WORLDLY HOPELESSNESS

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In Christ, Mark

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

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 

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

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Romans 3:10

Perhaps, there is no more convicting verse in all of scripture. And it partners nicely with today’s verse from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7:

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. (v20)

No one is righteous, not one person. No one can say they have been perfectly right in their life. No one can say they have not sinned.

Now, I didn’t say that people don’t act as if they have never done anything wrong in life. Maybe you have met a few people like this, so prideful that they cannot admit they are in error even when it’s obvious they are. The scriptures have this to say about these kinds of people:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

In other words, live in denial that you have sinned and you are a liar, a liar before God and a liar unto yourself.

The truth of the matter, the truth of life in general for us, is that we all are sinners and have fallen way short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We all have failed miserably and deserve nothing but God’s condemnation and wrath.  

This is the state we find ourselves in, a state of worldly hopelessness.

Thanks be to God that He, out of His rich mercy and love, made a way for us to escape the hopelessness we find ourselves in as sinners. For He provided all of us an intercessor, someone who has already paid the sin penalty we deserved, someone who could purify us from our unrighteousness. That someone is named Jesus.

Without an intercessor, someone to stand before God and facilitate our pardon, we are all doomed to extinction, without hope of being saved, without opportunity to live beyond the worldly lives we have now. Worldly hopelessness is born out of the fact that no one or nothing in the world can save us from our sins.  

Only Jesus can.

So how do we find our way to forgiveness of sins and the needed cleansing from our transgressions? When we return to 1 John, we find the answer from the word of the Lord:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

The steps are simple.

1. Confess our sins, admitting to God where we have went astray, where we have been disobedient, where we have violated His will and way.

2. We need to walk in the light in all we do and the only way we’ll do that is to take God by the hand and allow Him to lead us through every day He grants us. He is always in the light because He is light (1 John 1:5) and when we walk alongside Him, the path to righteousness is illuminated. None of us can find this path on our own for apart from God, we walk in darkness and end up on the wide path of destruction, a path paved in sin, a path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

When we walk in the light with God, we have fellowship with others, rejoicing and reveling with joy in the life God has granted, not just today but forever through His Son Jesus who has purified us from all sin through His blood.

Friends, this devotion today hits at the core of the Gospel.

Without Jesus, we are in a state of worldly hopelessness, destined for damnation and the fullest extent of God’s judgment, a place on one should ever want to be.

With Jesus, we are set free from the guilty verdict and death penalty that sin brings for God’s word is clear:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

No condemnation. No hopelessness. Just peace and comfort and joy from the assurance that God saved us through His Son Jesus out of the deep love He has for us (John 3:16).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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DON'T OVERDO IT

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In Christ, Mark

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

Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself?

Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time?

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 

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

Don’t overdo it.

It’s a warning we hear all the time, right?

Don’t stay out in the sun too long because overdoing it can leave you sunburned and possibly at risk for skin cancer.

Don’t eat too much because overdoing it can leave us sick at our stomachs or at least gaining weight we don’t need.

Don’t overdo it when you’re working out or you may risk injury or muscle soreness that will prevent you from exercising.

We’re to do things in moderation and not to excess. That’s the main message anytime we think about overdoing something.

Well, the scriptures have something to say about the matter of overdoing things as we will see in our three verses from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7. Let’s take a look at the guidance the Lord is providing today:

Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself?

Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time?

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. 

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

When we have respect for God, we avoid all extremes. We won’t overdo it when we allow Him to lead and guide us because He always directs us to act perfectly, synchronous with His will and way and word in a way that is just right.

With Him shepherding us, we will never overdo it when it comes to righteousness. This is because we will always be reflecting His righteousness and not our own, fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit.

With God, we will never be over wise but rather reflecting the measure of wisdom He imparts upon us, wisdom that will be perfect to apply at His prescribed time in whatever situation we’re dealing with.

With God, we will never be over wicked because He will not lead us into wickedness at all. Rather, seeking His righteousness and wisdom will lead us away from foolishness and folly, away from sin and His wrath so that we might live in a way that pleases, magnifies, and glorifies Him in every way.

In the end translation, it is good, VERY good and completely prescribed by the word of God, for us to let go of overdoing it in exchange for grasping the hand of God and allowing Him to lead us perfectly in all our ways of life.

He and He alone will always ensure we don’t overdo anything.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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TRUE LONGEVITY

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In Christ, Mark

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

In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 

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

How do you ensure longevity in life?

It’s a constant point of discussion among people because it seems there is an article or news story published about it every day.

Exercise this way and you’ll live longer. Eat certain foods and avoid eating others and you’ll add more years to your life. Even spiritual actions like prayer and worship are touted as extending a person’s life on earth.

The common problem with these assertions is that they don’t represent the way to true longevity in life. No worldly concepts will.

I was reminded of this truth as I read today’s scripture from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 as Solomon shares yet another wise observation about life. Look at his words here:

In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. Ecclesiastes 7:15

You’ll remember from prior devotions that the matter of meaningless when applied to life takes us to the place where we see the things of the world as meaningless when compared to the Lord who brings meaning to everything. Nothing we experience, to include life itself, would be had it not been brought into being by the great Creator of all things.

This is an important point to go back to as we consider the matter of true longevity. For we need to maintain and sustain our focus on the One who is really in control in life and it isn’t anything we can find in this world.

Solomon reminds us that the most righteous people perish in their righteousness, implying that they at times don’t live as long as the wicked who chose to ignore the Lord and His will and way.

One may take from this that it doesn’t matter is one if righteous or wicked when it comes to living a long time and they would be correct in that understanding. This is because it isn’t a mindset or attitude that brings us eternal life. It’s only Jesus, our only source of true longevity.

The scriptures tell us this in two passages, John 3:16 and John 14:6:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

God didn’t say that our righteousness would lead us to eternal life. Only believing in His Son Jesus who He sent to save us.

Jesus didn’t say that we needed to be righteous in order to get to God the Father where we will live forever. No He said that He was the only way we could get to the Father. There is no other way but His way because He was the way, He is the way, and He will always be the way to God. Period.

So the next time you hear all these worldly assertions about longevity in life, don’t allow yourself to be distracted from the truth. Stay focused on Jesus, the One who leads us to true longevity and a joyous escape from this meaningless life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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GOD CONSIDERATIONS

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In Christ, Mark

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

Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 

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

One of the things that disappoints me most is when I hear people question whether or not God is present in their lives or in extreme cases, whether or not God exists at all.

In response to these questions, as in all questions, we find the Holy Scriptures providing us answers. In today’s case, those answers come in the way of God considerations. Look at these verses from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7:

Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.  Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 

The first way to address whether God is present is to consider Him period and the things He has done.

Think about it. God created all things and it is He and He alone that sustains them. The scriptures tell us that a time is coming when what we know will be no more, passing away into extinction (Revelation 21:1). The first earth and heaven that God created will give way to new ones. It is God who will dictate when this happens and it will be by His power that it is orchestrated.

With this, every day we awake and take breath in this world should lead us to a moment of consideration of God’s presence and His mercy, grace, and love. We should be taken to the point of thanksgiving and praise, knowing God is alive and present and allowing us to live one more day. If that weren’t true, I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading it. We would all be gone.

The problem with us is that we take God for granted as well as the things He does for us. We simply can’t stop considering Him and all He is doing in our lives, like keep us straight in a sinful world.

This is the second God consideration we’re given in today’s passage. For out of one simple question, we are placed in a position where we need to acknowledge that God, and God alone, leads us to do what is right, to walk upon the narrow path that leads us to holiness and favor with Him.

Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

None of us can fix the things we mess up in life. Only God can straighten out the errors of our ways and get us back to where we need to be. Without Him and left to our own devices, we would be doomed. With Him, we always have hope, now and forever. This is something we should always consider and again bring our praises to God for His guidance and direction.

Our third God consideration is this: God is always there for us in the good and bad times.

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.

It can be easy to see God present in our times of rejoicing and celebration and joy. But when the sorrows and despairs of life come upon us, our sight can be clouded and it can be harder to see God with us. Maybe you have been there. I know I have.

What I have learned is that God is nearer to me than ever when I am going through difficulty. All I need to do is consider and turn to Him for direction and comfort and peace and love. This has led me to times when I have found clarity in confusion and solace in distress. Like there is still calm in the midst of a mighty hurricane, we can find still calm in God during times when the storms of life rage all around us. He is always just a prayer away.

Finally, we need to consider that God holds our future in His hands.

Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

No one knows what their earthly future holds. No mere human has that kind of insight but God does. He knows because He writes the script for our lives from beginning to end. He brings us into creation at His appointed time and He will take us when He chooses.

This is truth and yet we find people investing a lot of time and worry into trying to control a future they have no control over and in doing so, wasting good time that God wants to use them to His service.

Want to impact your future in the most positive way possible? It takes less than a minute. For all you need to do is receive Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, as your personal Savior, believing and trusting that He lived and died for you, bearing the price for your sins on Calvary’s cross before being resurrected from death to life by the very God who desires for you to have the same opportunity out of His deep love for you (John 3:16). If you have done this, then your future is set, an eternal future where you will live with God and Jesus forever.

In sum, consider this about God. He is with you today and He wants to be with you forever. Whether or not you have that kind of future is up to you. Please don’t take too much time considering what God is offering you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE BLESSINGS OF WISDOM

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.

Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”—but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound—who can discover it?

So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12, 19, 23-25, 8:1  

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

If someone asked an audience to say the first thing that came to mind when the name Solomon was mentioned, a majority of the responses would be the word “wisdom”. It’s really what defined him, a gift from God granted by request.

You’ll remember that as Solomon was about to assume the throne of Israel, God called on him and offered anything he wanted. Solomon could have asked for riches. He could have asked for an expanded kingdom. He could have asked for anything possible, anything his heart desired.

What would you ask for if God gave you that opportunity?

I doubt that wisdom would be the first thing on your mind.

But that is exactly what Solomon asked for, for wisdom to be able to discern the right things to do so he could lead the people of Israel properly. And so God delivered on His promise, granting not only wisdom to Solomon but wealth and honor as well (1 Kings 3:5-13).

Seeking and receiving wisdom brought blessings to Solomon and it will do the same for us. Take a look at these verses from Ecclesiastes, Chapters 7 and 8:

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.

Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”—but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound—who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance. Ecclesiastes 7:11-12, 19, 23-25, 8:1   

Within just a few verses, we discover seven blessings we gain from wisdom. Let’s look at each one now:

1. Wisdom is a good thing.

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing.

When we receive an inheritance, we gain some good thing of value we didn’t have before. The only way we gain wisdom is to inherit it from the One who is the source and that is God and God alone. Next to a place in the very kingdom of God itself, there is no greater inheritance we will receive from God than wisdom.

2. Wisdom is a benefit.

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

There is nothing on earth that gives us the benefit that wisdom does because no one on earth has it to give out. Only God does and if any person gives us wise counsel, it’s because the wisdom they speak first originated from God Himself. We all seek to find the most advantageous benefits in life and we should look no further than God’s wisdom to start with for His wisdom will always lead and guide us to the other best benefits that God has to offer.  

3. Wisdom is a shelter.

Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter.

When we have money, we have security, a shelter from indebtedness or poverty and a financial assurance to go through life without worrying about finances. But no amount of money we could ever possess will has the same worth as wisdom and the shelter it brings in guiding us always toward righteousness and away from wickedness. There is no price one can place on having the discernment to do the right thing.  

4. Wisdom preserves life.

Wisdom preserves those who have it.

If we didn’t have wisdom, we would fall into sin and folly, left to our own desires and lacking the ability to do what is right. Our wickedness would posture us out of God’s favor and in the crosshairs of His judgment. Not a place anyone should want to be.

On the other hand, wisdom always keeps us near to God because He is the only One who can impart it on us. And the closer we stay to God, the more we are under His protection and preservation.

5. Wisdom brings power.

Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

What made Solomon renowned during his rule?

It wasn’t his riches but rather his wisdom which gave him a power no other ruler possessed because no other ruler had a close and intimate relationship with the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Provider of wisdom. Look at these verses from 1 Kings regarding a visit paid to Solomon by Queen of Sheba:

When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.  She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 1 Kings 10:1-6

The queen of Sheba had heard about Solomon’s wisdom but it wasn’t until she experienced it herself that she saw the power of the Lord first hand. This led to her saying:

How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness. 1 Kings 10:8-9

Note that she came to honor Solomon but in the end was praising God, the One who gave Solomon the power he displayed through wisdom.

6. Wisdom exposes foolishness and sin.

All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”—but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound—who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

Wisdom shines a bright light into the darkness of sin and illuminates the stupidity of wickedness and madness of folly, convicting us if any evil way is within us. This is because anyone who pursues and receives wisdom will always be led to righteousness and away from transgression.

7. Wisdom brings us joy and brightens our life.

A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.

There is no more happy place to be in life than knowing you are living in the favor of the Lord and the path of wisdom will always lead us there. When we seek wisdom, we seek God and when we seek God, we grow ever nearer in our relationship to Him, a relationship that always brings peace and love and contentment and love.

These scriptures highlight seven special blessings we gain from wisdom but there are so many more. We’ll discover them all when we commit ourselves fully to live for the God who made us and grants us the wisdom to live right with Him and with one another.  

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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