Time and chance

What do you make of these words from Ecclesiastes? Is Solomon suggesting that it is just a matter of 'fate' when things happen to us or can we believe that God is still in control of how things turn out?

"I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all." - Ecclesiastes 9:11

I would agree with the following:

Anyone can run the race of life...

Anyone can fight in this battle...

You don't have to have academic degrees to put food on the table...

It is not only pupils in the A class who make lots of money...

People with little education have won public office and positions of leadership...

BUT, I am not sure of the word 'chance' - The Living Bible says it like this:

"but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time."

Of course, TIME catches up with all of us, but I would feel comfortable using the word 'God's will' instead of Chance. It just makes me feel that God is more in control of things, compared to Chance.

What do you feel? 

"Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Living in Grace

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Courage of Desperation

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt so desperate that you were willing to try anything to get out of that tough time? I know I have and it is not a nice place to be in.
When Zacchaeus realised that he was missing something in his life, his desperation drove him to do something very undignified - he climbed up into a tree!

This in itself, may not seem strange, but just think of the Chief Revenue Officer (or the head of SARS in South Africa) wading through a packed crowd and suddenly start climbing up a tree. It smacks of desperation and it would definitely get heads turning. Ironically it was probably this act of desperation that placed Zacchaeus fully in Jesus's line of sight. And as Jesus noticed him he was able to speak into his life.

What act of courageous desperation got you to change your life?

If you are struggling at the moment, what courageous act do you need to embark upon in order to meet Jesus again?

"So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way." - Luke 19:4

Living in Grace
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Beginners luck?

The other day I had the awesome opportunity to try my hand at Archery. My friend, Jacques showed me the ropes and, believe it or not, my first arrow hit the bull's eye. I am convinced it was 'Beginner's luck' and am happy to admit that. Archery is actually a lot harder than it looks - it is not just simply shooting an arrow at a target. If you have tried your hand at it you will have to agree with me.

So I was thinking of the incredible spread of Christianity in the early church - could it have been 'Beginner's luck?' We hear of thousands of people being added to the church, on a daily basis, and the disciples turning the world upside down. This was the first time the group of disciples had the chance to preach the Gospel after the Ascension of Jesus and they did an awesome job.

Would you put it down to Beginner's luck? Of course not! It was the perfect timing of God's spirit working through the lives of the disciples. They were willing to trust in the promises of Jesus and God's Spirit used them in a mighty way.

As we venture out in faith, we may feel a little like beginners, but we should not despair at this. God will use us to fulfil his tasks if we are willing to be obedient to Him.

Acts 2:41 - Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

“Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested." The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.” - Paul Coelho

Living in Grace
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