I played the resident critic on Ecclesiastes Sunday!
Have you ever been
around someone who is a ‘downer’ or the resident critic?? This type of person
is always quick to crush hope, breed negativity and always revert to laws like
Murphy’s…’if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.’ Sometimes it isn’t a person, but a runaway
thought in our mind and it festers a spirit of panic, fear and anxiety. We actually have to take action when this
type of spirit manifests in our lives or it can easily overwhelm and paralyze
our progress. I know it’s pretty easy to
let the spirit of ‘murphy’ take hold in my own life. I would easily say it becomes my “default” mode
if I don’t actively challenge it by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we continue to work
through the Bible at Church at the Manor, we come to another poetic writing,
the book of Ecclesiastes. Simply, there
are three main themes that the ‘critic’ throws at us as developed by the “Read
Scripture” series. They are the perspective
of one “under the sun” or apart from the acknowledgement of God in one’s life
and they are very “Murphy” like. The
good thing is that we won’t stop at pointing them out… there is a counter
attack.
1.
The March of Time - The
book is quick to point out that generations come and go, you will soon be
forgotten and everything that you really
work hard for will not be enjoyed by you but others who you have to leave it
too.
2.
We Are All
Going To Die – That’s right, so what’s the point of doing good, make a
difference when everyone experiences the same fate no matter whether they are rich or poor, status or no status. It’s all just really pointless.
3.
Life’s
Random Nature - There is no cause and
effect relationship to life. It all just
“hevel” in Hebrew and that means everything is really without
meaning. It’s all just smoke, you think
it is something and it turns to something else.
It’s confusing. There is a glitch in the system. The race doesn’t always go to the swift. You can’t control anything in life.
The Counter Attack
Here are some great insights we focused at the Manor Church
In
response to the ‘march of time’ Ephesians 5:16 challenges us to make the most
of every opportunity that God places in front of us. Recognize also that worry is pointless. Read Matthew 6:30-33
When
you are overwhelmed by the thought that we’re all gonna die, it is sobering but
remember there is never a U-Haul that follows a hearse. The good part is that it reminds us the most
important things worth investing in are not things, but people and making a
difference for eternity. I can remember
so clearly when I started attending Bible College and thinking to myself, why
am I here? I just started reading the New Testament and when I got to
Matthew 6:21 it all became clear. “For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” I knew right in that moment that I wanted to
invest my life in others. Another really
good point that was made is that in light of how fast time really flies, we can’t
leave any room for resentment. It is too
much of a burden to carry.
In
response to life’s random nature, recognize that the only thing that you can
really control is your attitude. The
author steps in at the end of the book, overrides the critic to make sure that
we realize that God will ultimately clear the ‘hevel’ and bring clarity to
everything. As one author stated, ‘life
is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react or respond to it. Reacting is my knee-jerk reaction, it’s
usually self-centered, pretty ugly and selfish.
Now responding takes grace and the Spirit of God in my life. It’s a perspective that I have to absolutely
rely on Him for and it takes time and patience to cultivate in my life.
In
the end the author tells us to fear God and that it’s much easier to honor Him
and follow Him when we are young and willing to listen than when we get old and
think we know it all. Ecclesiastes
12:1 ‘remember your Creator in the days
of your youth’!
The
simple takeaway of the book is to keep hope and remain humble. I’m not in control but I remain steadfast in
hope in the One who is!
Well we said our goodbyes to Addi who is off to YWAM Kona on Thursday bright and early. She will be missed on Sundays at Church at the Manor as she has been part of the worship team from the very beginning!
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