The Preacher Sought

There are 39 in the Old Testament and I really like one of them. The one that says.........."be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion (to books) is wearying to the body." Maybe that is why He only gave us 66 total.
"The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly" So Solomon crafted a book: a book of goads and well driven nails. Goads and nails for us to "see" life in way that leads to days and days and days of living in and with and by fear of God. That.....is a very good thing.
The real hypocrites are those who live as if there is no God. Yes there are hypocrites in the church, some of them well deserving of the title. Pot and kettle are both known for living as if God wasn't really there. The Preacher says: "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden , whether it is good or evil."
Do not get hung up on the "keep His commandments part" as if you don't understand why it is right for any one to tell you what to do. People live with commandments all the time. They even make their own for others to break.
These 39 books and the other 27 have a Person behind them. He is unlike any other. The goads and well driven nails of "Ecclesiastes" are designed to show you this. Give it a read if its been awhile or for the very first time. For God will..............................

WHATEVER!

"Whatever." he said with a sigh of resignation. And so the conversation slouched to another dead end. One of several that have had the same water dousing.

Whatever is like.....like. You know, a filler word. You know. It is colloquial but filled with way too much meaning for me. Its like a real cop out man!

Maybe it will pass with time. A figure of speech that is just a fad, Pet Rocks and mullets. But, the heart it shows is not a fad. All too familiar; a MRI of the soul this: "Whatever".

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is weary of bringing it to his mouth"

Living is not for the sluggard, real living. The kind that knows troubles and conflict and rises to the challenge of hurt and frustration. Life is very normal: complicated. Unlike sentences it doesn't always supply nouns and verbs that compliment. Here a noun, there a verb, people and actions of people that sometime make sense and sometime seem science-fiction or hyperbole.

Whatever. Drones say it, Zombies live it. But there is a better way.

" Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (I Cor 10:31) This may require some thinking in the situation. Yet it yields benefits of owning life and not avoiding it. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father" ( Col 3:17) This may cause some acceptance of less than desirable nows for future will be's.

These "whatevers" are just as real as the life in front of you. Very few come to real road intersections and say, " It doesn't matter which way I go." They are driving to a desired end. We all live to desired ends. Sluggards want ease and whatever it takes to make it less strenuous so "whatever" is just fine.

"Whatevers "of the other kind account God in and the cards have to be played. No folding, bluff if you want but its better to keep in the game. He never loses but He graciously shares the pot with those who acknowledge His rightful and just dealing.

There will always be a place for "whatever". Just keep the main noun (God) and the main verb (sovereignty) in "whatever" circumstance you are in.

Mercy in our Father's eye

Earlier today I played backgammon with my daughter Amy. She won the first game. She's learning like all my children before her. She got lucky. I had no mercy the next two games and made sure I won the tournament of three. I "gammoned" her both games. She wanted to play some more. " No, Amy, that's it for today."
I have been helping her as we play to learn good combinations; to watch for opportunities and plan ahead. In the past even if it didn't benefit me I would point out things to do or think about. Tonight I just played and let her make all the decisions. She will be a good backgammon player. But tonight I had no mercy and with whoops and great voice inflections I gloated! What a dad!
Amy had no hard feelings. We went and walked the dogs with Mom and Lani down by the lake. Does she understand.........mercy? Do I?
I would not help her tonight and she will be the better for it. I just don't like it when my Father does it to me. Because I doubt His wisdom when I look on the things handed to me and cry, "what do I do now?"
Whats next?" "
" When should I........?"
" How am I going to..............?"
But My Father is never like me! That would be to bring Him down, like comparing the Sun to a flashlight. He is merciful in giving and withholding.
My mercy is of a limited variety because just like tonight with Amy I still had to throw dice I could not control and they went my way. My mercy was qualified it was dependent on things going my way. ( I probably would not have been as gracious as her if I been gammoned twice!)
God never throws dice. He controls their outcome when men roll their lives. He gives grace to the undeserving and corrupt. The longer I'm on the road I see it.

I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO SOUGHT ME NOT,

I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.

Romans 10:20

Mercy!

New Eyes

I know as I grow older my physcial eyes have and will weaken. The eyes to really see, however, are stronger. For close to forty years I have strived to enter the narrow gate and walk on the narrow path. It improves the hindsight, foresight and insight to do so. In front of me I can see Him. To be sure the darkness inside me has many times clouded the path but He appears faithfully just ahead when most needed. Just a glimpse, a yearning, a joy anticipated, mostly a love given and received. Some day.........some day I'll see Him without a cloud in between and eyes, new ones, that will never grow dim but grow wider the longer the gaze is held.
I'm a journeyman and will be till I die.