What God Does is Forever
Ecclesiastes is a very different type of book. Much of it shows the frustration of Solomon as he looks at life from all angles looking for the real meaning. Then, there are short passages that show us the ultimate reality he found in his search.(Ecclesiastes 3:14) One of his first conclusions is that what man does is vanity or worthless, as far as having lasting results, but what God does is eternal. We need to hear that loud and clear.
When God saves us from our sins and adopts us into His family, it is forever. When God works in us to make us like Jesus, it is forever. When He works through us to accomplish His will in our world, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and beyond, it is forever. Whatever God does is perfect, so nothing can be added to it or taken from it. Therefore, instead of doing what we want in our own power which is vanity, we should always strive to allow God to work in and through us to do His will, which is forever.
God does this so we will fear Him. It is not a fear of being scared of Him, but a fear of what will happen if we fail to listen to Him. Yes, He can and does punish us, as believers, for not obeying Him, but often, He allows us to destroy ourselves by giving us the freedom to do as we please. If we decide to follow Christ and do what He says, we see forever things done, and we have good success in our lives. If we go our own way, we see destruction. That should cause us all to have a healthy fear of God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ecclesiastes 4-6.
When God saves us from our sins and adopts us into His family, it is forever. When God works in us to make us like Jesus, it is forever. When He works through us to accomplish His will in our world, our family, our friends, our neighbors, and beyond, it is forever. Whatever God does is perfect, so nothing can be added to it or taken from it. Therefore, instead of doing what we want in our own power which is vanity, we should always strive to allow God to work in and through us to do His will, which is forever.
God does this so we will fear Him. It is not a fear of being scared of Him, but a fear of what will happen if we fail to listen to Him. Yes, He can and does punish us, as believers, for not obeying Him, but often, He allows us to destroy ourselves by giving us the freedom to do as we please. If we decide to follow Christ and do what He says, we see forever things done, and we have good success in our lives. If we go our own way, we see destruction. That should cause us all to have a healthy fear of God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ecclesiastes 4-6.