Mercies in Disguise

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King James Bible Study[Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]

Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Chapters: ECCLESIASTES 7-12
Study: Mercies in Disguise

Hello My Friend,

As I was reading the chapters for today, this song came to mind, Blessings, [We pray for blessings, We pray for peace, Comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity, We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. And all the while, You hear each spoken need, Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things..’Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You’re near? And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?] Some of our greatest blessings have come through our sorrows and while no one enjoys the sorrows, we who are saved by the blood of the lamb know that while tears may come in the night, joy always comes in the morning, [Psalms 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.]

When I was looking up the lyrics for the song I decided that I needed a playlist of songs that reminded me of the blessings that God gives every single day through our trials, and now they are playing through my head. There are things that we are going through that have absolutely nothing to do with sin in our own lives because God is angry. He is angry at all those fools who are making a mockery out of what He created, He is angry at all these religions who talk about Him, but have no clue who He is. He is also angry at His people who do turn a blind eye to sin and live as they please, justifying their sin through their salvation. God is very angry, but it only endures for a moment as these sorrows are actually drawing more lost souls to Him. And as we complete the reading of Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that sorrow of the heart is often the best medicine.

[Ecclesiastes 7:2-4,7-10  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  3  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  4  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 7  Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.  8  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  9  Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 10  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. 14  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.]

[for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.] There is nothing like a good cry to God to clean the mind, spirit, and heart as they tend to get cluttered with worry, doubt, and confusion when we are going through these trials, [2 Corinthians 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.]

[What is the cause that the former days were better than these?] Did you know that too much worry and doubt can cause God to prolong the blessing until we repent of that? The longer we are in these trials we do tend to look back on our past, and while much of that is dwelling on things that we could have done, it also brings us to wonder why it seemed that we were blessed more back then. That is also when God has to remind us that everything has a purpose.

[Ecclesiastes 8:6-9,12-13  Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.  7  For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?  8  There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.  9  All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. 12  Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:  13  But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.]

[Because to every purpose there is time and judgment,] Let me tell you, the more we walk with Christ the more we discover just how much of a sinner we are and that brings our own self judgment. [Though a sinner do evil an hundred times,] You see, God is quite merciful and long suffering in that He lets us learn things in baby steps so that we do not get so overwhelmed that we run from Him, [1 John 2:1-4  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.  3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.]

Because we know Christ as our Saviour, and are fully aware of the fact that our salvation is given to us freely, we have confidence in knowing that no matter what we have done, we will still see Jesus when we leave this earth. Solomon went through a great deal of pain to understand how God works regarding the poor and the rich, the good and wicked, and although he was no closer to an answer than we are, he did come up with one conclusion, one that we all need to agree on as well.

[Ecclesiastes 9:2-5,10  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.  3  This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  4  For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.  5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.]

[All things come alike to all:] There is one thing that the wicked and righteous have in common and that is that we will die, unless Jesus comes back fairly soon. We have no idea when our last breath will be, and since Jesus Christ holds the keys to death and hell, that means only He can retain our life. Those who admit they are sinners, believe in the Gospel of Christ, and receive Him as their only way to life, are retained, meaning they have received the Spirit of God in them, prolonging their life. Without Christ we are dead to our sins, [1 John 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.]

[but the dead know not any thing,] And speaking of life, those who are are saved that are in the grave as we speak are not dead, their bodies are sleeping while their souls are well awake and alive and walking with Jesus, [1 Thessalonians 4:13-16  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:]

The dead, those who are not saved, have no future to look forward to, therefore, when they die the only thing they will remember for eternity are the times they the opportunity to get saved. The living, know they have a future, and it is with Christ. While we have this life, there is opportunity, and since death is certain, it is in our best interest to make the best possible use of the life that God has given us, and not be slothful Christians.

[Ecclesiastes 10:1-4,14-15,18  Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.  2  A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.  3  Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.  4  If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. 14  A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?  15  The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. 18  By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.]

[Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour:] We are saved by the blood of the Lamb, we are not to be living like the world, we are to be a reflection of Christ. All it takes is one unrepentant sin to ruin our reputation and make Jesus stink to the world. There are people living in the world that have more morals than some saved, born again Christians. Likewise, there are some people living in their religion that have more rules than God does. Jesus said, [Matthew 23:3-4,23-24  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.  4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.]

Let me tell you, God is more merciful than many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We do not shun the fallen, gossip about them, make up stories about them, or shame them. None of us are without sin, so, we would be wise to be a little more concerned about our own doings and a little less about what others are doing. However, we are treat all sinners as Christ would, with love, compassion, discipline, and yes, rebuke if necessary.

[Ecclesiastes 11:5-10  As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.  6  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  7  Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:  8  But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.  9  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.  10  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.]

[yet let him remember the days of darkness;] We need conviction in order for us to remind us of how merciful God is. We need affliction in order to remind us of how gracious God is. And we also need sorrow to remind us that this is not our home and will one day suffer no more, [Isaiah 25:8-9  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.  9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.]

Solomon observed that one day we will all be judged for our actions as adults, in our youth, it is easy to fall for the things of the world because we are learning and growing, but as we grow we learn that everything we do, has consequences, and we will face God in judgment for them. While the unsaved will be judged for everything, the saved will be judged for what they did after they were saved, and this is were our good works count, not to keep our salvation, but to show God that we love and thank Him for sending His Son to save us. Solomon concluded the whole matter, is to fear God.

[Ecclesiastes 12:1,5-7,12-14  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 5  Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:  6  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.  7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.]

[For God shall bring every work into judgment,] Solomon observed that one day we will all be judged for our actions as adults, while in our youth, it is easy to fall for the things of the world because we are learning and growing, but as we grow we learn that life is not all about fun and games, and that everything we do, has consequences. So, if we truly want the blessings of God, we are to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, and whatever we do, never condemn your fellow Christian for we will all give an account to Jesus Himself.

[Romans 14:5-6,11-13  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  6  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  13  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.]

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the gift of eternal life when I trusted in Your Son as my Saviour, I know there is nothing I can do to earn or keep that, and am grateful for the sacrifice of Your precious Son so that I can live with You forever. I know that everything You do for me is in Your best interest, things I longed for, but never gotten are only opportunities for something better. It is easy for me to say I trust You, but it is not so easy for me to understand some of the sorrows You place in my life. Lord, I want to trust You at all times, even when I do not understand. Help me to trust and obey all Your decisions, let me not get discouraged or disgruntled over things, and keep me looking for the blessings as I endure my sorrows with You, because I do know that You will always supply me with every single thing I need, and then some. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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