That's the Book: Daniel
Oh girls! It's story time again. The book of Daniel is full of dreams and visions and powerful men made humble by God. There are stories of kings who listen and are saved. Stories of kings who ignore and are judged. There are visions of days we have seen and days yet to come. Cuddle in and I'll tell you one of my favorites. Grab a teddy bear to hold onto tightly because this one has some scary moments.
This story starts in a land long ago. God's people have been conquored and dragged off to be servents to a king they do not trust. It is not safe for anyone who loves the one true God. And yet there are four mighty men who love the Lord. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and their dear friend Daniel. It's obvious to everyone that our four heros are smart, handsome and talented. So they are chosen to go work for the king. La Ti Da! People in service of the king get to live in fancy houses and eat fancy food and live fancy lives. Only problem is they have to ignore the rules they know God wants them to follow. Oh! But this is why Mommy loves the stories in Daniel. Our heroes choose to follow God anyway. Anyway is a powerful word. "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had cause the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel," Danial 1: 8-9a Don't ever forget my girls that our God is powerful. He goes before you and causes favor and compassion. He will be there as you stand for what you know is right. So the young men hold to the commands of God. This makes God very proud. "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds". Daniel 1:17 Here is where the plot thickens. The king in the land had a dream. A big scary and confusing dream. So the King calls all his smartest guys together and tells them he wants to know what the dream means. But he's not gonna tell them what he dreamed! He wants the smarties to figure out what it means without even knowing what it was. And if they can't....he's gonna kill them all. Yikes! The smartest people are all shocked. Speechless. Terrified. "What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans." Daniel 2:11 NO KIDDING! Well the king got furious and ordered for the all the wise men in the land to be executed. Daniel hears the verdict and hustles to his friend's house. He urges them to pray. Listen girls. Sometimes a problem is huge and dark and you can't see a way forward. The best first step is to pray. For we serve a God who does live among humans and He listens when we pray. So during the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel and before he goes to tell the king he first pauses to praise and thank God. Told you he was a smart guy. Daniel tells the king "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." Daniel 2:25 Daniel tells the king the meaning of his dream. The king is so impressed he gives Daniel wealth and a brand new job ruling the province and he made him leader of all the wise men. Wowsa girls. Dreams are powerful when God is involved. The next step of the king is not a good one. He's a proud man with too much power. He has a giant golden statue of himself made and passes a law that everyone must bow and worship to the statue. Yucko. Girls, don't ever worship prideful and powerful people. Anyone drunk with themselves is not going to lead you well. The king finds out that Shadrach, Meschad and Abednego are not bowing or worshiping. The king again becomes furious and orders the young men to come explain themselves. He threatens to throw them into a fiery furnace if they refuse to bow. "Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you on this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty's hand But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:18 Our God is able. Even if he does not. If you could memorize these seven words and write them on your hearts it will guide you through any dark days. God is able to rescue us from anything. Courage is Even If. The angry King orders furnace to be heated seven times hotter and the heros are bound and thrown into the fire. The king sits back to watch the result. Soon he leaps to his feet in amazement. "He said, 'Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25 See there?! When God saves he does it by joining the fire with us. Whom God saves, come away unbound and unharmed. His timing is perfect. His salvation is complete. Another night I'll tuck you in with the story of how one of these kings became like a wild beast in a field, or how God's hand wrote on the wall, and how Daniel escaped from the lions. This is a wild ride of a book. Daniel remained faithful through it all. Near the end of his life, God gives Daniel a beautiful promise to hold onto. "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3 Sometimes I look at the world we live in and I feel fear for your future. I worry the days ahead will carry lions, prideful rulers, laws we can not obey, fear and concern. But then I read this promise and I remember. In the darkness light shines brightest. So as I tuck you into bed I pray for wisdom, for righteousness, for you to shine. The promises of God are much better to hold onto than a teddy bear. Resources
You stand in the fire beside me. Gorgeous truth from this powerful book. Take a minute and listen to Chris Tomlin's song Jesus.
Sunday School wouldn't be complete without the fiery furnace or the lion's den. See how they fit into the full book through The Bible Project's walkthrough.
Beth Moore is much smarter than I am. She could be on Daniel's wise person team. If you want to see this powerful book more clearly may I suggest you work through her book?
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That's the Book: Ezekiel
I see a lot of negative social media posts about how various leaders should change. Open letters from women, from singles, from millenials, from seniors. Lots of suggestions. Teachers should treat everyone the same or differenciate by learning styles. Pastors should quote less Bible or more Bible. Worship leaders should tone it down or amp it up. Police should be more understandingor crack down. Politicians should....oh forget it, I'm not going there. You get my point.
Ezekial was a prophet to the remnant of Israel held in captivity in Babylon. For thirty years he preached, warned and followed God's instructions to catch the attention of the people. Some of his sermons were live action. At one point, he had to lay on his side constantly for over a year eating food roasted from a fire fueled by cow dung. Nasty. He spoke about destruction and judgment and sin. Imagine the open letters he received. In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. Ezekiel 1:1 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day." Ezekiel 2:3 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. Ezekiel 4:4-5 It's tempting when writing about any of the prophets to skip over the justice of God. Sin and consequences aren't topics which garner good feels from readers. It's not fun to talk about the wrath of God. But the book of Ezekiel points out clearly that the judgment was justified. These were people who had promised faithfulness but had shamelessly and violently broken every term of the contract. They had been warned extensively over nearly 400 years and had continued to walk away. Therefore speak to them and tell them, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols." Ezekiel 14:4-5 Imagine for a moment a wedding. Groom and bride promise to love, honor, cherish. We understand vows right? So fast forward 10 years. Now imagine the bride has cheated on her husband repeatedly. Imagine she's dragged men into their house, has sold his belongings to neighbors, has killed his children. Would anyone think divorce was out of the question? I've seen people cheer on friends for getting revenge and taking everything under lesser facts. This is what the people of Israel had done to God. And yet. God's heart was for his people. "Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11 This verse gets me. Turn! I love the exclamation point. I see the heart of a parent. Come back from the edge! Don't touch the fire! I love you! This is one of the roles that leaders play. Parents, teachers, pastors. Their job is to guide, to warn, to teach, to protect. I have kids. They don't always listen to me. Guess what? Many of the people who heard Ezekial didn't listen either. My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. Ezekiel 33:32 Oh. My. I keep coming back and reading these words with my own heart in mind. On Sunday morning, do I sit as I usually do on the right side of the sanctuary listening to words but not putting them into practice? Do I listen with a critical ear to the worship songs considering them beautiful but not joining in actual worship? Do I sit at home writing open letters of complaint for how my leaders, my teachers, my prophets should change. Do you? Ready for some good news? God knows our leaders aren't perfect. He knows they aren't capable of catching our attention enough to cause us to change. So He, the Lord Almighty, enters in. "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says, I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness." Ezekiel 34:11-12 I'm afraid that sometimes we write an open letter of complaint about God. We say "I don't like what you did there." or "You were wrong about that whole sin thing" or "My life didn't turn out how I wanted so you must be flawed". This will never work. If I want to make progress in my life I need a new plan. Its not up to my leaders to do the work for me. The sermon style, blog topic, volumn of music or method of message will not do a thing unless I ask God to make it real in my heart. But He is faithful. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Ezekiel 36:26-27 At one point in the book, God shows Ezekial a valley of dead dry bones. Skeletons laying all over the place. Nothing living. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know." Ezekiel 37:3 Guess what? God raised the whole valley of skeletons up into living breathing people. A visual sermon to remember. God is the only one who knows what it will take to get someone's attention. He is the only one who knows how to revive a dead and dry life. If you want to live, try applying what He's teaching. His whole story is an open letter of love. Resources
Just for fun. If you grew up in Sunday School you've heard this. If not, you may have heard the reference in the movie Rainman. At any rate, this pop culture gem comes from the book of Ezekial.
Goodness. There's a lot going on in this book. Thankfully the team at The Bible Project has yet another winner in this walk through. Two of them actually. Watch and learn.
I got to church yesterday morning and realized I left my phone at home. Ugh. Minor panic. No phone? How do I do down time with no phone? How do I keep sermon notes, check my calendar and to do lists, show friends vacation photos or generally stay connected? Gah!? Three hours with no phone? And then I told my ridiculous self to get a grip and quit acting addicted. This is not a hardship.
The sermon this week was about the peace of God in the midst of hardship. You should listen to it. HERE. The pastor has faced some hardship. Arguments, finances, drama, cancer, funerals. Grief and questions. The book of Lamentations is all about grief. The book consists of five poems detailing the horror and heartbreak of the fall of Jereusalem. Hunger and death and pain. Repentance and requests for compassion. See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death. Lamentations 1:20 Ever been there? Dead inside? Or tormented inside? I love that Lamentations contains brutal words. It shows God is okay with honesty. He doesn't mind questions or tears or pleas for help. I recognize myself on my worst days in these words. It's okay to grieve deeply. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner. Lamentations 2:19 When I'm wasting time online I run across stories which hurt. Teens growing up amidst violence. Children hungering for love and attention. Kids sold for pleasure. Refugees and war victims. What do I do? Click the little cry emoji and scroll past to look at photos of dessert. This will not do. Lamentations calls me to pray, to cry out, to pour out my heart to the presence of the Lord. For the lives of our children matter. Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40 I have been thinking about my reliance on my phone and wondered what life would look like if I relied on Jesus instead. If someone asked if I was available to help with a project perhaps a prayer checking in with the One who holds all time would be better than looking at my calendar. When I am worried about a friend, perhaps praying that God would be near to them is more useful than only sending a text. Instead of distracting myself from grief with lists and games and aps, pouring it out would be more healing. I'm examining my ways. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-24 Ah. Yes. The sermon this morning pointed to this truth. The love of God is greater than the power of evil. My worst days have been met by the ubundant grace of God. He will carry you too. I called on your name, Lord from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief." You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear." Lamentations 3:55-57 A call to the Lord is healing. And I don't mean on a smart phone. Grief can lead to good. Cry out. He's listening. Resources
One of the most loved hymns of all time comes straight from Lamentations. This accapala version is worth a watch.
You've got time to watch this today. See what you can learn from this installment of The Bible Project's Read Scripture series. I was fascinated by the structure of the five chapters, and the details pointed out by the team at The Bible Project. Check it out.
Imagine with me a Hollywood perfect Valentine's Day. Breakfast in Bed. Roses. Dinner out. Dancing. And before bed a serenade, massage and chocolate. Swoon. Love. Amazing Love. However, in the next scene the lead in the story repeats wll the scenes with another partner. The image is wrecked. Why? Because love is worthless without faithfulness.
In her book, 31 verses to Write on Your Heart, Liz Curtis Higgs discusses this marriage of love and faithfulness in the verse Proverbs 3:3. "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart". Ms. Higgs writes that in other translations these pairings are loyalty and kindess, grace and truth, favor and firmness. You have to have both. Love without faithfulness has no power. Faithfulness without love is dead. Grace outside of truth has no power. Truth without grace is crushing. The entire book of Jeremiah is a nod to this idea. The justice of God and the mercy of God are ever entertwined. Jeremiah was a priest whom God appointed as prophet to the people of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. The prophet speaks God's words of judgment to the nation for their worship of other gods, violence, treatment of the oppressed and their breaking of the covenant. Jeremiah also speaks words of judgment to the nations surrounding Israel who wish her harm. Like always, God also sends words of hope. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prohet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 May I remind you that God knew you before you were born? That he loved you? A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land; The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? Jeremiah 5:30-31 Oh how this verse scares me. May we be committed to both love and truth. Its such a temptation to write only the cheerful and happy truths and not be faithful to God's full message. Yikes. What will we do in the end? A prophet should cause people to pause. To ponder. To repent. "Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush." Jeremiah 6:15a Ahem. Sound familiar? I laugh when people say the Bible has no bearing on today. Perhaps our society could use a little blushing now and then. A reminder to keep some things sacred? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? Jeremiah 8:9 Good question. Its worth considering. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. The heart is decitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 18:7-9 There it is again the counter culture message. Don't trust your heart. Don't follow your hear. Don't listen to your heart! My guess is your heart is a mess. Mine sure is. Wandering and faithless and questioning and ungrateful. But you can lead your heart to the source. To the trustworthy One. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you see me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: 11-13 Hope paired with trust. Hold to this verse in courtrooms and hospital rooms. It isn't a promise there will be no lawsuits or illness or heartache. Jeremiah knew hardship. He faced beatings and loneliness and prison. But he also knew the everlasting faithfulness of God. Ah, Soverign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 Nothing is too difficult for God. Not your past. Not your promblems. Not your doubts. Not your future. The key is turning to him for help not away from him in rebellion. Rebellion causes great heartache. The book of Jeremiah ends with the people hauled off to Babylon in captivity and their great city in ruins. Yet the promises remained. God would restore. Keep the book in context. The story isn't over. Our storyline isn't over either. The incredible thing about God is he used his outstretched arm on a cross to make a way to heal the consequences of our unfaithfulness. That's a better love story than any Hollywood Valentine. Resources
Jeremiah is a heavy book to take in it all in one sitting. If you want to try though, the guys at The Bible Project again serve up a good overview. Take the time to watch.
NewSpring church has a good list of devotionals to work through the book of Jeremiah. Read them HERE or check out their handy infographic below.
My family spent last week in Disneyland. We loved it. All Mickey Mouse, crazy rides, princess joy, cotton candy, 50 miles walked in 5 days of it. I'm exhausted but grinning. We are all now professional character greeters. We stood in lines to meet Mickey, Jasmine, Buzz Lightyear and hosts of other iconic friends. My ten-year-old hauled us into the line to meet the Star Wars characters. My four-year-old announced that Chewbacca was a big sad teddy bear. As we waited to meet Darth Vader the character hostess teasingly tried to talk the little one into joining the Dark Side. She told her they have unicorn cookies. Big sister stood in the gap and convinced her the cookies weren't worth it.
The prophet Isaiah has a similar message. Don't be drawn away from the truth. The consequences are harsh. And the savior is worth the loyalty of his people. The message still fits today. Don't be drawn into hate or slander or pride or self-indulgence. Run to the light. He'll save the day. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40: 29-31 If you are exhausted and weary, rest in the power of hope in the Lord. This is what God the Lord says - the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it. "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:5-6 Don't ever forget the plan was always to spread the light to everyone. Your neighbors, your family, the lost and scared and hungry and hopeless. The hope is for everyone. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 More hints of the promised coming savior. The amazing thing about Isaiah is it shows the beautiful balance of justice and grace. Without justice there is no peace. But its impossible to meet the holy demands. And so God made the perfect match in love and grace. He met the demand we could not. Isaiah 57:14 And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. How about we be a people about the business of building, preparing and removing obstacles? If you allow your soul to be saturated with the tearing down of other people, with ridicule and bitterness and hate, with blocking people's access to Jesus with hypocricy or pettiness or strife it will in fact drown your soul. Build up. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10 Take the time to read this gorgous book. Choose a verse. Write it on your mirror. Make some changes in your habits to match. Rely on the strength of the Lord. Trust Isaiah's message. The cookies are better on this side. Resources
Here you go! Part two of The Bible Project's Read Scripture video on Isaiah.
A few years ago I accompanied friends of mine on a trip to Europe. One of our travel group had daily business meetings. The other two of us set off everyday to see what adventure we could find along the route of the nearby rail road line. One morning we got up and decided we were off to Antrewp. We had heard Antrewp was diamond capital of the world and the city sported a diamond museum. Well woo hoo! Off to Antrewp we went. When we got off the train we headed out across then city center square toward the massive museum. Huge signs advertised the glorious gems within. We walked up the building full of excitement. The gate was shut. Hmmm. We looked at the sign by the gate. Museum closed on Tuesday. We had completely neglected to check any details. We had not consulted with anyone. No research online. We had barreled forward with our plan but we were stopped at the gate. The Book of Isaiah tells the story of a prophet shouting out warning signs and warnings. The people don't listen. And so they are shut off and great heartache ensues. The good news is the story didn't end there. The prophet had a message of hope if only the people would listen. The Book of Isaiah is a massive 66 chapter book split into two sections. The first half is the warnings and promises to the people prior to their caputure. The second half is the message to the people in captivity. I'll cover that second half next week. Ever notice how the instagram Bible and wall hangings only show the verses of hope? Do you know that they are only hopeful in context of the words of judgment? You don't need a savior if you aren't utterly forsaken. The people of Israel broke covenant. Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Isaiah 1:4 There was then Judgment and call to action When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hid my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1: 15-17 The prophet Isaiah witnessed God. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 6:1 Isaiah encourages me to ground my faith by embracing God as He is. Holy. Mighty. Massive. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Is. 24:19 Ain't that the truth?! If you watch the news for too long you'll be convinced. The world then is the same as now. In need of a Savior. And Isaiah is one of the best places to hear God's plan for redemption. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Is. 9:2 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, MIghty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Is 9:6 For this salvation of Jesus and for the grace bestowed then and now I join in the praise. Surly God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Is. 12:2 O Lord, you are my God: I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you hae done marvelous things, things planned long ago. Is. 25:1 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, The Lord is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4 The first half of Isaiah leaves the people locked out of their homes, cut off from glory but watching expecting salvation. In minor fashion exactly how we sat outside the diamond museum. Locked out but with a train ticket home. We just had to follow the map. I've learned my lesson. When traveling I do more research. I try to read the signs. If only we would all try to apply the same words of warning from Isaiah and follow the savior. Resources Check out The Bible Project's Read Scripture for the first half of Isaiah. This really helped me see the layout of the book. Watch and learn.
My daughters are growing up in a tech world. They both have digital games and books and videos. My eldest received a six month subscription to Club Penguin which is about to expire. She's concerned as she'll lose all her little digital prizes she's earned. I keep trying to explain that digital igloo furniture isn't real. My youngest keeps trying to talk me into purchasing her credits so she can unlock the next Strawberry Shortcake level. She says she's tired of decorating the free cupcake. Again. I keep trying to explain it does not matter. A year from now neither one is going to care in the least. Go play with blocks. Read a real book. Goodness girls.
Ecclesiates is a book of wisdom from Solomon. It's an interesting read when tucked up against the book of Proverbs. Two sides of one coin. Proverbs is all about how to live properly. Ecclesiates is all about how it may not matter. Both together are the perfect way to live a life. One eye on wisdom and hard work and prudence. One eye on joy and grace. The third book of the wisdom trilogy in the Bible is the book of Job. See what God did there? Suffering is a part of the story of life, but not the totality. These three books work best together. Ecclesiastes is a call to live life with an eye on eternity. None of our plans or bank accounts or accomplishments matter if eternity is wrong. And yet, when we live according to some principals we may empower or equip others to complete their journey. It's all futile. Except it is not. Here are some of my favorites lessons from Ecclesiastes. DON'T STRESS OVER THE DETAILS. THEY DON'T MATTER. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:14 GOD'S GOT A PLAN He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 OBEY GOD Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of every human being. Ecclesiastes 12:13 THROW FABULOUS DINNER PARTIES So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the day sof the life God has given them under the sun. Ecclesiastes 8:15 TRUST GOD The Quirky Faith logo with its dandilion seed is inspired by a couple of Bible verses. One of them reminds me to simply trust God. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5 SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE OF LOVE Two are better than One because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 WORK HARD Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Guess what? Quirky Faith has recently been accepted as one of the Top 50 Christian blogs by Feedspot. See the list HERE. Quirky Faith is #40. They sent me this fun little digital award. I did a little dance when I saw the list. Then I paused.
It looks a lot like a Strawberry Shortcake credit. Or a penguin igloo. I'm just like my daughters. I spend lots of time and energy blogging. And the sum total of the effort does not matter if all I'm counting is clicks and likes and little digital awards. But the effort is all worth it if a soul is encouraged. If a lost one comes home. If the truth shines. It matters because it's eternal.
Let me break it to you. Your work and paycheck and awards don't matter either. Take the message from Ecclesiastes. Don't take my word for it. Go find your favorite drink, a plate of delicious food, park yourself by a window to view the sun shining today and read the book of Ecclesiastes. Live your life with great joy and zest. But remember the only thing that matters is eternity. Invest well. Resources
There is a time for everything....including watching these Read Scripture videos. If you haven't started yet - catch up now. You will learn a ton!
I'm a mom. I have two daughters. Four and ten. I'm sure they can rattle off a list of my favorite reminders. Brush your teeth. Do your piano. Your shirt is on backwards. Your shoes are on the wrong feet. Finish your homework. Say Please. Sit here and listen with me to the Seahawks' post game news conferences My goal is to help them. I want to raise trained up, smart, healthy, Seahawks fans. I'm only kinda kidding. Gotta have priorities.
Proverbs. The proverbs are a grouping of sayings of wisdom. There are 31 chapters. Our pastor (and Dave Ramsey) say that a Proverb a day can keep the creditors, or the jailors, or the drama away. The Proverbs are NOT a good luck charm. I don’t buy the prosperity gospel. The Proverbs also do not stand on their own. Just like in football. You can have a favorite player for sure. But those fancy catches in the endzone by the flashy wide receivers only happen if the offensive line did it's job. This book works best in context with the full picture of the story. I'll keep repeating that line. By the end of this process of writing through the Bible I'm hoping that's on the list of things people learn. Each book works best in context. None stand alone.
God built the world with physical characteristics like gravity which, under most circumstances, operate in expected ways. Likewise, He built our relationships and our finances and our parenting and our jobs with the same expected characteristics. Under normal circumstances, when you apply X you get Y. Proverbs is the guidebook for general life skills. In general, if you work hard, you will prosper. If you cheat, you will eventually be caught. If you surround yourselves with jerks, you will become currupted. If you plan, you are more likely to be successful. There are two major themes in Proverbs. The first is the idea of valuing and seeking out wisdom. The second is to keep before you the authoriy of God. When we spend our days trying to do the right thing – in valuing wisdom – and in healthy fear of the Lord- I’m telling you it works better for people. I'm sure you've watched friends who love the Lord continually bash their head against painful consequences because of unwise choices. I know we've all seen great pain at no fault of their own happen to people as well. Cancer and loss and accidents and violence. BUT. Even in those unfair situations the path to rebuilding a life is smoother when you apply the principals of wisdom. Here's my quick list of to do's I really hope my girls learn from the Proverbs. Way more important than inside out shirts or untied shoelaces. Perhaps I should reassess how much time I spend on minor issues. 1. Honor God (We could probably stop the list here and be okay) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Prov 3:5 2. Guard your heart (Oh my girls. This one. Do this one. Watch where you let your heart go) Above all else, guard your heart, for everthing you do flows from it. Prov 4:23 3. Stick up for other people (I'm never more proud than when I see this happen) Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Prov 31:8 4. Avoid Bad Company (Super hard to learn. Once. Then hard to forget) Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Prov 13:20 5. Watch your money (Save. Avoid debt. Sounds boring. Leads to way more fun.) One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. Prov 17:18 6. Work Hard (My parents liked this one.) How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep. Prov 6:9 7. Tithe (It teaches your heart you have enough and reminds you where it all came from) Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Prov 3:9 8. Forgive and Confess (They go together almost all of the time. Sometimes I have to forgive myself when I confess. Sometimes I have to forgive to be forgiven.) Those who conceal their sins do not prosper; but those who confess and renouce them find mercy. Prov 28:13 9. Watch your attitude (Um. This one I preach to myself all the stinking time) A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Prov 17:22 10. Watch your mouth (It works better. And saves you great grief) A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Prov 15:1 Gossips betray a conficence, but the trustworthy keep a secret. Prov 11:13 The book of Proverbs is not a magic book full of guaranteed spells. But is a fantastic guidebook to a life well lived. Truly I hope when my girls are grown they will remember these words of wisdom more than anything we watched on TV. Including the Hawks. Increase your odds of winning. Read Proverbs. Resources
Hmmm.... Interesting! Check out this Read Scripture walk through of Proverbs. I never thought about it this way.
You might need one of these. She is clothed with strengh and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. My favorite!
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About MeI love Jesus. I think my two daughters can change the world. I think you can too. Past Posts
August 2020
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