LIVING THIS THING CALLED LIFE (PART 10)

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In Christ, Mark

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

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

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

It’s been a great journey through Ecclesiastes, a word derived from the Greek “Ekklēsiastēs” which simply means preacher. Surely, the word of God has preached to us about many things over the last two and a half months.

And so as we close Ecclesiastes, we also close this ten part series on Living This Thing Called Life with one final piece of guidance from the Lord, guidance that, if followed, will always keep us walking the path of righteousness and away from the dangers of sin. Take a look at His words again:

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

In concluding the matter and this book, the Teacher, Solomon, provides two final orders to the reader regarding how to live this thing called life.

First, we are to fear God. We will all be judged for every deed, even what we do in secret for nothing is concealed from His eyes (Matthew 10:26). This should lead us to be mindful of everything we are doing, everything we are thinking, and everything we are saying. For when we come before the judgment throne of the Lord God Almighty, no one should want to be standing there having lived in wickedness after violating His commandments through their life. The bottom line is that the Lord demands our respect and reverence. He hates sin because it was sin that led Him to sacrifice His only Son Jesus so we might have a chance for salvation and redemption for our wrongs. He did it out of His love for us and the best way we can express our gratitude to Him is to live in obedience, to live in the way He desires for us to live. This leads to the second order He gave us.

For we are to keep God’s commandments in the way we live. He is God and when He tells us to do something, it isn’t optional. He commands it and we are to do it. Period. As we live this thing called life, we are to seek and then follow the Lord’s will and way. We do this through three important disciplines:

1. We study the word of God daily.

People will always look a little surprised when I tell them I write every day, a look that says, “Wow! That’s really a lot.” But think about it a minute. Isn’t it the Lord’s desire for us to set aside time every day to read and learn from His word? There is no doubt that He expects it. We are to seek to be more like His Son Jesus every day and we can only do that if we know Him and the way He lived. And the only way we will know Him and the way He lived is if we read about Him in the Bible and then seek to model His ways. At the root of the word Christian is the word Christ and so Christians are to be Christ-like. God’s word shows us how to be just that and share with us all that God commands, commands that Jesus perfectly carried out.

2. We pray daily.

As we study the word of God, we need to be in prayer over that word as well as our lives and the lives of others. Communication is the lifeblood of relationship and a healthy relationship with the Lord comes through regularly talking to Him. That is the essence of prayer, a daily communication with the One who made us and can do all things. God is always there for us, always listens to us, and always answers our prayers in a way that leads us to His will and way. Want to make sure you are doing all the right things? Pray over every thought, word, and deed before you do it and then follow the Lord’s guidance in obedience. He will always lead you to righteousness and to live in His favor.

3. Commune with the Holy Spirit daily.

If you read God’s word and pray unto Him daily, you will be in the presence of the Holy Spirit where you can freely commune with Him. When Jesus left, He promised He would never leave us but rather that He would send us a Counselor to lead and guide us through life. That Counselor is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) who is always that still small voice that leads us to do what the Lord commands, that consciousness that makes us feel good when we have done as the Lord desires and convicts us in guilt when we know we have fallen short. As I write daily, it’s the Holy Spirit who speaks to my heart and mind and soul, giving me the words to say, words meant by the Lord to encourage, inspire, and convert. I count it as my greatest blessing each and every day, and my most valued relationship. For no one can lead me in the ways of the Lord as the Holy Spirit can as He illuminates the word of the Lord and directs me in accordance with God’s will.

Read the scriptures and pray every day. Develop a close and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Allow all of these disciplines to make you more like Jesus.

Do these things as you live this thing called life and you will be well on your way toward fulfilling the commandments of God and showing Him the reverence He expects and deserves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com