September 5th One Year Bible Readings

Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14 ~ 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 ~ Psalm 49:1-20 ~ Proverbs 22:20-21
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - We finish up the book of Ecclesiastes today, and what a finish it is!  Song of Solomon begins tomorrow! I love Ecclesiastes chapter 10 today.  It's basically a series of rapid Proverbs.  Great great stuff. I had forgotten about this gem of a chapter in the Bible.  This chapter is again a great reminder of why Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote many of the Proverbs.  He had godly wisdom no doubt!  I love verse 1 in this chapter today - "Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor."  This is a powerful truth for us to take to heart.  We can so often live our lives with wisdom and honor... and then, we let an ounce of foolishness seep into our lives and it outweighs all of our wisdom and honor!  This is so true...  I think this is particularly true if we are harboring any unchecked sin in our life.  We need to put that sin in check!  We need to repent and flee from that sin.  Otherwise we are harboring an ounce of foolishness in our lives that can outweigh our pounds of wisdom and honor...  and this is just as bad as a dead fly in a bottle of perfume!  What a great analogy by Solomon.  Think of unchecked sin in your life a dead fly in the perfume of your life...  it is a sad but true analogy...  Get that dead fly out of your life!

I love verse 18 as well - "Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot."  This is so very true, of course.  Are there any areas of laziness in your life where you are letting some "roofs leak"?   Are there "rafters rotting" in your life?  Will you pray to God for freedom from your laziness in those areas of your life and will you simply go and fix the roof?

Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13 is the key verse in this entire book!  "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person."  Take a moment to meditate on this verse.  Do you agree with this teaching?  Do you fear God?  What does it mean to fear God?  (Bible.org has a good overview of fearing God at this link - scroll down on that page to the commentary on verses 11-22)  Are you obedient to God's commands?  Do you believe this is your duty?

New Testament - Second Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9 today is one of those verses that can really make you think about how blessed you truly are and why through Jesus: "You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich."  I imagine that most of us reading this blog right now are living pretty nice lives overall.  In most respects it may be fair to call us "rich."  Many of us have rich lives in terms of where we live, our spiritual freedoms, and other freedoms.  And why do we have these riches in our lives today?  Because Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth and made himself poor for our sakes.  Jesus was born in a manger.  He lived his life "homeless" in many ways.  He was sinless, but yet died a criminal's death by execution on a cross.  Jesus was very rich in heaven.   But yet, because of his love and kindness, he made himself poor and died on a cross for us, so that we would be "rich."  And now, realizing this, how are we utilizing our riches?  Are we demonstrating love and kindness to others like Jesus did to us?  Are we investing our lives - lives that were given to us by God and saved by Jesus - for Kingdom purposes?  Are you living your life as if you are literally working for God in all that you do?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Second Corinthians today titled "Learning To Be Liberal" (it is a great essay on Paul's call to give generously to the church in Jerusalem) is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 49 verses 1-3 are a fantastic teaching that the Word of God, the Bible, is for everyone, no matter what our lots in life may be - "Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor--listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight." Are you listening today?  Are you paying attention to the wise words and insights of the Bible?  Are you truly studying the Bible and then applying the Bible's teachings to your life?  Then, verse 15 in this Psalm is beautiful: "But as for me, God will redeem my life.  He will snatch me from the power of death."  How about for you?  Will God redeem your life?  Like the parable of the lost sheep that we read about in Luke 15:3-7, has Jesus saved you from being snatched from the power of death?

Proverbs - Proverbs 22 verses 20-21 today teach us: "I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge. In this way, you may know the truth and bring an accurate report to those who sent you." These two Proverbs verses today actually tie in quite nicely with Psalm 49 verses 1-3 above.  Let us know the truth of God's Word and then report it accurately to others!  Actually, this is probably a good point for me to ask you if you are participating in a Bible study at your church?  If not, can I encourage you to consider starting up a One Year Bible study / small group at your church in 2009?  Seriously.  Please think and pray about this leadership opportunity.  I do realize not everyone is called to something like this.  But - I think many of us are - probably more of us than we think are.  If you have been going through the One Year Bible with us for all of 2008 here, you have learned much!  I think you are in a great position to lead a One Year Bible study / small group at your church in 2009.  All you need is a One Year Bible, perhaps the One Year Bible Companion book with Q&A teachings for each day's readings, and a willingness to take this opportunity on. Will you think and pray about this?  Will you talk to your pastor or the appropriate person at your church about this?  You don't need to know the Bible backwards and forwards to lead a group!  You just need to take the initiative to lead, and invite others to join you on the journey.  You will be amazed by how God moves in a Bible study!  It will bless you and those around you immensely!  Will you lead someone (or a group of someone's) through the One Year Bible in 2009?

Worship God: Our 2nd Corinthians readings and Psalm 49 today reminded me of the MercyMe song "So Long Self," which has a fun video:

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Teresa]

Hey Mike! I just wanted to send a quick note of encouragement to you - I am always blessed to take time to look over your comments - they have been an encouragement to me all year - Thank you for your ministry! I pray that God wlll minister LIFE to any dry or weary places in your life (or your family) and that today will be a JOY-filled, PEACE-filled, GOD-filled day for you and yours!

Teresa

[John]

Ecclesiastes10-12
("under the weather" so taking some medicine and going to bed. A little more "cut and paste" than usual, but I thought the points relevant and something to consider.)

So live supportively, live generously, live thoughtfully!

Solomon has looked at life from every angle, from every discipline, from every philosophy, and apart from God it is all meaningless. God is HERE, He Contols, He Gives, He Judges, but if you live apart from God it is all Meaningless.

So - how are we to live? In ch 10-11, Solomon says, 'Live supportively with regard to the government; live generously with regard to the hurts and needs of those around you; and live thoughtfully as you daily make the choices and decisions of life.'
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3815.html

Sounds nice, and quite frankly many atheists (and many people of all faiths) live this way. Again, people can do good here on earth from the view of "mankind". We are all in the image of God (though corrupted after the fall), and we all have sense of right and wrong, feelings of love, compassion, intellect - to some degree we all have the attributes of God and the Trinity. (It is on a spectrum with some more than others.)

But even if you live the way recommended above - in the end - without God, it is Meaningless. Sure people will have fond memories of you for a while. There may even be a building, statue, or library named after you - but in the grand scope of things it doesn't mean anything. Pretty soon, people will forget you, what you did, and how you lived. They may recognize your name or may be able to study you in a history book - but they will not know you, the person.
======================================================

So what do we do? We can live the reccomended way, but we should:

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,.."
(I wish I had come to Christ when I was younger!)

"The thought is: recall God's presence daily; live in a relationship with him; seek to discover the greatness and glories of God while you are still young, before it is too late."
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3816.html

If you don't discover God when you are young, as old age approaches one becomes set in his ways, resistant to change, perhaps seeking less. The danger? That you end up like the conclusion below:

"The Searcher's conclusion, then, as we have been seeing all through the book, is that life "under the sun," life lived without having discovered the reason for living, is vanity, emptiness, futility. The greatest futility of all is a life that has not found the reason for living. What a waste to live your life and never discover why you are here! What a waste, to die without learning the secret of true existence!" - Ray Stedman

Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!"

God is the secret of life; He is the answer to the reason for existence.
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[The end of the matter [the sum of it all]: all has been heard. [Here it is] Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. {Eccl 12:13 RSV}

I hope you will remove the word "duty" from your version. It is not in the Hebrew, although, unfortunately, every version seems to translate it that way. It is really this statement:

Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the wholeness of man.

That is the secret of wholeness. To "Fear God, and keep his commandments" is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person. Who does not want that? We all want to be whole persons. Not broken, fragmented, easily upset, erratic, going off in all directions at once, but stable, controlled, balanced. whole people. Here is the secret of it. This is what we are to learn when we are young: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," before all the pressures come upon you. This is the secret of wholeness: "Fear* God, and keep his commandments."]

*See Link for explanation of Fear.
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3816.html

God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. [Eccl 12:14 RSV}

We can't hide from God. He is evident in all our life. He knows everything that goes on; he knows every thought of the heart, every word of the mouth. He knows the motives that we seek to hide from others. He sees the duplicity, the deception, the lovelessness. He has made provision for it all; nothing can be hid. Everything is going to come out in the open at last. All the illusions by which we seek to convince ourselves that things are not the way the Bible says they are, will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as he sees us; and there will not be a voice lifted to challenge the righteousness of his judgment.

Because of that the Solomon exhorts us and sets before us the wonder and the glory of our God and says, "Fear God." Have faith in his existence; experience his grace; stand in awe of his Person; and resolve to obey him. That is what fearing God means. That is the secret to life; that is the secret of the wholeness of man. - ibid.

[Link to commentaries on whole Book of Ecclesiastes:
http://www.pbc.org/library/series/3767 ]

[Vance]

Ecclesiastes 11 (NKJV)
9
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.
10
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.

Ecclesiastes 12 (NKJV)
13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
14
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

NOTE:
How true are these words. I can reflect on my life and see how I walked “in the ways of [my] heart” and “in the sight of my] eyes”—and I am now reaping what I have sown earlier in my life.

Yet, fearing God and keeping His commandments is the way to freedom.

"You shall know the true and the truth shall set you free" (Jesus, John 8)

I once heard a very famous American talk show host (who shall remain unnamed!!) say that the most important thing is to follow your heart.

Is it? The heart, without God’s grace, is hardened against God and separate from fellowship with our Living, Loving Lord.

Without God’s grace believed, received and relied upon through repentance and faith, “know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.”

THE IDEA OF THE TRULY CHRISTIAN LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE: “Fear God and keep His commandments.” That is it. Everything else—being filled with the Holy Spirit, finding the ministry God has for us, prayer and doing God’s will—flows out of that one single thing.

Over Labor Day weekend, my wife and I went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and to the house of President Dwight David Eisenhower. Truly, very few men have influenced world history as much as President Eisenhower—as commanding general over the allied troops which defeated Nazi Germany or as President of the United States.

Every leader of his or her respective country has had tremendous influence on history.

Yet, I was amazed at the single minded focus that Dwight Eisenhower had his entire life.

Imagine the
myriad of increasing responsibilities that he would have had as commander of all of the allied troops in Europe as he led the troops in defeating Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany.

Imagine all of the responsibilities as the leader of a nation.

Yet, fis life was focused. His focus which was gained, kept and sharpened enabled Eisenhower an ordinary farm boy, to influence the world.

Think how much you and I could influence the world if we keep our focus on just the one thing from which everything else flows: “Fear God and keep His commandments.”

2 Corinthians 8 (NKJV)
9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
12
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

NOTE:
This is true prosperity. Not just in having—though God does want to bless us richly with all things. But why does God want to bless us? In whatever measure we are blessed—it is for us to be a blessing.

Prosperity clearly is not measured simply by what we have. The worldly mindset outside of Christ and on television tries to convince us that “getting” is success. Yet, the Holy Spirit clearly says this is not true:

Psalm 49 (NKJV)
10
For he sees wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11
Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever [or. . . Their graves shall be their houses forever], their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12
Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain [or. . . does not understand]; he is like the beasts that perish.
13
This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.
~~~

Christ alone is to be our pattern of living and giving—do not just give “to give because it is the Christian thing to do”.

No, give as an act of worship, and give sacrificially and willingly out of love. Otherwise it is not accepted by God.

THAT IS TRUE PROSPERITY. THAT IS TRUE GIVING. We are given in order that we may use what we have wisely and in order that we may give sacrificially to others as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus guides and equips us.

Only then we can be like the Lord Jesus.

Ephesians 5 (NKJV) – Walk in Love
1
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
~~~

Psalm 49 (NKJV)
1
Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2
Both low and high, rich and poor together.
3
My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
4
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
5
Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah

NOTE:
Fear God to be intimately linked with the Father and grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense). Then, we will have wisdom and strength to stand and be who God made us to be.

Then, we will be preserved and saved, so we can be set apart to do His will!

Proverbs 22 (NKJV)
20
Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge,
21
That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you?

NOTE:
God has indeed spoken and written excellent things. May we feed on who God is and be filled with the knowledge of him. Then we may truly and from our hearts “answer words of truth to those who” God sends to us.

Vance