  For Solomon that was disconcerting but to the believer that is comforting. As we understand that God is mindful of everything we do and the ways we do those activities we can trust Him to direct our steps and be confident in the path we walk. So often we, like Solomon feel that since we are not in control that is a deficiency. Yet the greatest step we may have is understanding that the Lord is in control and sovereign.

Jeremiah was reminded that “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 and Paul reaffirmed it in Romans 8:28-30; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

CHALLENGE: Learning to submit to the Sovereignty of God might seem demeaning or belittling but it is the way to power and greater opportunities. We must learn to be humble before reigning and a servant before ruling! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 3        This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (1947 “madness” [howlelah] means foolishness, blindness, the quality of being rash and foolish to an extreme degree, folly, or delusion.)

DEVOTION: The pastor who helps me usually with these devotionals has had about five funeral this week. Some were members of his church. In my first year at my last church I had thirteen funerals of members of the church. It was a small church to begin with and this just took many good members to be with the LORD.

Death is real. It came because of the sin of Adam and Eve. It happens to almost every individual. There were two that were taken to heaven without dying throughout history.

So we find that it is appointed unto every man to die according to the Bible. In our lifetime we have to make good choices. The first choice that we should make is to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Those who are followers of Jesus Christ by personally believing in HIS death, burial and resurrection to provide them with salvation. It is not through any works on our part before or after salvation. We want to give glory to the LORD because we are HIS follower.

Anyone who chooses not to be a follower of Jesus Christ is promised an eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. There is no third choice. It is either heaven or hell. This is the normal leaning of every human being today.

So we find that Solomon is concerned that people make the right choice while they are alive. After death the choosing is over!!

CHALLENGE: Are you ready to meet your Maker today? If not please make a better choice before it is too late. We never know when we are going to stand before the LORD!!!

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

 

: 11      I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (6294 “chance” [pega] means occurrence, event or happening.

DEVOTION: Solomon gives five examples of individuals who should win at the events they enter in life. Each has a special skill. Each is the best in his field. However, that doesn’t guarantee that they will win.

There are events that factor in everything that happens in life. We sometimes think that things just happen to us. We are taught by the world that fate, circumstance, karma, luck, or any other word that comes to mind just come into our lives.

The Bible teaches that everything happens for a reason.  Solomon seems to imply that something evil can happen to all these individuals. However, we know that everything that happens is in the providence of God. HE is in control of our world. HE is in control of every ones world.

James warns people not to boast about what they are going to do.  His reason is that we don’t know what tomorrow will hold for us. We can plan but we need to depend on the LORD for our plans to come to be complete. Sometimes people with special talents like to boast in those talents and the LORD has to humble them to get their attention.

We are blessed for a reason. We are tested for a reason. We face circumstance we can’t understand for a reason. However, everything that happens here happens in the providence of God. HE is in control. HE doesn’t cause us to sin. HE does know when we are going to sin and HE is prepared to chasten us for our sin to bring us back into a proper relationship to HIM.

HE knows when we are going to serve and HE blesses us for faithfulness. Yet, we can be faithful in our eyes and still have bad things happen to us. Is this chastening or purging? Is there a difference?

The LORD wants HIS children to grow in grace. When bad things happen they cause us to grow. Do we understand? Did Solomon understand it all? Things happen to everyone according to God’s plan as HE knows what we are going to do because of his foreknowledge. HE is not contained in time – we are. HE is not limited – we are.

Will we ever understand all that happens in the world and in our world? NO! Should we trust HIM to do what is best for us? YES!

CHALLENGE:  As believers we need to remind ourselves that what has happened today to us is in the providence of God. Nothing is left to chance. Each event has a purpose toward our growth in the LORD. We are in the hand of God.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

            : 18      Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroys much good. (6 “destroys” [abad]                                   means to ruin, to perish, be carried off, become lost, not exist, annihilate or squander.

DEVOTION: In the verses before this one we find that a city is under siege by a great king. The people are worried. An wise, old poor man come up with a solution to the problem and the city is delivered. However, once the city is delivered he is forgotten. He is never thanked for his actions. In fact, his actions are not even remembered.

The inequities of life are evident to Solomon. He looks around and sees that life is not fair. Everyone faces the same fate: death. Good people die and evil people die. His advice is to enjoy the life we have because there is no enjoyment in death.

He also realizes that some people accomplish some good things in life. They help society to live for the LORD. They encourage those around them. But then again all the good that is accomplished can be wiped out by the actions of one sinner.

Sinners have a way of discouraging people. They seem to see the bad in every situation. They destroy hope. They squander good opportunities. They cause others to move in the wrong direction.

CHALLENGE: We need to use our wisdom from above to encourage all those around us. Let the LORD handle the actions of sinners.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)                        verse 1, 7

Hand of God                                                              verse 1 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Man                                                                            verse 1, 14- 17

Sons of men                                                                verse 3, 12

Wife                                                                            verse 9

Men of skill                                                                verse 11

Great king                                                                  verse 14 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Hatred                                                                        verse 1, 6

Wicked                                                                       verse 2

Unclean                                                                      verse 2

Sacrifice not                                                               verse 2

Sinner                                                                         verse 2, 18

Swears                                                                        verse 2

Evil                                                                             verse 3, 12

Madness of heart                                                       verse 3

Envy                                                                           verse 6

Snare                                                                          verse 12

Evil time                                                                     verse 12

Despise                                                                       verse 16

Fools                                                                           verse 17 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Righteous                                                                   verse 1, 2

Wise                                                                            verse 1, 11, 15, 17

Works                                                                         verse 1, 7, 11

Love                                                                            verse 1, 6

Good                                                                           verse 2, 18

Clean                                                                          verse 2

Sacrifices                                                                    verse 2

Fears an oath                                                             verse 2

Hope                                                                           verse 4

Joy                                                                              verse 7, 9

Mercy heart                                                               verse 7

Work ethic                                                                 verse 10

Knowledge                                                                 verse 10

Wisdom                                                                      verse 10, 13, 15,

16, 18

Understanding                                                           verse 11 

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events) 

Grave                                                                         verse 10

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

9:3–6 Death is “the evil” (v. 3), not simply a natural phenomenon. This too is a meditation on the fall; humanity has been cut off from the tree of life. The astonishing thing, however, is that instead of reckoning with the meaning of death, humans fill their lives with the distractions of a thousand passions and squander what little time they have to immediate but insignificant worries.

To be sure, the Teacher prefers life to death. Even a lowly dog is better off than a dead lion. But the reason The Teacher puts forward for choosing life is another surprise: because the living know they will die! The explanation is that the living may yet reckon with the reality of death and in so doing embrace the joy life has to offer,²⁰⁷ but no such possibility exists for those who have already died. Their time has passed. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 331). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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9:2–3. Solomon supported the statement that nobody knows what awaits him (v. 1) by stating that all people share the same fate or common destiny. However, there is some ambiguity as to the nature of that fate because of a common failure to relate the beginning of verse 2 to the end of verse 1. The same fate or destiny relates to the “love or hate,” adversity or prosperity, referred to in verse 1. The Hebrew is literally, “whether it will be love or hate, no man knows”; both (i.e., love and hate—for this use of kōl; cf. 2:14; 3:19; 7:18) are before them (i.e., the righteous and the wise, 9:1). Both love and hate are experienced by everyone; there is one fate (or destiny) for the righteous and the wicked. This commonality of fate applies to the good and the bad, those who are ritually clean as well as those who are ritually unclean, those who offer sacrifices as well as those who do not those who are afraid to take God’s name in oaths (cf. Ex. 20:7, “misuse the name of the Lord”) as well as those who are not afraid to do so. The same destiny befalls all these. The bad part of all this (i.e., the evil in everything that happens under the sun), Solomon wrote, is that this common fate causes people to be rampant in sin (people’s hearts … are full of evil and … madness; cf. Ecc. 8:11). Solomon added that not only does everybody (including the righteous and the wise, 9:1) share this same inscrutable distribution of adversity and prosperity during life, but they also share the same ultimate fate after life; they all join the dead. (Glenn, D. R. (1985). Ecclesiastes. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 998). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Escape (v. 3). The fact of death and the fear of death will either bring out the best in people or the worst in people; and too often it is the worst. When death comes to a family, it doesn’t create problems; it reveals them. Many ministers and funeral directors have witnessed the “X-ray” power of death and bereavement as it reveals the hearts of people. In facing the death of others, we are confronted with our own death, and many people just can’t handle it.

“The heart of the sons of men is full of evil,” and that evil is bound to come out. People will do almost anything but repent in order to escape the reality of death. They will get drunk, fight with their relatives, drive recklessly, spend large amounts of money on useless things, and plunge into one senseless pleasure after another, all to keep the Grim Reaper at arm’s length. But their costly endeavors only distract them from the battle; they don’t end the war, because “the last enemy” is still there.

Those of us who were privileged to have the late Joseph Bayly as our friend know what a positive attitude he had toward death. He and his wife had been through the valley many times and God used them to bring comfort and hope to other sorrowing pilgrims. His book The Last Thing We Talk About (David C. Cook Pub. Co.) is a beautiful testimony of how Jesus Christ can heal the brokenhearted. “Death is the great adventure,” said Joe, “beside which moon landings and space trips pale into insignificance.”

You don’t get that kind of confidence by trying to run away from the reality of death. You get it by facing “the last enemy” honestly, turning from sin and trusting Jesus Christ to save you. Have you done that?

Endurance (vv. 4–6). When confronted by the stern fact of death, not everybody dives into an escape hatch and shouts, “Let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrrow we die!” Many people just grit their teeth, square their shoulders and endure. They hold on to that ancient motto, “Where there’s life, there’s hope!” (That’s a good paraphrase of v. 4.)

That motto goes as far back as the third century B.C. It’s part of a conversation between two farmers who are featured in a poem by the Greek poet Theokritos. “Console yourself, dear Battos,” says Korydon. “Things may be better tomorrow. While there’s life there’s hope. Only the dead have none.” Shades of Ecclesiastes!

Solomon would be the last person to discourage anybody from hoping for the best. Better to be a living dog (and dogs were despised in that day) than a dead lion. All that the Preacher asked was that we have some common sense along with our hope, lest too late we find ourselves grasping a false hope.

To begin with, let’s keep in mind that one day we shall die (v. 5). The Christian believer has “a living hope,” not a “dead” hope, because the Saviour is alive and has conquered death (1 Peter 1:3–5; 2 Tim. 1:10). A hope that can be destroyed by death is a false hope and must be abandoned.

What Solomon wrote about the dead can be “reversed” and applied to the living. The dead do not know what is happening on earth, but the living know and can respond to it. The dead cannot add anything to their reward or their reputation, but the living can. The dead cannot relate to people on earth by loving, hating, or envying, but the living can. Solomon was emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly hoping for something better in the future, because death will end our opportunities on this earth.

“The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope,” wrote journalist Norman Cousins, who himself survived a near-fatal illness and a massive heart attack. “That is why the patient’s hopes are the physician’s secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription.”

We endure because we hope, but “hope in hope” (like “faith in faith”) is too often only a kind of self-hypnosis that keeps us from facing life honestly. While a patient may be better off with an optimistic attitude, it is dangerous for him to follow a false hope that may keep him from preparing for death. That kind of hope is hopeless. When the end comes, the patient’s outlook may be cheerful, but the outcome will be tragic.

Life is not easy, but there is more to life than simply enduring. There is a third response to the fact of death, a response that can be made only by those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Saviour. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Satisfied (p. 19). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

An evil; a great trouble and temptation to a considerate and good man. The heart of the sons of men, of wicked men, such as the generality of mankind are, is full of evil; either, 1. Of grief upon this occasion. Or rather, 2. Of wickedness, as appears from the next clause, and by comparing this place with Eccles. 8:11. Madness is in their heart; upon this account they go on madly and desperately in evil courses, without any fear of an after-reckoning. After that they go to the dead; after all their mad and wicked pranks in the whole course of their life, they die in the same manner as the best men do. So hitherto there is no difference. For Solomon here forbears the consideration of the future life. Only he seems to intimate, that as the madness, so the happiness of the wicked is ended by death, which is more fully expressed in the following words. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 299). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)

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Ver. 3. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all, &c.] A very great evil, a very sore one, the worst of evils. Not an evil, as the providence of God is concerned with it, who does no evil; nor is there any unrighteousness in him; he is righteous in all his ways: but this is an evil, and distressing thing, to the minds of good men; see Psal. 73:2, 12–14; Jer. 12:1 and is what bad men make an ill use of, to harden themselves in sin, and to despise religion as an unprofitable thing, Job 21:14, 15. Yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil; they are naturally full of evil, of all unrighteousness and wickedness, what comes out of them shew it; and because the same things happen to good and bad men, and the wicked pass with impunity, and are outwardly happy as others, or more so, their hearts are fully set in them to do evil, ch. 8:11. And madness is in their heart while they live; or madnesses: every sin is madness; for who but a madman would stretch out his hand against God, and strengthen himself against the Almighty, and run upon him? who but a madman would rush into sin in the manner he does, and expose himself to dangers and death, even eternal death? Wicked men are mad upon their lusts, and mad against the saints, and all that is good; this insanity is in their hearts, and shews itself in their lives, and continues with them as long as they live, unless called by grace. And after that they go to the dead; after all the madness of their lives, they die and go into the state of the dead, and are among them; which refers not so much to the interment of their bodies in the grave, as the company with which their separate spirits are; they go, not to the righteous dead, but to the wicked; see Prov. 2:18 and 9:18 so Alshech, they go to the dead; not to the righteous, who, in their death, or when dead, are called living; but, as Jarchi observes, at their end they go down to hell. The Targum is, “after the end of a man, it is reserved for him that he be corrected with the dead, according to the judgment (or desert) of sins.” (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 607). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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1 Peter 4
In the face of suffering, we should follow Christ’s example.
INSIGHT

Life is often very trying whether you are a Christian or not. Difficult circumstances fall on the righteous and unrighteous alike. However, the Christian life often adds to our difficulties. We may be discriminated against because of our faith, or our beliefs may eliminate the “easy” ways out of a problem. But Christ does not ask us to suffer anything for Him that He was not willing to suffer for us. Someday we will be rewarded for our diligence and faith.

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BREAK POINT

Imagine if giving money in support of a group that protects religious liberty, crafts pro-life legislation, or teaches a biblical view of sexuality or marriage meant that your name and the amount of your contribution would be publicly available. Anyone, including anyone who hoped to intimidate, harass, or “out you” to your employer, would have access to that information.   

Would you still give if giving exacted a social cost as well as a financial one? That’s the situation countless conservative and Christian donors could face.

An upstart group called “Unmasking Fidelity” is trying to expose conservative donors to harassment by demanding the nation’s largest grant-maker, Fidelity Charitable, publicly reveal contributions to ten key organizations. These include the Family Research Council, Turning Point USA, and Alliance Defending Freedom, which Unmasking Fidelity absurdly calls “white supremacist” and “fascist.”

The true agenda behind the name-calling is obvious. Some of these organizations have been thorns in the side of progressive policymakers and lawyers who wish to impose their views on all Americans. Alliance Defending Freedom, for example, has been responsible for several key religious freedom victories at the U.S. Supreme Court, including one last year that protected conservative donors in California from having their names and charitable contributions published. In Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta, lawyers with ADF successfully argued against a California law that effectively “doxxed” donors—exposing them to harassment and intimidation.

Having failed in court, progressive activists hare now directing their efforts to attacking their opponents’ funding, specifically any conservative and Christian donors who use Fidelity Financial to manage their nonprofit contributions. Unmasking Fidelity is demanding five years’ worth of receipts for all donations that have gone to ten charities whose views they don’t like.

If Fidelity agrees to these demands, any major donor who gives to these organizations, or any like them, ought to immediately move their charitable dollars. Thankfully, there are trustworthy homes for this money, including Waterstone, National Christian Foundation, and Signatry.

As ADF put it, Unmasking Fidelity “desires to punish [Fidelity] and their donors for supporting principles millions of Americans endorse—religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights, and sanctity of life.” If Fidelity caves to these demands, other financial institutions would likely follow, and an ideological litmus test would be imposed on account holders and institutions. Conservative and Christian groups would be effectively blacklisted by predominant financial players which is precisely what these activists want. From there, they can target other financial institutions and services, such as credit card processing and banking. As ADF concludes, this is an effort to “circumvent the First Amendment” right after the Supreme Court ruled that nonprofit donations are free speech.  (BREAK POINT)

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Ruth 4

Boaz marries Ruth and restores the fortunes of both Ruth and Naomi.

INSIGHT

What a happy ending. Because of Ruth’s faithfulness and circumspection, all the broad acres in which she once gleaned as a destitute alien are now hers, for she has become one with the owner.

When we are one with Christ, we are no longer aliens in another’s fields; and being one with Christ, all that is His is now also ours. As Ruth is translated from isolation and poverty to union and wealth in Boaz, so we become fellow heirs of the riches of Christ and the grace of God. It is likely that the story of Ruth is intended by God to picture our redemption in Christ. And our story is even greater than Ruth’s story. (Quiet Walk)

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JESUS’ UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP TO GOD

…no man knoweth the Son, but the Father.
Matthew 11:27

Our Lord claims that He is in a unique relationship to God in the matter of His knowledge of God. “No man,” He says, “knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son.” In other words, He looked at these people and said, “You see Me, but you do not really know Me. The only one who really knows Me is God, and I am the one, the only one, who really knows God. You pray, you speak to God, but you do not know God as I do.” Nobody “hath seen God at any time,” nor seen His shape. But Christ said that He had seen Him, and He claimed, as the Jews realized, an equality with God the Father. He put Himself side by side with God. Occasionally He withdrew the veil and gave a glimpse of that eternal, mystical relationship between the Father and Himself, and He claimed that He was in such an intimate relationship with God that all men were outside it. Here He is, the carpenter of Nazareth, and yet that is what He claims.
He stands there and tells these people, “Do you know that the whole of this world, the whole of time, the whole of history—heaven and earth and hell and all things—have been handed over to Me by God the Father?” That is His claim: a unique sonship, a unique relationship to God, and a unique relationship to this world. He stands there and says quietly that the whole world is in His hands. Never has the world seen or heard anyone who has claimed so much. Who is He, this babe of Bethlehem, this boy of Nazareth, this carpenter, this artisan, who claims that He is indeed the Son of God?
A Thought to Ponder
Christ claims a unique sonship, a unique relationship to God, and a unique relationship to this world.
            (From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 135-136, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Peaceful Security
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
This precious promise is rooted in the “garrison guard” that God will set around our hearts and minds through His peace. Imagine the war circle of angels “full of horses and chariots of fire round about” that Elisha spoke of (2 Kings 6:17).
And it is a war! “But I see another law in my members,” Paul wrote, “warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:23). Were it not for the peace that exceeds human comprehension, we would quickly succumb to the fact that “in the world [we] shall have tribulation”; but Jesus also said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The “peace of God” is a supernatural peace, not a false calm of meditative hypnosis or a denial of the turmoil that surrounds the “roaring lion” who seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8). This peace is from our Lord Jesus and “not as the world giveth” (John 14:27). It comes through the “things I have spoken unto you,” Jesus said, “that in me ye might have peace” (John 16:33).
Since, however, this kind of supernaturally guarded and God-given peace comes from and through the message of the Scriptures, this peace must “rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). There can be no vacillation, no hesitation about the source, the authority, the capability, or the stability of such peace—or the war that rages in the members of our body will dissipate the vision of God’s garrison surrounding our hearts and minds. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

                             (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Crave Him

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

Why is it that when we say, “This is the last potato chip I’m going to eat,” five minutes later we’re looking for more? Michael Moss answers that question in his book Salt Sugar Fat. He describes how America’s largest snack producers know how to “help” people crave junk food. In fact, one popular company spent $30 million a year and hired “crave consultants” to determine the bliss point for consumers so it could exploit our food cravings.

Unlike that company, Jesus helps us to long for real food—spiritual food—that brings satisfaction to our souls. He said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). By making this claim, He communicated two important things: First, the bread of which He spoke is a person, not a commodity (v. 32). Second, when people put their trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin, they enter into a right relationship with Him and find fulfillment for every craving of their soul. This Bread is everlasting, spiritual food that leads to satisfaction and life.

When we place our trust in Jesus, the true Bread from heaven, we’ll crave Him, and He’ll strengthen and transform our lives. By Marvin Williams (Our Daily Bread Ministries)

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The Seventh Day “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:11)  God’s word is omnipotent, and He could just as well have created an entire universe, fully populated and functioning, in an instant of time. Instead, He chose to do it in six days, with a seventh day to be set aside as a day of rest and remembrance of His completed, “very good” creation. Since that time, it has been the universal practice among monotheists—those who believe in one Creator God—to measure time in seven-day weeks, with one of those days observed as a day of rest and worship of the Creator. This divine assertion was inscribed with “the finger of God” on a table of stone (Exodus 31:18), clearly settling, once and for all, the ancient question of the age of the cosmos, at least for those who really believe in the inerrant perspicuity and authority of the Holy Scriptures. Not only did the Lord precisely equate the six days of man’s workweek with the six days of His own workweek, He then pronounced it all “very good” and “sanctified” the seventh day (Genesis 1:31; 2:3). This would have been an unthinkable thing for Him to say if there were, at that time, a great mile-deep graveyard consisting of the fossil remains of dead animals from the so-called geological ages extending all around the globe. These fossils must all be dated as post-Eden, after human sin and God’s curse brought death into the world (Romans 5:12). Today, those who believe in God and creation should certainly continue to remember Him by observing every seventh day as a day of rest and worship in honor of their Creator, who has now also become their Redeemer and who will soon come again to reign as eternal King. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) _____________________________________________________  THE SIMPLICITY OF FAITH Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:5 Simplicity of faith is one of the most difficult lessons to learn. Most of our defeats, I think, are due to the fact that we parley with sin, we attempt to fight it on our own. The rest of faith, in a sense, means that there are times when we do not even attempt to fight this battle against sin but simply look to Christ. Perhaps an illustration will make my point clear. I once read a little pamphlet that was very simple but that, it seemed to me, shared the whole essence of this particular aspect of the doctrine. It was the story of a Christian in South Africa, traveling out in the country, and he came to an agricultural community. Owing to certain floods in the country, he had to stay where there was a kind of saloon or public house. He was amazed and saddened at the sight of the farmers, many of whom, he noticed, came there and spent in a few days all the money they had been able to earn and save as the result of their hard work through the year. They had a powerful craving for drink that they could not conquer. He was especially attracted to one poor man who seemed to be a particular victim to this terrible affliction, and he began to talk to him. First of all he began to reason with him, pointing out the suffering that his wife and children had to endure. The poor man admitted it all and told the story of how he had been almost unconsciously led into it and found himself a helpless slave to drink before realizing that anything had happened—how he would give the whole world if he could stop it, but he was now a victim of it. Then this Christian went on to tell him about faith, the possibility of overcoming, and told him about the Lord Jesus Christ who had come into this world to save us. I will finish the story in tomorrow’s meditation. A Thought to Ponder: Simplicity of faith is one of the most difficult lessons to learn. (From Life in God, pp. 57-58, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones) ___________________________________________________________

Shared Sacrifice

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” MARK 9:35 

Serving does not come naturally in the Rainey family DNA. Selfishness does.

When our children were small, we gave them chores to teach them to serve one another. Chores included setting the table, loading the dishwasher, putting the silverware away, taking out the trash and helping sweep the floor.

Naturally, this led to some of our biggest battles with our children. Chores undone, half done, poorly done. Chores done with a crummy attitude. Chores done in anger. Children who disappeared during a chore. In fact, at one point all six disappeared at the same time! We thought the rapture had occurred!

Teaching servanthood made us feel like a failure on many occasions.

I remember one specific occasion when I felt desperate to teach our children the importance of serving others. We seated our children in chairs outside on our deck, and I filled a big bowl full of warm water, donned a towel and knelt down and washed their feet. One by one I washed their feet, sharing how the God of the Universe, the Savior of the world, did the same thing with His disciples. We wanted them to have a visual picture of Jesus’ words from today’s Scripture: “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Teaching servanthood in our families seems to be a lost art today. To revive it in your home, you may want to manufacture situations in which sharing and teamwork are required: family yard projects, helping each other clean rooms, sharing responsibility for household chores, and so on.

Also, designate certain items such as games or recreational equipment for multi-person use only. Obviously, these suggestions may end up creating additional conflict, but in the meantime all of this will help break down the fortresses of me-centered, arrogant selfishness in your home. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)

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