As we look back at the Book of Ecclesiastes, we can reach several conclusions.  The first is that earthly wisdom, that not based on God's knowledge, amounts to nothing. We may learn more about the world, mankind, and the universe than any group of people before us, but we cannot keep an atom together.  We cannot really explain why it doesn't implode in on itself.  We may be able to destroy an atom, and all that is around it with it, but that is not the knowledge of how to create one.  Real wisdom comes from acknowledging that we can never be God, no matter how wise we are.  Second, we must realize that earthly wealth, no matter how much we attain of it, is only temporary and should be used for the glory of God and to help those who are less fortunate than we are.  Even as followers of Christ, if we start to spend everything on maintaining our status with no regard to the less fortunate, then we are laying up treasures on earth, and they will pass away.  Third, if we look for happiness in earthly pleasures, we will be disappointed.  There is a saying that no one starts out to be an alcoholic or drug addict.  People start by just seeking a new thrill or pleasure, then they try more and more as the misery compounds.  The same is true of any earthly pleasure we pursue to find happiness.  We soon discover that ultimately we are disappointed, because true happiness comes from doing God's will. Fourth, the time to remember God is in our youth.  The earlier we recognize that God is the source of wisdom, purpose and happiness, the better off we are.  Still, no matter our age, today is always the best day to choose to follow God.  Finally, the conclusion of life is that we are to follow God in all aspects of life.  This is what we were created for.  Still, the choice is always ours.  We as followers of Christ must always seek to serve God.

Morning Sky

As I look to the sky,
On this Easter day,
Tears of joy I cry,
For Jesus providing the Way.
That first Easter morn,
There at the empty tomb,
The veil of death was torn,
And sin met its doom.
Nothing is ever the same,
For those who believe,
As through Jesus' name,
Salvation we receive.
Will you this day rejoice,
Making Jesus your choice?
      16 Apr 17
         JBD

This morning I am going to leave the book of Romans for the day, because this is the day we celebrate Easter, the day that Jesus rose from the dead, overcoming death for all of us.  This is the greatest gift that was ever giving to mankind, yet so many refuse to accept it.  We hear of people doing anything possible to hang on to this temporary existence, but Jesus willingly laid down His life that we might be victorious over death.  Still, people will not accept this free gift that we celebrate today, even while searching for a way to prolong this life we live.  Just as the Friday of the crucifixion paid the death penalty for the sins of all mankind, that Easter Sunday morning was the ultimate victory over death for all time.  Jesus did not just die on the cross and rise from the tomb for a select few, but for all people for all time.  Still, not all, or even most, accept this gift.  We must come to Christ in faith that He died for us in order for Easter Sunday to have meaning.  That first Easter, most people were still celebrating the death of Christ.  They felt they had put an end to His claim to be the Messiah.  This was especially true of the religious leaders who were supposed to represent God to the world. Today, most people in the world will ignore the true meaning of Easter, that Christ arose as the eternal Savior.  Most of God's Chosen People still do not acknowledge that Jesus, Who went to the cross for their sins, is the Messiah they still await.  Some of us, as followers of Christ, have sunrise services to celebrate the fact that the empty tomb was discovered early on that first Easter Sunday, though sunrise may be celebrated later than it actually occurs. When we do celebrate Easter, whether at sunrise or later, we need to have that urgency that the women and the disciples had that first Sunday and go and tell others.  We wear empty crosses to acknowledge that Christ died for our salvation, but the empty cross means nothing without the empty tomb.  Men took Jesus down from the cross and sealed Him in the tomb, but He took Himself out.  Matthew 28:5-7 says, And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

Ecclesiastes 12:9 says, And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.  Even as Solomon sought to find purpose in life, he still considered himself to be wise.  He did not attempt to keep his wisdom to himself, but sought to share it with those that he ruled over.  We need never attempt to hoard knowledge, especially the knowledge of God, Who is the source of all true knowledge.  Solomon tried to share his wisdom in a way that all people could understand it.  When we share the good news of the gospel, we need only simple words, not those that not everyone would understand.  We need to share our wisdom with simplicity, as did Solomon.  He sought new ways to share his wisdom, and we can benefit by doing the same.  In verse ten, Solomon continues, saying, The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.  When we speak today, we need to search for the words of truth as Solomon did.  We can be sure that his words, and all written in the Bible, are upright and the words of truth.  Verse eleven says, The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.   Again, I believe we can apply this to the words of the Bible, which ultimately come from one Shepherd, and that is God.  Verse twelve states,  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  There is definitely no end to the number of books today that tell us how to live, but as Solomon warned, studying them is a weariness of the flesh.  Only God's word can really reveal wisdom and truth to us.  Verse thirteen begins to summarize Solomon's wisdom, stating, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  To find purpose in life, we simply need to live in awe of God and keep His commandments.  Solomon concludes with the reason this is true in verse fourteen, saying, For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  God will one day judge all our works, and we need to be sure they are washed by the blood of Christ.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;  In contrast to the last two verses of chapter eleven, here Solomon offers advice instead of sarcasm to those who are young.  When is the best time to remember God, to look to the Creator instead of to the ways of the world?  From our youth on.  Some people say that when they are older they might follow God, but while they are young they don't want to miss out on the fun. We must remember what Solomon had just concluded about all the things the world chases after in the pursuit of happiness.  It all amounts to nothing.  The longer we wait to follow God, the more we have to be accountable for.  Now, I know that God forgives all sin for all time through our faith in Christ, but that doesn't mean that we are to see how many sins we can commit before turning to Christ.  In the next few verses, Solomon gives us some good reasons to remember God in our youth.  As we grow older, our physical abilities begin to fail us and we are less able to work for God.  In verse two, Solomon says, While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:  I believe Solomon was speaking of vision beginning to dim.  As we grow older, things just don't look as bright as they once did.  Also, the older we get, the more we seem to be afflicted by the weather.  It seems that the sky quickly clouds again after the rain, though it is no sooner for an older person than for a young person.  Verse three says, In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,  I believe Solomon paints a good picture of getting older.  Our arms and legs will begin to tremble as we exert ourselves, our teeth, or grinders will become few, and again our vision will dim.  We need to serve God in the strength of our youth, while our abilities are the greatest.

Ecclesiastes 11:7 says, Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:  Matthew Henry sees this and verse eight as Solomon telling us how to prepare for death after telling us how to live life.  That may be true, but we can certainly say that these verses tell us that even if we live in the light, dark days will come.  When days are going well, when everything is light, life is indeed sweet.  I believe we can all look at life and see that some days stand out as better than others.  Yet, we must remember, as verse eight says, But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.  Solomon tells us that even if we live a long life and enjoy all the years, we must not forget the dark days.  We must learn from the times of struggle and not simply attempt to ignore them.  We cannot allow the dark days to overpower us, but we cannot pretend they didn't happen, even when we are most filled with joy.  This world is going to have dark days, but the one to come, for those who are God's children, will be full of nothing but light.  Verse nine says, Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.  I believe Solomon was speaking sarcastically in this verse.  He was telling us while we are young to go ahead and do whatever our heart tells us to do if we so choose to live without God's direction.  Young people are more likely to be less concerned about the ramifications of their actions.  When we look at what college life is portrayed as today, we can see that even those who are considered to be intelligent are shown to act very foolishly as they follow their heart or the crowd.  Solomon also issues a warning, and that is that God will hold us accountable, even if we are young.  Once we are old enough to know right from wrong, we are accountable for our actions.  No records are sealed with God, no matter our age once we know right from wrong.  Verse ten concludes with, Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.  We are called on to put evil from our heart, and we can only do this successfully by turning to the will of God.  All else amounts to nothing.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.  I believe Solomon was once again speaking of living by faith, even in our giving.  I believe farmers must live by the faith that their efforts are going to pay off.  They cannot let the wind or rain determine their efforts, but must sow with the belief that conditions will prove right for a good harvest.  Even when one year fails to produce a good crop, the farmer comes back in faith of a good harvest the next year.  The same is true for our helping others.  We cannot continue to wait for everything to be perfect, but must give when the need arises.  If we wait for the perfect time, we will never give.  If our giving does not produce the results we hoped for, we cannot allow that to cause us to not give in the future.  We must give with faith in God to produce the outcome.  Verse five says, As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.  We today may think we know more about the way the human body grows in the womb.  We may even think we can create life on our own, but we must acknowledge that we do not know how the body and soul are united.  We likewise cannot know all the works of God Who created it all.  We will never be able to take nothing and make something.  We will never be able to breath the breath of life into a person created from the dust of the earth.  No matter how brilliant scientists may think they are, they always work with something and have yet to create something from nothing. Verse six says, In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  I believe that Solomon was still speaking of helping others.  I would say charity, but charity has taken on such a negative connotation.  We should be ready to help others, no matter the time of day, or as Matthew Henry says, our age.  We can never be certain that our help will have the desired results, but we can never allow that to prevent us from giving.