Ecclesiastes 4:1-9:18 , 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7 , Psalms 47:1-9 , Proverbs 22:16
Today is the 3rd day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you as it is every single day. And we had a fantastic time at the Daily Audio Bible Family Reunion which has taken place the last couple of days here in the rolling hills of Tennessee. So, I wish all of you family that came to the Family Reunion safe travels back to your homes and I pray that your heart is as full as ours. Was so good to see your faces. But let’s go ahead and turn our focus and attention on to what it is we have come here to do, which is to take the next step forward in the Scriptures this year. And this week we’ve been reading from the Modern English Version. And we’ll pick up in the book of Ecclesiastes where we left off yesterday. Chapter 4:1 - 6: 12 today.
Commentary:
Alright. So, in the book of Ecclesiastes today, we continue to consider Solomon’s observations on the futility of life on earth basically. So, it seems. I mean, he seems to be willing to say out loud the things that we feel at times inside, but we wouldn’t say them out loud because it wouldn’t seem grateful and it wouldn’t feel like it meshes with our favorite verses of prosperity and victory. So, is there any reason for this to be in the Bible? Is this depressing monologue getting us somewhere? Actually it is. And we understand that these are the words coming from the pen, or whatever he wrote it with, of a person who had achieved everything, right? Success, pleasure, power beyond the wildest of our dreams. And we understand that, we begin to understand that what we’re being given here is cautionary wisdom. Because we pursue things and pursue things and pursue things and Solomon had achieved everything. And he’s looking back and saying essentially, you have to enjoy what you have when you have it while you are here. Spending your life in pursuit of one specific outcome, even if you get there, it will not be enough. So, let’s just survey the wisdom that we were given today. Solomon said, I saw that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. This is meaningless. It’s chasing the wind. Or Solomon said, as you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth closed. It’s evil to make mindless offerings to God. Or he says, too much activity gives you restless dreams, too many words make you a fool. Or he says, it’s better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. He also says, we all reach the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take riches with us. So,, to enjoy your work and accept your lot in life, this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they have no time to brute over the past. He also says, enjoy what you have rather desiring what you don’t. Dreaming about nice things is meaningless. It’s chasing the wind. So, Solomon is telling us one of the things about our human lives that we most learn is to be here now because you won’t be here when you’re not. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be here and enjoy here because right now is a gift. And if we’re never here because all were doing is pursuing something out there, some kind of achievement or ladder that we are trying to climb, then we’re never really here at all. We’re always somewhere else. Somewhere else out in front of ourselves, hoping to achieve the next thing when right here is the gift.
Prayer:
And so, Father we invite your Holy Spirit into that because it affects us on a number of levels, in a number of ways. It’s disruptive, as it was intended to be. We invite your Holy Spirit to come, now, into this moment that we might walk with you moment by moment, presently, in what is actually happening, understanding that the fact that we get to take the next breath is a gift. And when we’re never here because we’re always chasing something else out front of us or we’re always regretting something behind us, than were never really here. Being here is the gift. So, come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.
Song:
Just Showed Up For My Own Life - Sara Groves
Spending my time sleep walking
Moving my mouth but not saying a thing
Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright
I’m going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that’s honest and real until I’m truly amazed
I’m going to feel all my emotions
I’m going to look you in the eyes
I’m going to listen and hear until it’s finally clear and it changes our lives
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright