FRUIT GROWS BETTER IN THE VALLEY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-6, 10:15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I heard a saying a long time ago that has really placed my faith walk in the right perspective. I pray today that it will do the same for you as we look at it along with the opening verses of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7. Here’s the saying:

Life is a journey and along the course of that journey we will find ourselves on the mountain tops at some times while at others we will walk through the valleys. What we learn through our passage is that the fruit always grows the best in the valley.

So what is the point being made here?

The mountain top experiences represent life when it’s going well, times when we are living trouble-free and in the midst of a lot of joy and peace and satisfaction. Conversely, the valley experiences are those times when we are going through challenge and hardship and difficulty. These times are not pleasant and we can find ourselves yearning for rescue and release, for someone to guide us out of the valley so we might find our way back to the mountain top again.

So where does the fruit fit in?

Fruit really does grow better in the valley, a place where things are more fertile than the mountain top’s higher elevation. But we’re not really talking about real fruit in this saying. Rather, we’re talking about the fruit of faith and trust and reliance on the Lord. It’s easy to be faithful when things are going well, when we’re standing on the mountain top. The true test of our faith is when we’re in those valley times and in the midst of adversity. It’s in those situations where the Lord is helping us grow in our confidence and conviction toward Him as being the One who can save and deliver us from our circumstances.

Maybe you can relate and if so, please leave a comment on this devotion and give your testimony.

OK, so how does this fit in with God’s word for today? Look at these verses:

A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. (vv 1-6)

Death better than birth. Mourning better than feasting or pleasure. Frustration better than laughter. Sadness better than gladness. Rebuke better than song or laughter.

Really?

Taken at face value from a worldly perspective, these assertions would be considered ludicrous. But taken from the mindset that the Lord helps us grow the fruits of faith better during times of misfortune than during any other time, we can see where these words make total sense.

Let’s face it. None of us get up in the morning and ask for bad things to happen. But the inevitable nature of life is that times of struggle and toil will happen to us all. And although those times are not pleasant, perhaps we could make it through them just a little bit easier by seeing that the Lord who is with us on the mountain tops, rejoicing in our blisses and successes, is the same Lord who hears our cries, answers our prayers, and leads us out of strife when it happens, sowing and reaping a rich and ripe harvest of faith within our hearts, minds, and souls.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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