Chasing the Wind

Have you ever tried to catch a piece of paper that is flying in the wind? It's difficult isn't? Now, have you ever tried to chase the wind itself? It is totally impossible to achieve that feat and that is Solomon's point when he writes:

^"I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. ¹³ I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. ¹⁴ I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

¹⁵ What is wrong cannot be made right.
    What is missing cannot be recovered.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” ¹⁷ So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind." - Ecclesiastes 1:12-17

In trying to find the answers to all of life's BIG questions Solomon searched everywhere - all human wisdom at his disposal - but he found no satisfactory answers. It was like he was chasing the wind. There was going to be no answers in human knowledge, but rather in discovering the purposes of God.

As you seek to follow God may you find the answers you are looking for.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why bother?

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.  Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.  We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now." - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

I feel there is a lot of truth in what these verses point out today, but there is also a very real danger for us. 

The truth is that History does often repeat itself. There are many lessons we could learn from those who have gone on before us, but we seldom do. This becomes our burden to bear and our personal choice to heed the warnings of history or not.

The danger in these verses lurks in the writers sentiment that 'no one will remember what we are doing now.' This is true on the one hand, but can also leave us feeling a little fatalistic on the other hand. If we develop a 'why bother' attitude then this could affect our relationships, work, friendships, dreams and life in general. 

As Christians we do have a purpose in Life and that is to glorify Jesus and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Content?

http://thechristianupdate.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/contentment.png How content are you at the moment? Rate yourself out of 10. The writer of Ecclesiastes hits home to us today that we live in times where people are so discontented with everything. As soon as we get the things we desire, we start looking for the next thing. All the time we are praying that this will be the silver bullet for us - surely this will give us peace!? "Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content." - Ecclesiastes 1:8 I am not sure if you can relate to this sentiment today, but if you can, then read these words from Paul. They may guide us into a new way - the way of Christ. "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little." - Philippians 4:11-12 That is the secret. This is what Solomon was after. May you find peace and contentment today. Living in Grace D3LM3

Great question!

The writer of Ecclesiastes asks such a brilliant question today: 

^"What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?" - v.3

This is a question which has plagued people for thousands of years. What do we get from all the years of work? What purpose is there in working our hearts out in order to 'survive' and then die? It seems a little dramatic, but as he came to the end of his life, he was wondering what the purpose of his life had been? And then in order to try and begin to answer the question he looks around at the world and muses...

 ⁴ Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.
⁶ The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.

My 5 cents worth today is this:  Life will be monotonous and will lack direction unless we surrender to the will and purpose of God. I believe that God allowed me to be born and that God wants me to live my life for his glory and purpose. This doesn't make me a puppet, but rather a willing part of God's grand creation. I will not live forever, but I can testify to the Grandeur of a gracious God and trust my future days into his hands.

In some way the routine and ritual of the rising and setting sun, as well as the wind and streams around us, can be a calming reassurance that God's ways are purposeful and refreshing.

What do you think of these verses today?

Living in grace

D3LM3

Ecclesiastes - Koheleth

                                                

It is interesting that many of us know the Bibilical book of Wisdom by it's Latin name (Ecclesiastes), rather than its Hebrew name Koheleth. This Hebrew term for Ecclesiastes implies someone who addresses a gathering of people - in some versions of the Bible he calls himself the 'Preacher.' 

"The words of Kohelet the son of David, king in Yerushalayim:" - Ecclesiastes 1:1 (Complete Jewish Bible)

Regardless of this little piece of trivia, we are still left with a deep sense of hopelessness coming from the writer of this book. The Preacher/Teacher asks some profound questions and may leave many of us waiting for a suitable answer or solution to his woes. One commentator writes:

"...if the lines of quest and perplexity which go out from Ecclesiastes are left broken and hanging in the void, the Christian gospel accepts the task of carrying them through to triumphant assurance." (Interpreter's Bible)

What this offers to us as the modern reader is this: 

All our longings, confusions, questions and perplexities are answered in the person of Jesus Christ. Our thoughts are deliberately directed to the person of Jesus and not the philosophy of any human mind. Our Quest for meaning in life can be solved by an encounter with the living Lord.

Well, that's what I think. How about you?

John 14:6 -  Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Useless

Imagine keeping a private journal of your most intimate thoughts and feelings, only to discover that someone has leaked your gut-wrenching, heart-breaking contents all over the internet. How would you feel? I am sure it would be totally devasting for all of us!

When you read through the book of Ecclesiastes one gets the impression that Solomon has been writing in his journal, wrestling for years with many different thoughts and emotions, only to realise that his struggles are the same struggles as everyone else's. 

So, in the end, Solomon decides to 'leak' the contents of his journal to the world himself. And in the end, we get the privilege of reading his intimate thoughts in Ecclesiastes and we find that God speaks to us, equally through his wisdom and through his pain.

"Useless! Useless! Completely Useless!

Everything is useless!" - Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NCV)

To understand Solomon's despair we must remember that he was a man who had everything that the world would consider "success". There was nothing he didn't have or couldn't buy, YET he still felt empty and he struggled with true meaning.

The phrase we see in today's verse is translated into many different words, but they all convey the essential meaning of frustration and futility. In some versions of the Bible the word is translated as:

Vanity, Meaningless, Futility, Smoke, Pointless, Vapour...

Today, I am drawn to the Amplied version, which says:

"Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities! All is vanity."

The reason that this stands out for me is because it corresponds withe James' teaching about Life and how our lives are just like a vapour - here today and gone tomorrow. Now I say this not to make us depressed but rather to spur us on towards love and gratitude.

What will you do with the knowledge that your life is like a Vapour?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A prayer for Spring

As we enter into this new season of Spring, it is wonderful to be reminded of new beginnings, second chances and hope. I have put together a lovely little prayer with pictures for you to enjoy. Please click on this link for the Spring Prayer and you are welcome to share with anyone who may enjoy it.

Remember that God is in the business of re-creating and bringing us back from the wilderness.

God bless you.

Living in Grace

D3LM3