It has got to get better than this.

This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?

Ecclesiastes 5:16

Yes, Preacher, these words are very true. I couldn’t agree with them more at the moment. Nothing on this earth will give true satisfaction. It is all meaningless in and of itself. Try to make money? It fritters away and creates unhappiness. Seek fulfillment in relationships? People will misunderstand you, use you, are mostly self-absorbed, and will turn on you when they aren’t particularly feeling happy with life (you will do the same to others by the way). Live for pleasure? Nah… it is fleeting… adrenaline wears you out, experiences flatten out to dull sameness, food only fills you to the next meal, and sex is probably the biggest deceptive and manipulative experience way overrated by the world. Solomon is right: You come into this world naked and confused and you leave the same way.

That is the perspective life gives without factoring in the deepest truth: God’s perspective and wisdom. Only by His redeeming work in Christ can worth come to anything we know. There are still all the same human let downs from wealth, relationships, pleasure, experience, and sex, but there is a better truth over all of them. You realize that it is PEOPLE who let you down, not God! And you realize, like I too often see in myself, that you let people down too. Even the ones you desire to care for the most. It is humbling.

Ecclesiastes takes a look through the broken glass of life’s messiness. And what do we see beyond it? A cross bringing redemption, hope, and a kingdom that will never disappoint us! Jesus is better… so much better!

from far and near

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Ephesians 2:17

All of us are far from the cross when we first hear the gospel. We are drawn to it in so many ways that we may never have really consciously connected at first. Some people start out closer than others. But God is doing this great gathering through the church proclaiming the gospel. Paul’s teaching to the Gentile Ephesians emphasizes how they started out far from Christ: pagan worshipers of multiple false gods, Gentiles, removed from Israel, and distant from the God of the Bible. Whereas Paul as a Jew was closer by virtue of believing in God, having the Old Testament, knowing the Law, even living in the region where Christ preached, died, and rose again.

Yet the cross did not reward one circumstance over the other. Even though Gentiles were far from God, the cross draws them near. Jesus reached all the nations. He commanded His disciples to preach Him to the world… to every ethnic group without exception. He came to draw all people to Himself and in that way to bring the world together. The gospel makes peace among the nations. No human will ever achieve this.

Drawing near to Jesus, repenting of sin, submitting to the King and His Kingdom, receiving new life, dying to self, and living in the Spirit directed by God’s Word all bring saints together. No section of the globe is hidden from the powerful, unifying gravity of the gospel. Both far and near unite in Jesus. The gospel is designed to be the unifying center of the human experience. Christians know this and if anyone harbors a vision of exclusion, they are not in Christ.

O worship the King!

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

Psalm 45:6

This verse is quoted at the beginning of the book of Hebrews to show us that Jesus is the King Whose throne is forever and Who rules with an upright scepter. He is the Great King. He is God on His throne. Jesus rules with righteousness over all His kingdom. He always has. He always will. He does so now.

So every day I am called to live out my allegiance. I can bow my knee to the King of Kings and submit to wherever He chooses to send me in His royal service. Or I can make myself what I am not, the ruler of my own selfish realm. Bowing before Jesus’ eternal throne makes a difference for eternity. Defying His scepter leads ultimately to frustration, destruction, failure, and pain. My narrow kingdom of self never lasts beyond brief, momentary, temporary highs. My selfish kingdom inevitably topples on precarious wants and pleasures.

Your throne, O Christ my God, is forever and always. Your scepter has an always expanding, never ending authority of righteousness, mercy, grace, love, and justice throughout the universe. There is no end to Your great rule. Command me, my Master and King! I bow to You. I seek to serve You. Your throne is my heart’s dwelling place… Your presence my great pleasure… Your service is my devotion. Amen.

Cycles

All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

Ecclesiastes 1:7

My life has cycles…

ups and downs

ins and outs

highs and lows

the streams still flows

Endless cycles…

day to night

dark to light

life to death

breath to breath

Healthy cycles…

wake and sleep

hunger and eat

sick or fine

these cycles are mine

Ordained cycles…

work and rest

pain and jest

hell or heaven

by God are given

Saving cycles…

drought or rain

joy or pain

judgment with grace

I see in Christ’s face

remembering rewarding and redeeming relationships

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers

Ephesians 1:16

There are people for whom I am extremely grateful, for whom I offer praise to God that He has placed them in my story. Some of you might even read these thoughts right now. I remember these people, gifts from a wise and gracious God, in my prayers.

THE FAMILY. God has blessed my life with family, many of whom are also family in Christ. Mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, children, and grandkids… all of whom God has used or is using to shape my soul. I look back realizing that many of my best soul-shapers are gone from daily influence, some to their eternal home… waiting for me to get home with them. I miss them but feel them still in their past words and actions… still shaping me by God’s wisdom. I thank God for family He has given.

THE FAMILY OF GOD. Of immeasurable importance to my life is the spiritual home God has given me in Christian community. The relationships are diverse: brothers and sisters, mentors, teachers, deep friends, those I have served alongside, and those I have served. And I am embarrassingly wealthy with people who care for me and care with me. I have discovered community that cares both in seasons of grief and in wild kingdom celebrations. These relationships I rejoice in! I am pointed to the right steps in following Jesus together with these fellow family members. I will not cease to give thanks to God for all these rewarding relationships.

Your plan

The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:11

Your plan, Lord

lasts forever

upholds the heavens

sustains the earth

gives new birth

Every generation stands

by Your plan

Your power, Lord

confounds nations

rulers rise or fall

strictly by Your call

war or peace

are in Your reach

All nations are frustrated

by Your rule

You bless, Lord

Your people

as they worship and obey

what You clearly say

You choose to display

Your amazing grace

Your plans for hope

to the people You chose

spiraling down

There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

Proverbs 30:11

In Proverbs 30:11-14 there are four classes of societal sin that bring ruin to families, communities, and cultures. The list looks something like this:

1. Generational disrespect (Proverbs 30:11). Honoring parents is a vital command throughout scripture. It serves as a base for a civil society because family is the foundation to all human community. When generations disrespect, hate, cut-off, cancel, and punish parents there can be no future grounds for civility. It’s one thing to have a safe and holy limit due to sin by parents. It’s another thing altogether to personally punish, judge, and reject parents. My heart weeps often alongside many Christian parents who experience this kind of treatment from kids who have turned from faith and bought the lie that Christianity is the big problem with society.
2. Self-righteousness (Proverbs 30:12). Many of those who cancel family members do so out of a twisted sense of self-righteousness that rejects God’s design. It is virtue-signaling political correctness and it erodes community as well. It creates an attitude of zero dialogue or healthy compromise.
3. Arrogance and pride (Proverbs 30:13). It is not surprising that “pride” is the one word motto for those taking up the rainbow flag of resistance against God’s created order. New morality looks down on godly values. Sin always will be prideful since it started in the arrogance of Lucifer who thought himself bigger than God.
4. Greed and abuse (Proverbs 30:14). Personal gain at any cost ruthlessly destroys true loving care of the neediest among us. We are seeing this at so many levels. Sadly often in the church now. I can’t help but see a downward spiral here starting at rebellion, moving to self-righteousness for justification, fueled by arrogance that is stoked by communities of similarly minded sinners, leading to appalling apathy toward the most vulnerable… children and the poor, and ultimately destructive to our world by creating chaos and pain.

Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Only the cross can redeem this broken mess. Only those who cling to the hope of the gospel will be delivered from these ruinous four destroyers.

the rewards of radical risk-taking

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

Romans 16:3-4

It’s risky business to labor in the spread of the gospel and make disciples in a world that is hostile to Christian redemption. Romans 16 is a “who’s who of thank yous” to men and women who labored at the building up of the church in Rome with significant effort. Even though Paul had not even met some of them, they were known by reputation and he applauded their service. Among them were Prisca (Priscilla elsewhere in the New Testament) and Aquila, mentioned several times in the book of Acts as a pioneering, church-planting, disciple-making, leadership-generating, power couple.

Paul says of them that they risked their necks for his life. They put themselves in danger for his sake. He was grateful for their “fellow worker” contributions to the spread of the gospel in his ministry. He was thankful for their commitment, sacrifice, and willing service. Their impact was felt in “all the churches of the Gentiles.”

Risky ministry makes an impact. Prisca and Aquila are proof of it. We know it from church history in the Book of Acts and by their commendations in the epistles. One Christian couple made ripples across the Roman Empire all the way to its center along with Paul. Simple, sold-out, committed, and radical kingdom priorities continue to globally impact our world today!

the only hope of salvation

Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!

Psalm 60:11

If we are in need of salvation (and we definitely are), we can only find it beyond ourselves. Humanity is beyond helpless. Our most noble notions of morality, truth, and civil society are hopelessly warped by sin. It is foolish to think we can save ourselves. A court composed of criminals has no authority to impose penalties or to declare innocence and reprieve for a world of criminals! We are that broken. Vain… worthless… impossible… is the salvation that comes from man.

Our only hope is if God saves us. Imperiled as we are by the endemic evil of our sin, we need God (Whom we have offended in every way) in grace and mercy to intervene in our mess. He must help us. He must save us. And in Jesus, He has!

Human efforts at salvation sink us lower in the mire. We cannot sustain enough “good works” to counteract our desires for selfish promotion, prideful rebellion against God, or independence from God’s sovereign control. We cannot do “works of righteousness” to match up to God’s holiness. A theocracy demanding morality will never produce a holy society for this very reason: we spiritually are dead! Dead people cannot do anything.

This is where the gospel is our only hope. Only the grace and mercy of God as mediated through Jesus’ completed sacrifice to atone all sin can help us. His resurrection to defeat the power of sin and death will bring real and complete salvation in a new life that He must give to us. Only when we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness (one that is given to us and not manufactured by us) can we be taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. That is our only hope when all of mankind’s efforts fail.

raging fools

If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs and there is no quiet.

Proverbs 29:9

It is useless to debate a fool. Why? They are self-deluded. They trust their own mind, their own sinful, selfish logic, and they will not listen to God’s Word or heed wisdom (Proverbs 28:26). And we live in an age of raging fools. Social media has given rise to the opinionated raging fool who in 30 second reels laughs at wisdom, stirs up a following of fools, and places his foolishness on the same level of argument as ancient wisdom. It is “skibidi toilet” argumentation and fools will not quiet down. The best way to engage them? Don’t waste your time in direct conversation.

Wisdom calls us to clear and careful communication. We appeal not to feelings or mockery in our proclamation of God’s truth. With foundational, factual revelation from God, given to us objectively by the Creator of the universe, imbued with unparalleled authority as the Word of God we simply speak TRUTH. We need not deride others with foolish fleshly methods ourselves. The truth of scripture is the lion roaring through the streets scattering fools with its fierce facts and consequences.

Since fools only rage, we instead keep proclaiming the gospel. We let truth speak for itself. We let the Holy Spirit help us lift the Sword of the Spirit clearly and accurately. He will by God’s sharp revelation divide truth and error, soul and spirit, wisdom and foolishness.

God of peace

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Romans 15:33

My prayer today anew; May the God of peace be with you.

In a world chaos strewn; May the Lord bring peace to you.

Relationships broken in two? May God grant peace to you.

Worry all around you? May the God of peace sustain you.

Unsure as to what to do? May God’s peace assure you.

Confused by pain and suffering too? May the peace of God comfort you.

Tired and weary through and through? May the rest of God’s peace relax you.

My prayer for my own soul too; May the God of peace be with you.

You will keep in peace the mind stayed on Thee.

You will bless with peace all who rely on Your mercy.

Lord pour Your peace now upon me!

May the God of peace be with me.

May the God of peace be with you.

You must not trust some people.

Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

Proverbs 25:19

Some people should not be trusted. Their lives speak much louder than their promises, and once you see that pattern, you cannot in good faith believe them. Their past character (clearly not transformed by the gospel) is the best indicator of their present condition and future performance. Of course, the gospel can change all of this when a person becomes a new creation in Christ. But simply saying they believe is not enough for the trust. The transformative work will bear fruit. When it does not, it may just be further reason to hold on trust. Such a person is called “treacherous” in this proverb.

So what does that term “treacherous” mean? It means they have hurt by their actions in a selfish way. The root meaning of the Hebrew word is “cover”. A treacherous, untrustworthy person “covers” what they don’t what others to see. Now, here is the scary part… we all tend to this to a degree in relationships. Adam and Eve attempted to cover and hide when God first confronted them after the fall… evidence of their treachery for sure. We will show people what we think enhances us, diverting them to what we think they want to see of us. But treacherous people do this pathologically and without remorse. They are in a constant game of masquerade and spin, cover-up and concealment, hide and seek. And they might charm you by appealing to your preferences while personally using you for their gain and sinning against you without your knowledge. And once you realize what has happened you grasp the true meaning of “treachery” here in this proverb.

This bit of wisdom arms us for stronger relationships. Once you encounter a treacherous “coverer”… a deceiver… a manipulator… a sin-motivated lying hider… do not under any circumstances trust them with any depth. BEWARE! The relationship will become a rotten toothache if you trust them. You will slip in your journey with them. Watch your step. Interact with cautious distance. Do not lean in. Love must dictate that the relationship only can have the bare minimum of trust. You are doing them no favors by helping them perpetuate their cover-ups. This proverb guarantees you will be hurt in time of trouble. Yes, you should still care about them. You may still truly love them if they are an inescapable part of your life. You cannot however truly build an honest relationship with a person whose lies constantly cover what is a treacherous heart.

on passing judgment

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

Romans 14:10

Paul knew that Christians can fight over minor disagreements and lose sight of the bigger picture. Those fights disfigure the Bride of Christ. When hate and judgment are the culture of a local church there is no way that a gospel of grace is drawing unbelievers to the Savior. Christian fights are an oxymoron and a mark that the Devil has won the day. That is why Paul preaches about Christian liberty and the appeal of strong and weak consciences within the assembly here in this chapter.

I cannot despise my brother in Christ… ever. I must seek to understand his conscience. But what about a church member in open sin? It is love that reaches out to admonish such a person. You do not hate the person but you do recognize the damage of sin and urge them to repent in the light of the judgment of God. It isn’t hateful to call a friend to repentance. Why? For the same reason Paul appeals to unity here in Romans 14: We will all one day stand in judgment before God.

Love lives with differences of conscience, Spirit-informed opinion, and preference. Love also confronts when a clear line of sin has been crossed. Love restores when past unfair judgment has hurt the church. Love restores when repentance moves a Christian to the gospel. Love respects that Jesus is our Judge… not ourselves.

foolish payback

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

Proverbs 24:28-29

Payback is a nasty sort of consuming evil. It isn’t good. And here in the Book of Wisdom we are cautioned that scheming for payback is not wise. It should not consume us. It is the opposite of loving our neighbor as ourselves. It can lead us down a path to practice deception and lies. It might appease our fleshly sense of self-justice, but payback is not the path of divine justice.

I’ve met some bitter folks in my time… people so consumed with the concept of payback that they even begin to scheme against God. “If God were truly just, He’d take down this so-and-so”. And as hearts are consumed with bitter visions of payback, their happiness and joy melt like snowflakes on August Kansas asphalt! The foolishness of payback robs their very lives away. And that is what this proverb hopes to prevent.

What is the opposite of scheming payback? It’s deliberate prayer: Honest prayer repenting of vengeance and bitterness… lament prayer that turns the pain of injustice and abuse over to God… faith-filled prayers to seek God’s truth in order to be delivered from bitterness and hate… hopeful prayer that God will rule in justice in His time for our good and His glory.

awakened to action

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 13:11-12

The pervasive complacency of a culture characterized by selfish actions and evil desires can dull us to spiritual sleep if we are not vigilant. We are inundated with messages that make us spiritually drowsy. Music, television, entertainments, professional sports, social media, and political band-standing all combine in a culture that pulls our focus from living attentively awake to actively living as disciples of Jesus Christ. We need to heed this call to the Roman church which was also steeped in an inclusive, pagan culture of self indulgence.

The hour has come to awaken. We are inching closer each second to the Day of the Lord, when our salvation is revealed and this wicked world is held accountable. That day is soon to dawn. We need to be ready. We need to stay repentant, obedient, culturally aware yet distinct in holiness, and bearing the standard of the message of the gospel to those still sleeping in this darkness.

The armor of light is our protection. It also illuminates the darkness from which we awaken, keeping us vigilant in the Word, in prayer, in gospel living, and in gospel proclamation. This is the action we are called to in this present hour that has come. Christians… Wake up! Get up! Light up this dark world!

precious pursuit

There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Proverbs 20:15

There are a lot of treasures that a person can collect over a lifetime. And having these might be the pursuit of that person’s purpose. Burt really, the great enriching pursuit is the attainment of wisdom and knowledge. Ultimately it is rewarded in the pursuit of God, knowing Him, loving Him, living for Him. His knowledge is perfect. And when we love God’s wisdom we are kissed by precious bejeweled lips.

How is such a pursuit possible? It begins with wanting to seek God’s wisdom above all earthly endeavors. We seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of life’s knowledge and understanding is added to the pursuit! Those who are devoted to that direction are wealthy indeed! We can know what is most important by starting at the source of all wisdom and knowledge: God Himself. Theology creates wisdom when done correctly.

And if we want it, God will give it. In fact, it is all there in two primary sources: The Word of God (Revelation) and the Spirit of God (Relationship). Part of the reason we should anchor in understanding scripture is that it is the revealed mind and will of God. Know God’s Word… Know God. And believers have the aid of the Spirit of God in synch with scripture to personally help us apply and understand wisdom. Those sources on our bookshelf of life are an unfathomable wealth in and of themselves! Blessed are those kissed by the jeweled lips of the knowledge of the Holy!

humility & harmony

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Romans 12:16

Humility and harmony go hand in hand. The way to obey the first positive command (live in harmony) is to personally follow the second two negative commands (do not think highly of yourself; never be wise in your own sight). Christian care, christian charity, and christian community all work together in a beautiful picture of the gospel.

We get along because it is Christ Who brought us together. We have Jesus in common. He set the example by humbling Himself, stooping from heaven to our need, and giving His life for us. And that is how we should care for one another. He is our peace because He is our Savior, our Lord, our King, and our example. We are called to be daily growing in His likeness. And so we humble ourselves in order to truly care. If we refuse, God may humble us so we learn to stoop down in love like Jesus!

We associate with those in need and defy social positions. We encourage them with the gospel. We welcome them like family into the church. We help them grow, learn of Jesus, serve beside us, minister to us, living equally in the Body of Christ. All people thus find themselves dignified in Jesus by the grace that we all humbly receive from His hand. Humility is the way to harmony. May Christians show this way, live this way, be this way in a contentious and broken culture.

isolation destroys

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.

Proverbs 18:1

We were made for community. Along with fools, isolationists are derided by Solomon as lacking wisdom. By isolating they are idolatrous with themselves, shutting themselves off from sources of wisdom. By exalting their own intellect, their own emotions, their own opinions without the healthy “peer review” of meaningful relationships, isolationists live a self-centered alternate reality, often to the point of delusion. This is exactly the message of the book of Jonah. You isolate too much and you will even run from God!

What’s more, if we isolate into the kind of foolishness described here, we lose all sound judgment. Lack of community warps a soul. It creates skewed perspectives. It is ultimately destructive to our souls.

God created community. Fist with marriage: it was not good for the man to be alone. Then came family. Then came groups, cities, assemblies, and governments. Eventually God made Israel His covenant community to worship Him. With Jesus came redemption not just of individuals, but of people groups and a new community of Christ-followers that Jesus named “church”.

It honors God when I live in community well. It is sinful to deliberately disengage from the community God has placed around me of friends, family, and faith community. It is wrong to live in the echo chamber of my own thoughts, even if I think virtual community is a substitute. It is not. I am made communal. I thrive in a network of friends and fellow believers. I need my neighbors. I need my family. I need the wisdom of God as it is taught in the Church.

All things His glory

From Him

From Jesus all things came

made by Him in the beginning

Firstborn of creation, Father’s Son

From Jesus this world has sprung

From hands that later bore our scars

came frogs and flowers, planets and stars

Through Him

Through Jesus Who bore sin and strife

came redemption and eternal life

Savior climbing Calvary’s mount

through Him flows now a saving fount

through Him brought to the Father’s side

we finally in peace with God reside

a place for us Jesus has made

there to dwell soon unafraid

To Him

To Jesus belongs all that there is

this universe is the realm of King Jesus

we are His… He is our Lord

we order lives around His Word

we worship our King now wild and loud

we gather with His rejoicing crowd

we make Jesus known so others see

a Savior, a Sovereign they desperately need

From Him, through Him, to Him are all things!

treasure house

In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,

but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.

Proverbs 15:6

In this simple truism the treasure of the righteous is contrasted with the income of the wicked. To seek and follow God’s call to know, love, and obey Him is the real treasure in life. To find sins forgiven in Christ, true life in following as Jesus’ disciple, and all the riches of the fullness of faith in Him is to know a true wealth that lasts forever. It is to know wisdom. It is to receive what is most valuable and be outrageously wealthy in abundant grace.

Contrast that with the “income” this world wants to bribe us to settle for. It is temporary. It is fraught with anxiety, hustle, and fear of loss. It can be taken away by a market drop, a Ponzi scheme, a trade war, an economic downturn, or a war. In an instant trouble befalls it. And then where are those who trusted in worldly wealth alone? When they stand before God, exactly which mutual fund will commend them to their Judge?

It is not wrong to seek to wisely invest what income you can. In fact, it probably should be done by most people. It is however quite wrong to look to wealth for happiness or for your sole purpose in living. Righteousness bestowed on us lavishly in Christ it the real treasure! It enriches us for eternity.

Romans 10: All Who Call

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Romans 10:12

a message of salvation to all

a righteousness based on faith is given to all

the Word is near all

confession of sin for all

belief in Christ’s death and resurrection for all

salvation for all

all who believe will not be put to shame

all have the same Lord

all will be given riches in Christ

all who call will be saved

will we believe all need such salvation?

will we make this faith known to all?

will we bring the word near to all?

will we urge repentance upon all?

will we make the gospel available to all?

will we hold salvation out as a shared gift for all?

do we secretly hope some refuse to believe?

do we want some to know only Judge and not Savior?

do we wish spiritual poverty on some for whom Christ died?

do we really want all to call on Jesus for salvation?