A Momentous Occasion

Lots of stuff has happened on June 24th. Napolean began his invasion of Russia. A plane crashed at JFK airport, killing 113. Grover Cleveland died. John Cabot landed in North America. The first widely reported claim of a UFO sighting happened near Mt Rainier, WA. Jack Dempsey and Roy Disney were born. It's midsummer celebration in England, and the Nativity of St. John is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church.

I really had no idea this was such a momentous day. When we chose June 24th, I think it had more to do with a Seven Brides for Seven Brothers song than the importance of the day itself. It was a day that the church and pastor were available, and we thought as many of our friends and family as possible would be able to attend.

But, is there really a more momentous thing than the affirmation of eternal love? Is there a more joyous occasion than the joining of two souls who are a perfect match? Can you think of a better event to celebrate than the completion of two independent people?

It's been 9 years since Misha and I were married, and I've been working on my list of 9 things that I love about her. I love her kindness, her ability to make people laugh, her clever use of words, her depth of understanding, the way children are putty in her hands, her disarming way. I could listen to her sing for days on end, to her stories for hours at a time, and I love the way she looks at me just so. But all of these things, as much as they mean to me right now, are just a drop in a massive bucket compared to the infinite depth of my feelings and love for her.

I would, like Porgy, push my cart to the ends of the earth for Misha. 9 years ago, my life began, and I have been growing more in love with my wife every day since. It may not be celebrated by millions of people around the world, or remembered for it's significance in world history, but on this day, 2000, Misha Perkins married me, and I have been better for it ever since.

Heartless Money

But in the long run it is perhaps even more apparent in our growing--for it ought to be growing--awareness that our whole being by its very nature is one vast need; incomplete, preparatory, empty yet cluttered, crying out for Him who can untie things that are now knotted together and tie up things that are still dangling loose.

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Read

Ecclesiastes 6:1-6. Take a few minutes and write down your initial thoughts on this section. As you look back at the verses, what leads you to write these things?

Think

Let's remember where Solomon is coming from: born in the palace to King David and his wife Bathsheba (a whole other story), 3rd king of Israel, offered anything his heart desired, chose wisdom, given riches as well, reigned in peace and prosperity, made treaties with surrounding nations, had hundreds of wives and concubines, led into idolatry by his wives, finally, his sons subverted his authority and split the kingdom. Solomon looks back over his life and writes his memoir, lessons learned throughout his life, and sees the evil of heartless money: Riches given by God but not enjoyed.

Chapter 5 ends with the value of recognizing God as the true giver of our material possessions and as the only One who gives us the ability to enjoy them. Even though we may recognize God as our provider, if we use our money and possessions to satisfy our own desires without regard to stewardship and generosity, our wealth becomes heartless and empty.

In verses 3-6, Solomon gives us 2 pictures of the emptiness of heartless money. First, we see a man who lives a long life, fathers a hundred children, but his family doesn't care enough about him to give him a proper burial. Second, a miscarriage. Both are painful, but Solomon says that the miscarriage is better. Life without God and meaning is worse than never having been born at all.

On the other hand, life with God is deeply satisfying, whether one has little or much. It's not the years in life but the life in the years. Only God can give us the wisdom to know what to do with what we have.

David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth

Pray

Ask God to help you find true enjoyment in life. Pray that He will help you live well, as a good steward of the possessions He gave you.

Do

Spend some extra time with your family this week. Of all the things that aid in the enjoyment of life, good family relationships top the list. Fix dinner together and eat around the table, take your wife out on a date, roll on the floor with your kids, play a game that you all enjoy, anything that will enhance your family life. Money, work, and success are all meaningless without good family relationships.

5 Things to Know About Money

For this post, I can't say it any better than Dr. Jeremiah in his book, Searching for Heaven on Earth. So here are some excerpts from chapter 13, "Dollars and Sense". As you read, pray that God would help you to adjust your thinking about money and its importance in your life.

Read and Think

Five Things We Should Know About Money

1- The more we have, the more we want.

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;

Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.

This also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be truly content? To be eased of the burden for more accumulation, and to be at peace with where we are in life? Why do we make ourselves miserable over what has no track record of satisfying?

2-The more we have, the more we spend.

When goods increase,

They increase who eat them;

So what profit have the owners

Except to see them with their eyes?

Ecclesiastes 5:11

The more you have, the more you want. The more you want, the more you spend. The more you spend, the more you need. The more you need, the more you have to have. Stop the world--I want to get off!

3-The more we have, the more we worry.

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,

Whether he eats little or much;

But the abundance of the rich

Will not permit him to sleep.

Ecclesiastes 5:12

When money is your shield and bulwark, you'll spend all your time worrying about what will happen if you lose your shield. Thankfully, my Shield and Protector is One who has already said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

4- The more we have, the more we lose.

There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:

Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.

But those riches perish through misfortune.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-14

Let me be clear on this point, because it's easy to misunderstand what Solomon is saying. The essence of his message is this: You can't lose what you don't have.

5- The more we have, the more we leave behind.

When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.

As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return,

To go as he came;

And he shall take nothing from his labor

Which he may carry awah in his hand.

And this also is a sever evil--

Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.

And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?

All his days he also eats in darkness,

And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.

Ecclesiastes 5:14-17

We all know the modern translation of this one: You can't take it with you.

Two Things You Need to Know About God

1- Our ability to earn money is a gift from God.

Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink,

and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the

Days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.

Ecclesiastes 5:18

Solomon says you've worked for what you have, so go ahead and enjoy it...But remember that every gift is from God, and those gifts are not ends in themselves,but reminders of His goodness.

2- Our ability to enjoy money is a gift from God

As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the deays fo his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

God gives us not only the gift, but also the ability to enjoy it, the food and the mouth to eat it, the art and the mind to appreciate it, the beautiful earth and the feet to run upon it. Every component of life, down to the smallest molecule, is part of His gift. But we cannot enjoy any gift properly without reference to the Giver.

God is a loving and generous Father, but He doesn't want our things to possess us. What a joy to learn the lesson Rockefeller learned: money and possessions are not evil as long as they don't enslave us. Instead of destroying lives, wealth can serve the kingdom of God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God and has a good and perfect use. As long as we can find it and honor it, we honor Him. And we are one step closer to heaven on earth, rather than one foot deeper into the golden mirage of a fool's paradise.

Governmental Waste

The highest test of a civilization is its willingness to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Like an individual, it lifts itself up by lifting others up.

Booker T. Washington

Read

Let's look at Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 today. Write a sentence long summary of what Solomon is saying. Do you know anyone in this situation? When was the last time you were frustrated at the oppression of the poor?

Think

It is easy to place blame on governments for the oppression of the poor. It's easy to be angry at
corrupt and powerful politicians for the plight of those less fortunate than us. And that anger is justified. But why are we surprised? Power has always had a corrupting influence, and it is the rare and special person who is not affected.

When we hear of governments skimming relief aid and taking bribes from large companies, and when we see the oppression and genocide that runs rampant throughout the world, and we feel the white hot flames of social justice rising in our cheeks, let's remember that these atrocities are not new, and let's temper our outcry with what Paul tells us in Romans:

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

Romans 13:1-7

But never, never expect utopia to come to a Capitol near you. Heaven on earth cannot be established at the ballot box, but only through the hearts of men. One day we will see the descent of the New Jerusalem, and there will be at last, one Governor before whom we'll bow, with no more use for intermediaries; one Party to serve, with no more use for debate or dissention; one Lord, one faith, one baptism into the world that has always been our destiny as His divine constituency.

David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth

Pray

Make it a point this week to pray for the oppressed, that they will find relief from their trouble, and that you might be an agent for that relief in some way. While you do that, pray that you would be willing to submit to and show appropriate respect for those in governmental positions.

Do

As you watch the news, read the paper, and talk to friends about the world situation this week, make it a point to speak respectfully of those in governmental positions, and look for ways that you can personally be involved in caring for those who are oppressed by powerful people.

God In My Pocket

We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown. It is not possible for the mind to crash suddenly past the familiar into the totally unfamiliar. Even the most vigorous and daring mind is unable to create something out of nothing by a spontaneous act of the imagination.

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

Read
Today's passage is Ecclesiastes 5:1-7. Keep in mind the last time you were in a worship service. How are these attitudes similar to your own? Solomon addresses 3 areas in which we tend to use God. Can you spot them?

Think
We operate from what we know and what we think is best. That's really all we can do, isn't it? Too often, though, what we know is incomplete. Especially when things are going wrong or when our lives don't turn out quite like we'd hoped, we default to 3 basic responses:

Blaming God
Verse 1- Has your mom ever said "watch your step" as a warning to be careful how you speak to her? Or as my dad still says, "watch it." It's easy to get so fed up with oppression and the evils of the world that we approach God carelessly, forgetting that He is really the One with perfect knowledge and eternal perspective. No matter how frustrated we become, we should always remember that He is God and we are not.

Lashing Out
Verses 2-3- We are all hurt and angry at circumstances in our lives. None of us get through this life unscathed. The easiest thing for us to do, especially in the heat of our emotion, is to speak rashly in anger. Before we lash out at the One who is working all things for our good, let's stop to think that He is in Heaven, we are on earth, and our foolishness cannot be hidden once spoken.

Bribes Galore
Verses 4-7- Have you ever said, "God, if you get me out of this, I'll..."? These days it's no big deal to break a promise, but Scripture makes it clear that the wise person is someone who keeps his word. Especially when dealing with someone who is so high above us, care should be taken that we are not frivolous with our vows. Let's be careful that we are not attempting to bribe God, as if we could.

"Forgiving God is a term I'd rather avoid. It implies that God has done something wrong that requires our pardon. We should underline the statement that by the perfection of his nature, He will not and cannot do wrong. What seems like misdeed is mystery. The important thing to remember is that His love and compassion are perfect, unbroken, and forever."

David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth

Pray

Ask God to help you see Him at work in the events all around you, to help you be aware of His Presence. Thank Him for the calamities He's helped you avoid, and ask Him to help you trust that He knows what He's doing when hard times come.

Do

Concentrate on your attitudes toward God as you read this. Are you angry at Him for something? Do you try to use God to get out of sticky situations? Are you quick to blame Him for the bad circumstances in your life? Look around at things that happen all around you. For what can you be thankful? How does God take care of you on a daily basis?