King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, June 21, 2024
Chapters: ECCLESIASTES 7-12
Message: Overcome Challenges By Following Jesus
Hello My Friend,
If there was ever an end to a work week to say, “Thank God it is Friday!” today is the day. Let me tell you, for the past couple of weeks my focus has been off, I have been anxious, careless, and unmotivated to do anything. Even my walk with Christ has been at a distance, when I pray my words are broken and my spirit is too, I cannot face God because I feel so ashamed and unworthy to even be talking to Him. Did you know that in order for Jesus to do His best work in us we need to be broken? Jesus, wants to break away all the pieces from our flesh that blemish it and mend them with Him. Jesus, said it this way, [Luke 9:23-25 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?]
The life we live here on earth is one of many great challenges, and we will attempt and fail and many things, but it is the end of our lives that count more than the beginning. However, that is only dependent on if we have accepted Christ as our Saviour. As we come to the end of the reading of Ecclesiastes we are reminded that it is actually more beneficial for us as Christians to mourn than laugh sometimes.
[Ecclesiastes 7:1-4,8-10 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 2 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. 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.]
[A good name is better than precious ointment;] Does Christ know your name? Do the people in your life know that Christ is in you? Sometimes I wonder if Christ is seen in me as much as He has been in the past. Life’s challenges can definitely change ones demeanor not to mention bring them to make decisions that are not Christlike, but there is no better wake-up call than the sorrows we face. James said it this way, [James 4:8-10 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]
[What is the cause that the former days were better than these?] It does not matter who we are or how strong our faith, we all face hardships then start to looking back to the days when everything was going well. Well, apart from some unwise decisions or perhaps some detours away from the will of God that may have played a factor in what we are facing now it does no good to keep dwelling on what we had. What does do us good is the reminder that God is merciful and gracious and has given us the opportunity to turn things around with Him leading the way to even better things than what we had.
[Ecclesiastes 7:13-18 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? 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. 15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. 16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? 17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? 18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.]
[to the end that man should find nothing after him.] God will get the glory one way or another, whether He makes the path straight or crooked in order to get us there. Things are not always going to be easy for us, but they are achievable, Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.]
The older you get the more you realize how precious life is, that earthly pursuits get you nowhere, and it does not matter how much you know, what you know is not very much. Solomon, in all his wisdom understood this.
[Ecclesiastes 7:20-26 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: 22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. 24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? 25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.]
[I find more bitter than death the woman…but the sinner shall be taken by her.] Do you see what Solomon realized? Take your eyes off God for one second and you will fall into wicked sin. Since we are sinners by nature, even the strongest of Christians will sin and God knows this, which is why He mercy is so great, but those who deliberately fall into the trap of sin will get caught up in a snare of hardships.
[Ecclesiastes 8:1-3,6-8 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 2 I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 6 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.]
[no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit;] We have no guarantee of tomorrow, so whatever we need to do to make things right with God we need to do so now. And even though we will not lose our salvation, we do not want to leave here with that kind of shame, [Luke 12:37-39 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.]
I will say this, when we follow Christ it is a rest of our lifetime effort and here is the thing, if and when we mess up there is one thing going for us, we are saved by grace. Solomon, knew all too well that even though his heart turned from following God completely, his soul was protected.
[Ecclesiastes 8:12-14,17 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. 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.]
[surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God,] The more we walk with Christ the more we discover just how much of a sinner we are and that brings great misery upon us. However, there is an upside to that, redemption, [Romans 6:15-18 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.]
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. This is why Jesus purges us little by little. Of course, He does not want us to sin, but what is more important is developing a relationship with Him so that when we do learn of sin that we repent and turn away from it. We will never be without sin as long as we are here and Jesus has not returned, but we can sin less as we follow Christ.
[Ecclesiastes 9:1-4 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. 2 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.]
[for a living dog is better than a dead lion.] You see, while we are still here Jesus can use us and the truth is, that is why we are still here as we can reach more living through Him then we could being in heaven. Paul said it this way, [Philippians 1:23-25 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;]
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 9:10-12 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.]
[for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,] Since we have no idea when our last breath will be we need to make sure that we make each day count. Make amends, feed the poor with the Good News of the Gospel, tie up those loose ends, and by all means, let go of things that hold us up. While we have this life, there is opportunity, and since we have no idea when we will leave here, it is in our best interest to make the best possible use of the life that God has given us.
[Ecclesiastes 10:12-15,18-20 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 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. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. 20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.]
[for a bird of the air shall carry the voice,] All it takes is one unrepentant sin to ruin our reputation and give Jesus a bad name. And yes, when we sin that reflects on Jesus and the world is all to happy to see us fall, [Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.]
While God never condones sin, what is more important to Him is that we come to Him, confessing it, which is more honorable than a fool who is proud in their own conceits.
[Ecclesiastes 11:1-2,5-8 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 5 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.]
[for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.] In other words, stop holding on to the things that have no value, that we do not have a need for when there are people who do. We are to always treat everyone with the same respect, and extend the same mercies and grace to everyone.
[Ecclesiastes 12:1-2,5,7 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; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 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: 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.]
[when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;] There does come a time when the saved, born again Christian loses the desire for the things that the world has, [Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.]
Solomon also 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 for them. 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.
[Ecclesiastes 12:10-14 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 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.]
[nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.] We have one of two choices, one; believe upon the name of the LORD and He will save our soul, then when our body dies we get to spend an eternity with Jesus, the one and only Shepherd to His sheep. Those who know Him are better off living through Him rather than their flesh, [Romans 6:9-12 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the gift of eternal life when I trusted Your Son as my Saviour, I know there is nothing I can do to earn or keep my salvation. I know that everything You do for me is in Your best interest, and things I longed for, but never gotten are only opportunities for something better. It is easy for me to say I trust You when things are going well, but not so easy when challenges come. 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 I do not understand, and keep me looking for the blessings as I endure my challenges with You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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