The Perfect Dream

We all dream of something remarkable taking place in our lives - the answer to a deep longing or a miraculous answer to prayer. When Solomon encountered God in a dream (1 Kings 3), he was asked the question we all long for:

"That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

How would you answer that question today?

What do you want? 

If you ask God for one thing, what would you ask for?

Better health? More security? Financial help? A partner? Peace? Help with your future? Faith? 

Thought: My immediate response to this question could tell me a lot about what I am struggling with in my life at the moment?

Nehemiah 9:27 - From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

Living in Grace

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Understanding and wisdom

"Bestow upon me, O Lord my God, 

understanding to know thee,

diligence to seek thee, 

wisdom to find thee,
and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee." - Thomas Aquinas

"For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful.” Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself." - Proverbs 9

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There is always a FIRST step.

There is always going to be a first step!

When we were infants crawling on the floor, our families encouraged us to make the first step. And when we did, their delighted whoops inspired us to take another step. Slowly, but surely, we got more steady on our tiny legs, and eventually we couldn't stop moving.

It is the same with most things in life, and even so with our faith. We must always start with a first step and when we succeed in that action, so the other steps flow from this momentum. The writer of Proverbs suggests that if we want to live godly lives, we should listen to Wisdom and live out the principles of faith. However, there is a crucial first step. Read what he says:

1 These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, David’s son:

2 He wrote them to teach his people how to live—how to act in every circumstance, 3 for he wanted them to be understanding, just, and fair in everything they did. 4 “I want to make the simpleminded wise!” he said. “I want to warn young men about some problems they will face. 5-6 I want those already wise to become wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.”

7-9 How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! (Proverbs 1)

Thought: What is your first step going to be today?

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The importance of a name - Jesse

In the season of Advent, we re-read the stories of Christ's birth and the fulfillment of many prophecies. There is much hope and wonderful anticipation hidden in these special pages of the Bible. One of the passages that often gets brushed over is Matthew 1 (and Luke 3), which includes the Genealogy of Jesus. 

I think the reason it gets skipped past is because we are confused by the many names. Some of the people mentioned we recognise, but many of the names don't ring a bell for us. However, we must remember that they are all included for a specific reason, and we would do well to understand the significance of each person - after all, they are all ancestors of Jesus Christ.

During Advent this year, I will try and shed a little light on some of these people and it is my prayer that this will help us understand the magnitude of the birth of Christ.

In Matthew 1:6 we come across arguably three of the most recognizable names in the bunch - "Jesse the father of King David. David the father of Solomon..." Each of these men has their own powerful story and legacy, but to note that they are ancestors of Jesus is remarkable.

Jesse is a unique man in that he is also surrounded by famous family members. He is the grandson of Ruth and Boaz, and then the father (and grandfather) of the greatest Kings of Israel. He was obviously some special guy and even his name alludes to this: Jesse means 'God's gift.'

Isaiah writes of him:

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; .." (Isaiah 11)

As we slowly focus our attention on the Christmas season, let us not overlook the deep significance of the people involved in our Lord's life.

Living in Grace

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If you were granted one wish

                                                                

If you were granted one wish, what would you ask for? Three more wishes? A million dollars? World peace?

In a dream, Solomon is visited by the Lord and told he could ask for anything from the Lord. This is part of his reply (1 Kings 3): 

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream."

We just need to take a look at Solomon's legacy to see how God granted his request and how Solomon became known as the wisest man on earth. Solomon must have been tempted to use his title, honour, wealth or name, to his own advantage, but instead he asked for wisdom. 

"The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing." - Socrates

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Reflections on the loss of a great man - Mr Dave Beetar

I heard the devastating news on Sunday of the loss of a true role model and leader in our community, Mr Dave Beetar. Dave, the recently retired headmaster of Merchiston Preparatory School in Pietermaritzburg passed away over the weekend, due to Covid complications. His death leaves a huge void in the lives of his beloved family, as well his school community and even further afield.  

A few days on, I still can’t believe it is true. I try to shake my head, hoping to clear my mind and somehow wake up after a bad dream. However, just a quick glance at social media reminds me that the news is true and the man we all thought was immovable and unshakable, is no more.

After the initial shock of the announcement, I have been battling to process this wretched news. I tried to figure out the injustice of Dave having worked tirelessly his entire life (the last 33 years at Merchiston) and on the brink of his retirement, he is taken from his family and our community.

That is not fair!

In fact, those were my exact words in my complaint to God – “That is not fair! Why now Lord?! Dave still had so many more years in him. He could have done so much more for the world. Our world needs wise people to help us navigate through the turbulent waters ahead! Come on Lord!!”

Even having had that very vocal rant before God, I am still not feeling any better. Dave’s death has coincided with my reading of Ecclesiastes and the last few days I have been completing chapter 12. It is easy to get stuck on Solomon’s words in verse 8: “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” And if I am allowed to be 100% honest – those were my sentiments exactly. What is the point, Lord!? Everything is meaningless! We work hard for our entire lives and then we are snatched away at some inopportune time. Surely, not Lord!?

As the mist begins to clear I am slowly inching towards the beginnings of acceptance, although I am sure I will have a few more rants with God in the future. I am sure that Dave would want us to pick up the broken pieces and to carry on living as best we can. So, I guess will slowly start to process the events of the last week and try to make meaningful sense of them.

On initial reflection these are some of the ‘lessons’ I want to take from this tragedy:

I want to honour Dave’s life by embracing my every breath as a gift from God.

I want to live my life to the FULL, in the here and now – not waiting for retirement or tomorrow to do something I love.

I want to be intentional about rooting out distractions in my life.

I want to pass onto others what God has given to me. It is only in giving of ourselves that we know the pleasure of God.

I want to be conscious of all the special people God has placed in my life – the people that make the journey worthwhile and who choose to walk alongside me.

A few years ago, Dave asked me to speak to his staff and to lead some prayers after a popular staff member had tragically passed away. I did what I could in the moment of grief and afterwards I remember how Dave and I chatted through some of our own deep emotions. Later, I passed onto him a little book I wrote entitled ‘NOW – Refuse to the moment pass!’ I had written this book after the heart-wrenching death of a friend and it seemed appropriate in that crisis to give it to him. Dave said he found it helpful and I know that he was already embracing many of the points I raised in the book. One of those quotes goes like this:

“Do it now. Do whatever you can right now!” – Thomas a Kempis

Dave was always ready (Ready Aye Ready is the motto of Merchiston School) to offer leadership, guidance, wisdom, care and compassion to all who needed it. Of course, he had to make some unpopular decisions in his years of leadership that they were always made with the greater good in mind.

So instead of trying to figure out why this happened to Dave, and the vexation of the situation, I am choosing to align myself with Solomon’s final comments at the end of his twelfth chapter: 

“Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

I think Dave would want that from you and I.

Rest in Peace, Dave.

Much love to Dave’s beloved family as they mourn the loss of a remarkable human being.

Living in Grace

Delme Linscott

 

 

 

Last words

Coming to the end of his thoughts on life, wisdom and choices, Solomon gives us these profound words. Having read through the previous 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes they certainly sum up his sentiments neatly. 

"That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

This is the best advice we could pass onto the younger generation, and those who still need to hear this advice: 

Let us have a reverence for God (a holy fear) and be willing to follow God's ways. In the end, we will all be judged according to our actions and I am grateful that my life will be judged by one person only - The Lord.

"The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else." - Oswald Chambers

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Cattle prods and sticks

At first glance, people can be grouped into 2 general groups - those who are motivated by the 'carrot' and those who are motivated by the 'stick.' I am sure you know what I mean - some people like to drawn to do something by incentive, while others only work best when they are chased/prodded into action. Solomon realised this a long long time ago:

"The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." - Ecclesiastes 12:9-10

I feel that this also sums up many people in faith circles and churches. Some believers need to be prodded into action, while others are self motivated and willing to follow Christ without needed the stick.

If you are honest, which person are you at the moment?

"One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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The Quester

In referring to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, Eugene Peterson speaks of him as "The Quester." It is an unusual term and one that is not often used anymore, but refers to the person who seeks out something (truth in this case.)

"Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth." (The Message)

"Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true." - Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 (NIV)

What is it that we are seeking at the moment?

Have we found Jesus Christ as the answer to all our seeking?

Living in Grace

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Silver cords and golden bowls

"Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it." - Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

Okay, so what on earth is Solomon on about in these verses? What do silver cords and golden bowls have to do with us? What can it possibly mean?

Well, there are two schools of thought on this, with both of them reminding us of the fragility of life. 

First - the mention of silver cords, golden bowls, pitcher's and water wheels all possibly refer to the pulley systems that carried the precious source of water to the people. If these broke, then people would die of thirst. I think the image is helpful for us.

Second - it is thought that each of the items represents a part of the body that will eventually stop working as we near death. The silver cord represents the tongue; the golden bowl our minds/brains; the pitcher and pulley represent our hearts and internal organs. 

Either illustration helps us see that we should REMEMBER God while we can. While we still have our faculties we should worship the Lord and give him the praise due his name.

Living in Grace

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Remember Him

If you are following this series of blogs from Ecclesiastes then you may be as surprised as I am with the different versions of chapter 12. I am going to include some verses from chapter 12 (v.5) and you will see what I mean. The overriding message is still the same for today - we must REMEMBER the Lord in everything that we do. Time is short and we need to honour the Lord.

"Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral." - New Living Translation

"....when people are afraid of heights
    and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
    and the grasshopper drags itself along
    and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
    and mourners go about the streets." (NIV)

What does it take for us to Remember the Lord today?

Living in Grace

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No teeth

Today's reading is tragic and humourous at the same time. I suggest it is tragic because it is the way that each of us must go in our old age, but we also need to hold onto our sense of humour along the way. Solomon's very descriptive analysis of old age gives me the impression that he is speaking from experience - no teeth, aches and pains, losing hearing etc. 

What do you think?

Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 - "For there will come a time when your limbs will tremble with age, your strong legs will become weak, and your teeth will be too few to do their work, and there will be blindness too. Then let your lips be tightly closed while eating when your teeth are gone! And you will waken at dawn with the first note of the birds; but you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with quavering voice. You will be afraid of heights and of falling—a white-haired, withered old man, dragging himself along: without sexual desire, standing at death’s door, and nearing his everlasting home as the mourners go along the streets."

So remember to eat with your mouth closed!

“I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to.” - Albert Einstein

God bless.

Living in Grace

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Enjoy God

The final chapter of Ecclesiastes will help us to complete the circle of Solomon's rantings and advice given to the younger generation (and also to those of us older folk willing to listen) . He urges the youth to remember and honour God, even when they are young. Often people live their lives without any thought of God and then only turn to him later on in life - almost as a last resort. Solomon is impressing upon us all NOT to fall into that trap.

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;" - Ecclesiastes 12:1-2 (NIV)

I love the way that The Message invites us to also 'enjoy' the Lord, as well as honour him. Many Christians understand the need to honour God and maybe even to fear him, but how often do we hear sermons where we are called to ENJOY the grace of God?

"Honour and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire." - Eugene Peterson 

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Refuse to worry

"So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 11:10

Here he goes again! Solomon comes to the staggering conclusion that even 'youth' is meaningless. I really feel sorry for him sometimes - it seems as if his depression was moving him deeper and deeper into a dark corner. 

When we read this last statement in the words of Eugene Peterson, it does make a lot more sense. The Message paraphrase states:

"You won’t be young forever.
Youth lasts about as long as smoke."

This now makes a lot more sense to me. All of us can remember our younger days as if they were just yesterday and we wonder where have the years gone. Solomon's message is very important for us to hold onto - life is short, so we should try not to WORRY and also to keep ourselves as HEALTHY as possible.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:27

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ...

What do you think?

Is it possible to quit worrying?

Living in Grace

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Striking a balance

This verse has always been an intriguing verse for me - I have used it at many youth talks and confirmation services in the past. One of the things that Solomon manages to hold in balance is the notion to 'enjoy your youth', but also remember that you will give an account for everything you do. Read what he says: 

"You who are young, be happy while you are young,

 and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment." - Ecclesiastes 11:9

There is a quote from Augustine that ties in with this scripture in some way, although it can be quoted out of context on occasion. Augustine wrote:

"Once for all, then, a short precept is given thee: Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold thy peace; whether thou cry out, through love cry out; whether thou correct, through love correct; whether thou spare, through love do thou spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good."

The part I have underlined is the part that is quoted as "Love God and do what you like!" Obviously, this is a dangerous thought if not tethered to some core foundation. I think that both Solomon and Augustine understood that if a believer loved God with heart, soul, mind and strength, that their actions would seek to please God in any case - therefore we should be at peace about our actions. 

How do you feel about these quotes today? Worth a little reflection I think.

Living in Grace

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The Contrast

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

In these 2 verses there is a great deal of contrast in the images that Solomon shares. Perhaps this is why it is so revealing and challenging at the same time. Do you notice how he speaks about 'sweet light' and then 'days of darkness?' He also contrasts joy and meaninglessness. 

Solomon's overriding message to the next generation was clear - Life is a gift and we have little control over how things turn out, so let us enjoy what gifts God gives to us. 

This is so relevant for what we are experiencing at the moment during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. There seems to be no certainty anymore - darkness contrasts with moments of light and our joy is often threatened by meaninglessness.

The opening words of verse 7 are key for me today - each sunrise is pleasing to the soul - it reminds us that God has given us one more day to enjoy.

I am grateful for the purpose and love of Christ. It is in Jesus that I live, breathe and have my being.

Living in Grace

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Don't be idle

I have a confession to make: I struggle to sit around and do nothing!

I realise that this can be both good and bad, but it is something that I have had to understand about myself. Of course, there are times when I need to rest and sabbath, but I also struggle to allow time to be wasted. Maybe it is because I realise how precious time (life) is for each one of us. Today's reading really resonates with me, as it speaks about not being idle:

"Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both." - Ecclesiastes 11:6

I don't see this as Solomon glorifying busyness, but rather that we don't know how our 'planting' will turn out and if we depend only on that ONE activity, we may end up hungry. I guess this point is another way of reminding us not to put all our eggs in one basket.

We live with the tension of working for the Lord and trusting all our efforts to him.

"Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know." - Charles Kingsley

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Trying to figure God out

I had a stranger pop past the church today asking a few deep questions. One of their genuine struggles was trying to figure out why God would allow certain things to happen in our lives. I didn't really have a neat, short answer for them, but tried my best to help them figure out where God was in the mystery of life. As 'God-incidence' would have it, our key verse from Ecclesiastes 11 alludes to something along similar lines:

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." - Ecclesiastes 11:5

The part of the reading that says 'the mystery of the tiny baby in a mother's womb' also relates to the miracle of how breath enters into the body of a baby inside a mothers womb. Some translations actually say as much. 

In truth, we just have to realise that there are too many things that we can't understand and may never figure out. Such is life! As we head further into 2021, I know that I will not figure God out, but I can get to know God more and more. 

Knowing who God is helps me to trust in the uncertainty of the events that unfold all around me.

Living in Grace

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No perfect conditions

There is wisdom in sometimes watching how things pan out and being cautious about the future. However, this can also be something that prevents us from taking risks and stepping out in faith. Taking a look at this passage from Ecclesiastes 11 one notices how Solomon understands this reality. The person who watches for too long, will miss the opportunity to plant seeds and ultimately reap any rewards.

"If clouds are full of water,
    they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."- Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

The Amplified Bible puts it like this:

"He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]."

There are no perfect conditions for anything in life - we need to be able to seek wisdom, balance and faith, trusting that God will lead us onto the right path. 

Living in Grace

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Many eggs in one basket

Last year taught us many valuable and harsh lessons. One of them could have been not to put our hope in only one thing, because that could be snatched from us at any time. The old saying goes something like this: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." This usually applies to financial decisions, but it can apply to a lot of other things too.

Coming back to the wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, we note a similar sentiment from him. 

"Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.
2 But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead." - Ecclesiastes 11:1

For me, these words of wisdom speak about a few key things:

1. We need to work hard and in time we will hopefully be rewarded.

2. Dividing your "investments" in a few options is very wise

3. Risks and uncertainty lie in the future

4. Security for the future relies of wise decisions in the present and the trust in God's provision for the present.

May God bless you with the wisdom of Solomon as you begin this new year.

Challenges lies ahead, but God is with us.

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” - Zig Ziglar

Living in Grace

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